Any Pro-tips on Trapping/Removing Raccoons

[lazy gardener]

I have a soft spot for coons, ok really any animal. We but cheap dry cat food and keep a bunch of bowls of it all around away from coop and free range area. We have not had really any problems..... Knock on wood

When you see the devastation a coon can cause to a flock, you will change your mind. I also had a soft spot for coons. When I was a kid, I went camping with a family who had a baby coon that had been rescued when Mama was run over by a car. It was still being bottle fed, and would follow it's people just like a puppy. I had a flock of 12 leghorns. One night a coon killed all but three of them. It came back the next morning for the remaining survivors. That coon took a dirt nap. Any coon in my yard is immediately dispatched. Hubby has shot one coon that was obviously very ill, exhibiting neuro signs and out in the middle of the day. An other coon last summer was wandering in our yard, completely covered with porcupine quills, again, obviously "not right". An other time, a coon chased my car down the road, and later, chased a neighbor to his house.

Coons here = dead coons. I agree, predator proofing needs to be employed. But I also employ a shot gun and a trap. No catch and relocation allowed here.

 

[Mr Pink]

No doubt coop/run defence is anyone first priority ... always gonna be something texting your security but if it waste to much of their time with no results they move on ( specially if they get a good zap from an electric fence ) Problems really start when one is successful as they will be back and in the case of coons they tend to bring friends ... once they figure it out they are going to keep coming back until you replace in their mind free chicken dinner to a bullet !

 

[Fuzzbutts]

You can use a relatively cheap and low power electric fence setup to protect the coop and run in a manner that does not inconvenience the caretaker doing daily chores. Not knowing your actual setup, odds are it would take less than an hour add the fencing I use to protect housing only. A similar amount of time would be used arming and emptying traps. In the end, time is the biggest issue I can manage in effort to keep predators off my flock.

What kind of fencing do you use? I live in a suburban neighborhood and my coop and run are on a front side yard, nestled between the side of my house and the wall that separates me and my neighbor (who thankfully finds my duck shenanigans endearing).
It also has a small pond inside the run, which I’m sure the coons love to use as a water source (I’m in a valley in AZ- not much water to be found in the desert).

 

[Folly's place]

Make sure it's legal for you to have an electric fence in your neighborhood before investing in it. Mary

 

[Fuzzbutts]

Make sure it's legal for you to have an electric fence in your neighborhood before investing in it. Mary

Thankfully it is legal as long as it’s 10 feet or farther from a city street. So I am definitely in the clear!

 

[centrarchid]

What kind of fencing do you use? I live in a suburban neighborhood and my coop and run are on a front side yard, nestled between the side of my house and the wall that separates me and my neighbor (who thankfully finds my duck shenanigans endearing).
It also has a small pond inside the run, which I’m sure the coons love to use as a water source (I’m in a valley in AZ- not much water to be found in the desert).

I have three types in place (rural with acreage so not really backyard).

First is a perimeter fencing that will not likely work well in your setting where three wires about 6" apart with lowest 4" above ground. This fencing is where I have grass mowed tight on both sides and it stops most canid (dog, coyote, and fox) action. This perimeter encompasses the other two types.

Second type is electrified poultry netting that is used seasonally to protect free-range juveniles. Older / more mobile birds must be wing clipped to keep them in which is a pain. I have used it protect pens from just about everything on the ground and can be effective against raptors when used with heavy cover. The raptor resistant setup is a difficult to keep hot when it rains a lot. Raccoons and opossums stopped by this very well. Problem is this setup is highly visible and comes in discrete sizes. When I use the units singly they are roughly 40' square or I can tie them together but with no more than for lengths of the material, otherwise the charger needed to run it can damage the fencing material. Charger needs to be larger relative to area protected.

Third type has a much smaller amount of fencing either directly attached to pen or very close to it. The fencing is 4" from pen and about 4" above ground. Charger used is light duty. Critters trying to challenge even things like chicken wire give up promptly when getting zapped as probing or otherwise challenging the pen itself. This setup works even on chicken tractors where insulators are affixed directly to the pen.

All require a grounding rod as I use them and ideally charger is in location you pass when approaching and leaving poultry area. Checking to see if fence is hot is important. I like to be able to see from a distance, in my case, from the house about 100 yards away.

Here the raccoons and even foxes probe fencing and are pretty good at finding when fence is shorted out so pen needs to be tough enough to at least slow break ins.

 

[Fuzzbutts]

I have three types in place (rural with acreage so not really backyard).

First is a perimeter fencing that will not likely work well in your setting where three wires about 6" apart with lowest 4" above ground. This fencing is where I have grass mowed tight on both sides and it stops most canid (dog, coyote, and fox) action. This perimeter encompasses the other two types.

Second type is electrified poultry netting that is used seasonally to protect free-range juveniles. Older / more mobile birds must be wing clipped to keep them in which is a pain. I have used it protect pens from just about everything on the ground and can be effective against raptors when used with heavy cover. The raptor resistant setup is a difficult to keep hot when it rains a lot. Raccoons and opossums stopped by this very well. Problem is this setup is highly visible and comes in discrete sizes. When I use the units singly they are roughly 40' square or I can tie them together but with no more than for lengths of the material, otherwise the charger needed to run it can damage the fencing material. Charger needs to be larger relative to area protected.

Third type has a much smaller amount of fencing either directly attached to pen or very close to it. The fencing is 4" from pen and about 4" above ground. Charger used is light duty. Critters trying to challenge even things like chicken wire give up promptly when getting zapped as probing or otherwise challenging the pen itself. This setup works even on chicken tractors where insulators are affixed directly to the pen.

All require a grounding rod as I use them and ideally charger is in location you pass when approaching and leaving poultry area. Checking to see if fence is hot is important. I like to be able to see from a distance, in my case, from the house about 100 yards away.

Here the raccoons and even foxes probe fencing and are pretty good at finding when fence is shorted out so pen needs to be tough enough to at least slow break ins.

What do you use to power your poultry netting? I’m new to electrified fencing.

 

[centrarchid]

For every 164' stretch / length of fencing, 0.5 Joules. Look at how the chargers are described at store. Some parties are more into voltage method of measure. Do not use charger more powerful than 2 Joules.

 

[Mama Runner]

No doubt coop/run defence is anyone first priority ... always gonna be something texting your security but if it waste to much of their time with no results they move on ( specially if they get a good zap from an electric fence ) Problems really start when one is successful as they will be back and in the case of coons they tend to bring friends ... once they figure it out they are going to keep coming back until you replace in their mind free chicken dinner to a bullet !

I just figured if I fed them far from the coop they would leave my poor little babies alone. We buried cinder blocks half way in the ground and then have another row above. Our main problem is dogs

 

[grayyell11]

I don't know where you are located or how much land you have, a well placed live trap with pb and j will catch most. If you are in a rural area with tons of wooded acreage or adjacent to national forest, you could utilize a coon hunters service. They would at least take the coon off your hands as well.. Or just plan to sit out late with a .22