Raccoons

[beginnergirl]

Glad your chickens are okay! But raccoons are smart, determined and persistent. Now that they know about your chickens, they will be back.

Ammonia is not healthy for chicken's respiratory systems from everything I've read here.

Cover the chicken wire with hardware mesh screwed into a wood frame. Use wire mesh around the edges on the ground to prevent digging. You can hammer pins used to secure landscape fabric. Your plastic bins may not be secure. Raccoons can reach into a 1" opening and still kill your chickens.

 

[Studio2770]

The thing about coons is that they are also smart. A million screws isn't going to make chicken wire safe, its too weak. Cover the chicken wire with hardware cloth or 1 x1 wire fencing. Either bury wire or do something else so nothing can dig under and then you won't need the live trap. Even if you catch the coon, another one or worse, weasel will just show up.

I decided to put our extra wire mesh to good use and replaced the chicken wire with it.






The dark part is actually where the mesh goes under ground about 4 inches or so. Mesh also blocks off the small gap on the right. It is sharp on one side of the mesh that blocks the gap so I'm thinking it would cause some cuts if the raccoons thinks of trying to push through. I don't think the points are a hazard to the hens though.

It's done for now, the bricks might not be necessary since the mesh goes underground.

 

[Studio2770]

Glad your chickens are okay! But raccoons are smart, determined and persistent. Now that they know about your chickens, they will be back.

Ammonia is not healthy for chicken's respiratory systems from everything I've read here.

Cover the chicken wire with hardware mesh screwed into a wood frame. Use wire mesh around the edges on the ground to prevent digging. You can hammer pins used to secure landscape fabric. Your plastic bins may not be secure. Raccoons can reach into a 1" opening and still kill your chickens.

Yeah I won't use the ammonia as much tonights but the towels are still out there but not right under the hens. The smell doesn't exactly carry. I may pour some away from the coop. I just poster a reply with pics of my new setup.

 

[aart]

I decided to put our extra wire mesh to good use and replaced the chicken wire with it.

Best put some large washers under the heads of those screws, use several sizes if needed.....or longer screws thru some trim wood.
As they are now, they are barely holding the mesh down.
Raccoons can move those bricks away pretty easily, I hope the mesh is deep enough.

 

[hayley3]

Looking good!
But I agree with Aart about the washers, although I attach wood trim around my wire edges, like 1x2 furring strips. I use a staple gun to attach the wire before the furring strip is added.

 

[beginnergirl]

The hardware mesh looks much better! I will leave the details to the experts.

Rather than ammonia as a deterrent for raccoons, if you can find a dog to urinate periodically in your yard, it might help. Raccoons have stayed out of the yards where my LGD dogs have been. They stayed on the other side of the rental house where my dog didn't go. Even the backyard at my current house that the dog only uses occasionally, there is a big difference in animals coming into the yard. They still can so a good coop is important. I also tucked dog hair around the perimeter of our yard. It isn't foolproof but it has made a difference for us. We have plenty of dog hair with our dog!

 

[Studio2770]

Best put some large washers under the heads of those screws, use several sizes if needed.....or longer screws thru some trim wood.
As they are now, they are barely holding the mesh down.
Raccoons can move those bricks away pretty easily, I hope the mesh is deep enough.

These were a step up from what we previously had. I wouldn't say the changes are final, but whole lot better than the chicken wire. I planned on having more mesh in the ground considering how much I have left up top. I'll see about adding strength to the screws. I do have a bunch of extra bricks I could use.

Had no incident last night thankfully nor have I checked to see if anyone tried to get in. I would love to get a trail camera.

 

[Studio2770]

The hardware mesh looks much better! I will leave the details to the experts.

Rather than ammonia as a deterrent for raccoons, if you can find a dog to urinate periodically in your yard, it might help. Raccoons have stayed out of the yards where my LGD dogs have been. They stayed on the other side of the rental house where my dog didn't go. Even the backyard at my current house that the dog only uses occasionally, there is a big difference in animals coming into the yard. They still can so a good coop is important. I also tucked dog hair around the perimeter of our yard. It isn't foolproof but it has made a difference for us. We have plenty of dog hair with our dog!

I do have two dogs. I've been considering moving their poo around the coop, not right next to it but near. I've read using dog hair can help too. Yeah our yellow lab sheds quite a bit!

 

[aart]

Quote: That's a great idea!!....don't even have to bury it that deep, maybe an inch or two, bend it out as an apron.
You can do that when you correct that attachments.

 

[hayley3]

I bought an expensive trail camera and then bought a $35 3MP Tasco from Walmart. The $35 doesn't have video but it works fine otherwise, so far.