Raccoons

[ShrekDawg]

Okay actually turns out the season goes from like Nov 1 all the way to like January or February so that works out for me but then you're only allowed to use cage or box traps to trap them so that paw one wouldn't work and I think you need a **** permit...

But I wonder if those same rules apply if you are not trapping/shooting for fur or sport but rather to protect livestock on your own property? Or if you don't plan on killing it and instead plan to call animal control to take it? Cause then it's not really hunting? Seems kinda silly to get a license if I'm not even going to hunt and only want to catch it for animal control to take. Maybe I will have to call them and ask them.

But turns out relocating is illegal here which it should be.

Here's the season thing, see if it makes sense haha

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/df.../hunting-and-trapping-of-certain-mammals.html

 

[ChickenChaser9]

We'll see how soft your heart feels if they manage to break in and murder your flock. A pair of coons can devastate a lot of birds in a small amount of time. Winter is coming and they are going to be more inclined to invade your chicken's coop as it gets harder to find forage. They are crafty and clearly intent on getting in. Most places allow you to shoot a predator in defense of your livestock especially if that predator is not some endangered critter. I wouldn't think twice about it TBH, just leave a loaded rifle by the door when I go to sleep and end the issue. Best wishes.

 

[ShrekDawg]

We'll see how soft your heart feels if they manage to break in and murder your flock. A pair of coons can devastate a lot of birds in a small amount of time. Winter is coming and they are going to be more inclined to invade your chicken's coop as it gets harder to find forage. They are crafty and clearly intent on getting in. Most places allow you to shoot a predator in defense of your livestock especially if that predator is not some endangered critter. I wouldn't think twice about it TBH, just leave a loaded rifle by the door when I go to sleep and end the issue. Best wishes.

That's very true, I never thought about it like that. I definitely love my birds more than any coon, they're pets in addition to being egg layers. Besides, I hear coons are nasty and mean once caught/in general.

I think I'll definitely shoot it or at least trap it and call someone.

And you're right, just find this other site and apparently it is legal in defense of your property, which I suspected, just my state sucks and makes it confusing and has everything on a million sites haha

http://wildlifehelp.org/solution/massachusetts/raccoon/how-trap-and-remove-raccoon/116

So since it technically is defending them because they are going after my chickens, I'll figure out a way to get the little ******** haha

Although tbh I also kinda feel like they're jist doing their raccoon-y thing and it's my job to protect the girls from predators and make sure they can't get in, which I've failed to do so far and have just been lucky. But that said, there are lots of dogs, kids, cats, around and we are set back in the woods but surrounded by condos/townhomes so they really don't belong in a suburban environment like this I suppose so it's different. I guess they need to go.

Although won't another one just move in?

But you are right, they will likely just keep coming back until they get one so I suppose it is far better to just eliminate them now while they're still around and before they do manage to bust in, which they are extremely close to doing

 

[PeepersMama]

We'll see how soft your heart feels if they manage to break in and murder your flock. A pair of coons can devastate a lot of birds in a small amount of time. Winter is coming and they are going to be more inclined to invade your chicken's coop as it gets harder to find forage. They are crafty and clearly intent on getting in. Most places allow you to shoot a predator in defense of your livestock especially if that predator is not some endangered critter. I wouldn't think twice about it TBH, just leave a loaded rifle by the door when I go to sleep and end the issue. Best wishes.

I agree completely. Defending your property doesn't need a liscense; just make yourself a nice pair of coonskin caps for winter. The fur will be especially thick this time of year

 

[ChickenChaser9]

That's very true, I never thought about it like that. I definitely love my birds more than any coon, they're pets in addition to being egg layers. Besides, I hear coons are nasty and mean once caught/in general.

I think I'll definitely shoot it or at least trap it and call someone.

And you're right, just find this other site and apparently it is legal in defense of your property, which I suspected, just my state sucks and makes it confusing and has everything on a million sites haha

http://wildlifehelp.org/solution/massachusetts/raccoon/how-trap-and-remove-raccoon/116

So since it technically is defending them because they are going after my chickens, I'll figure out a way to get the little ******** haha

Although tbh I also kinda feel like they're jist doing their raccoon-y thing and it's my job to protect the girls from predators and make sure they can't get in, which I've failed to do so far and have just been lucky. But that said, there are lots of dogs, kids, cats, around and we are set back in the woods but surrounded by condos/townhomes so they really don't belong in a suburban environment like this I suppose so it's different. I guess they need to go.

Although won't another one just move in?

But you are right, they will likely just keep coming back until they get one so I suppose it is far better to just eliminate them now while they're still around and before they do manage to bust in, which they are extremely close to doing

Ecosystems are complex but IMO if the raccoons being raccoons means that they will throw caution to the wind and repeatedly come into your yard to try and get your birds you could just keep trying to outwit them everytime making adjustments and improvements and being on constant alert for trouble. That is a solution. If you police your yard by killing trespassing predators though you might have to deal other families of raccoons. Survival of the fittest being what it is though what that means is that the ones who survive will be the ones who figured out to find their meals elsewhere. Chickens have no defense against raccoons except for you. You are their first and last line. I would not underestimate the predator's desire to eat your birds nor mistake the fact that they are animals to mean they are not clever enough to find a way in. It is your flock. Do what you want but I would never but mine in danger in order to protect the life of something that could just as easily get food elsewhere. Raccoons can and do eat almost anything but these ones are choosing to target your chickens.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I agree completely. Defending your property doesn't need a liscense; just make yourself a nice pair of coonskin caps for winter. The fur will be especially thick this time of year 

That does sound toasty, especially with the winter we will probably have this year

​Ecosystems are complex but IMO if the raccoons being raccoons means that they will throw caution to the wind and repeatedly come into your yard to try and get your birds you could just keep trying to outwit them everytime making adjustments and improvements and being on constant alert for trouble. That is a solution. If you police your yard by killing trespassing predators though you might have to deal other families of raccoons. Survival of the fittest being what it is though what that means is that the ones who survive will be the ones who figured out to find their meals elsewhere. Chickens have no defense against raccoons except for you. You are their first and last line. I would not underestimate the predator's desire to eat your birds nor mistake the fact that they are animals to mean they are not clever enough to find a way in. It is your flock. Do what you want but I would never but mine in danger in order to protect the life of something that could just as easily get food elsewhere. Raccoons can and do eat almost anything but these ones are choosing to target your chickens. 

Thanks for explaining it so well and calmly and not just yelling at me that I need to shoot them or whatever.

Your reasoning does make a lot of sense and brings up things I never thought of.

Like for instance when you said that they eat almost anything yet are choosing to go after my chickens. That's especially true and I guess makes them much more of a nuisance. I'm sure there are plenty of other raccoons around who DO eat the other food sources so I really don't want to and shouldn't deal with ones that choose to eat my chickens? Like I said we are set back in the woods and have almost 3 acres plus the neighbors all have wopds too so there's two fairly large patches where I am sure there is lots of food, cranberry bogs across the street (although idk if coons eat from there?), and heck, even a pond down the street. Two actually, a smaller man made one and a bigger one and large marsh area behind that. So I assume that's plenty of natural resources? And heck, even if they insisted on UNnatural resources, there's all the condos and surely plenty of trash there? So it is a little weird they choose the most difficult food source. You are right about that. Plus they might teach future babies about the chickens?

As for them getting in, I definitely don't underestimate; raccoons are amazingly smart. That said, I do need to take more and better precautions.

Also, do you think the bird feeder and compost pile nearby could be attracting them too? I have also thrown seed down before but not for a while. I suppose I should STOP doing that and maybe place the compost pile further away from the chickens???

 

[ChickenChaser9]

It couldn't hurt to put your composting further from the coop. The coons could absolutely teach their young to go after your chickens. I am not one of these people that advocates killing everything but some types of critter will stop at nothing once they know you have chickens. It isn't even all racoons but if they have visited on more than one occasion they aren't going to give up and I have seen some really secure pens get broken into ehile people were on vacation or the like.

 

[tomphot]

This is the type of trap you should get - put the bait inside and when they reach in, the paw is caught. Dispatch them and get rid of the body. They are very smart and it is hard to catch in a live trap, even if you do, it is often illegal to relocate them.
Bridger Dog Proof Raccoon Trap.

 

[Zoomie]

At my old place I trapped raccoon after raccoon. They killed many of my birds, even ripping the siding off the barn to get in. I finally started setting traps inside things as suggested above in post #18 by tomphot. Pretty much twice a month I'd have yet another raccoon to dispatch. Where I used to live they were considered an introduced pest and it was illegal to relocate. And boy, did they ever snarl and go at me and try to get me one they were in the trap! It can be pretty scary.

Once I moved here I had my birds again wiped out by raccoons. I shot three of them, but the fourth one had killed all the chickens. This one had ripped apart the wire to get in.

My conclusion is that there are LOTS of raccoons out there, more than we realize. TONS of them. So getting rid of the two that you saw would only be the tip of the iceberg. What you have to do is build a facility that they just can't get in to, and you have to really think hard because they are clever and strong. Also think about double wire. I had a pen that had chain link fence and then inside that, a cube of 1/2" by 1" wire that is used for the bottom of a rabbit cage. That's because I did lose birds to the raccoons reaching through the wire and grabbing the birds. The double wire stopped that.

I have a coop just like yours and I love it! But mine is inside a run, which is inside a stall which is inside my barn. I lock them in the coop every night. The run is closed up, the stall is closed up and the barn is closed up at night. When I get up to do chores, I open everything up. However if I had to leave town or something, I would not let them out of the run, and would leave instructions for them to be locked in at night, and to also lock up the stall and the barn. All this might seem extreme but I am just sick and tired of losing birds to raccoons. It is absolutely horrifying to go out in the morning and find most of your birds dead, and the ones that are still alive you have to kill, because the raccoon ripped off their wing or their leg just for fun.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

Raccoons are in many parts of the US and you should always secure your birds. That in no way means that you should let the ones terrorizing your flock to get away just because there are quote TONS of them. Ammunition is much cheaper to buy by the case than replacing even a few prized hens. You should have the most secure coop possible but in no way does that mean you should not pull the trigger in a coon in your yard. In fact coon skin is a wonderful way to make hats, gloves and warm weather covers so do yourself and the chickens a favor and kill them every time. Never try to trap and release you are just making your predator problem someone else's predator problem.