A horrible, horrible night......UPDATE 11-19-11

[dainerra]

even double chicken wire is pretty worthless. A full grown coon can just pull the wire itself apart. Not to mention, it doesn't take much bending and stretching to leave a hole a coon can fit though - 4 inches for a full-grown coon.

 

[kari_dawn]

I always tell people I would much rather deal with a ticked off adult bobcat than any raccoon. Raccoons are by far the most dangerous animal I work with.

I agree with what others are telling you. I am so sorry for your loss. My coop is chain link, and I had chicken wire stretched around the bottom...until I found that raccoons had been bending, and pulling the chain link apart! Never enough to get through, but I figure if they can bend the relatively heavy gage chain link, they can certainly break through the spider web thin gage of the chicken wire. I have since switched to a much heavier gage 1/2inch hardware cloth.

 

[Mattemma]

Yea baby predators are cute.Sorry for your loss. I took down most bird feeders too.

 

[Magic Birdie]

Sorry about your chickies

 

[beegirl4]

I'm sorry to hear about your babies. I know the feeling of guilt, but mother nature is rough... is a cycle.... hugs!

 

[GoldenSparrow]

So sorry

find some one to hug really it will helpc

 

[mondotomhead]

When I got home last night the first thing I did was run out to check on my surviving 6 chickens (they were fine). Walking back to the house those 2 raccoons came out of nowhere and chased me all the way to the back door. I had to use my umbrella to chase them off! Scared me half to death!! Talk about a pounding heart. (This was all in the dark as DH wasn't home yet.)

This morning was bright and sunny with no sign of those raccoons and I let out my chickens out. They've been in lockdown for four days. After, I'm looking out the back door and THERE ARE THOSE RACCOONS. In the daytime! All I could think about was the chickens that were outside. I'm sad to say that I sent DH out to shoot them. I hid in the house with my hands over my ears coward that I am.

I am very, very relieved those raccoons are "gone" and I won't make that mistake of encouraging them ever, ever again. I feel horrible about my chickens and horrible that we had to kill the baby raccoons.

 

[seminolewind]

We do all make mistakes. We have accidents.
Since I lived in NY and had the deer trail go right thru my property, and they ate thousands of dollars of landscaping, I do not feed or attract animals in any way. Except crows.

Sorry it happened to you.

 

[CMV]

I am sorry for your losses. I am glad you have taken steps to ensure the safety of the rest of your flock, but I am sorry you had to dispose of juvenile predators- that one is often tough to swallow. I am sorry you feel responsible for the losses, but live and learn. You did the right thing in the circumstances as they were presented to you.

Good luck in the future.

 

[rancher hicks]

Seems to me that they most likely were RABID. This based on the fact that they were out during the day.