All my girls are dead!

[watergoddess]

Raccoons have in the last week slaughtering my birds, I lost my last hen this morning. We caught one raccoon but there seems to be more. I hope to god that they don't go after my peacocks because I don't know what to do if I lose them as we'll! bought a good lock for the hen house so hopefully they can't get in anymore.

 

[MalMom]

I'm so sorry for your loss! With having such a small flock myself (two currently) I often worry that they could be wiped out very easily. I hope you are able to build your flock back up.

 

[watergoddess]

Thank you!

 

[Nicole01]

Im so sorry. Raccoons are so smart.

I hope you can fix it where they don't get your future stock. We use hardware cloth plus welded wire on our run and it keeps everything out. We don't shut the coop door either.

 

[wildrooster1]

Very sorry about your flock.Try putting some sound out there a radio is what i use and havent seen any in months,now may not work if your over populated but worth a try!

WildRooster1

 

[theoldchick]

So sorry.

 

[thomasboyle]

Very sorry for your losses. Raccoons kept getting my hens last year, so I picked up 3 cage traps and in a few days had caught a half dozen of them. They like marshmallows for bait. I took an empty tuna can and stuffed 5-6 marshamllows in it, and then zip tied the can to the bottom of the cage so it would stay put in the middle, forcing the raccoon to enter the cage to get the bait.

How secure is your coop setup? Are the getting the birds while out in the open, in the run, or in the coop itself? I had to upgrade my defences to stop the losses, so I set up an electric net fence around the yard where they free range, and I upgraded the run to have double fencing - 2"x4" field fencing on the outside of the 2x4 frame, and 1/2" hardware wire on the inside. Since make these enhancements, I have not lost any hens as long as they stay inside the fence. I had a couple of guineas who flew over the fence on a regular basis, and lost one of them last week as a result.

If you don't know how the raccoons are getting in, set up a trail camera to cover the coop, and see if you capture them on film. I have 2 cameras set up, one covering the coop and yard, and another covering the yard and woods. This way, hopefully one of the cameras will capture a pic if something happens. I find the hardest part is not knowing what you are up against - foxes, raccoons, bobcat and coyotes. I have pics of them all, so I know they are just looking for an opportunity to get the birds.

 

[centrarchid]

It has been a while since had to do this but sometimes with trapwise raccoon(s) it pays to camp out with a light rifle and flashlight.

 

[watergoddess]

thank you all!

 

[patrickmull]

use golden maloron fly bait 2 cups of it and a can of coke they wont go far don't tell anyone just haul off the carcase off