Any Pro-tips on Trapping/Removing Raccoons

[Fuzzbutts]

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

I'm located in AZ in a suburban neighborhood. I have one paw trap and one live trap set, and so far the paw trap has caught one raccoon (but now I KNOW there is another one lurking around my house). I haven't had much success with a live trap, which is baited with marshmallows. Perhaps I'll give PB and J a shot.

 

[grayyell11]

That will catch it. Good luck!

 

[Fuzzbutts]

That will catch it. Good luck!

Thank you for the advice!

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

We heard pb & j too & tried it in our live traps but instead if racoons we kept catching opossums. Still a win, just not the predator we were expecting!

 

[grayyell11]

You have to get the possums before the coons. Once you get the possums out, you'll get the coons. Possums will go into a trap with anything in it.

 

[Birdinhand]

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

feeding them away from your hen house would only have a very short term positive effect if any at all. in the long run, you simply encourage an unnatural and unsustainable population to form that is dependent on being fed. it will ultimately result in having an even bigger problem with your coop. ultimately, for a smallish coop/run, hardware cloth is the only best bet. the good news is that 1/2" keeps out breeder sized rats, but you have to go wall to wall and across the ceiling with no gaps more than a half inch, and down into the ground 24" at a 45 degree angle away from the coop. if the run is large, then sealing the main coop where they are locked at night with hardware cloth and using electric fencing for the rest should do the trick or at least help minimize losses to a manageable level. both my runs are completely covered, sealed like an envelope and I have zero loss to predators even though I have many of them that circle the coop and mark it with their musk. we have coons, possum, rats, coyotes, bald eagles and hawks. Our birds would not survive one night outside our coop and yet I do not feel that I am at war with all those critters salivating along the perimeter. we have learned to coexist, at least for now.

 

[Fuzzbutts]

We heard pb & j too & tried it in our live traps but instead if racoons we kept catching opossums. Still a win, just not the predator we were expecting!

Luckily I'm almost 100% positive there are no Opossums anywhere near me (they look like they're pretty nasty....)

 

[Fuzzbutts]

feeding them away from your hen house would only have a very short term positive effect if any at all. in the long run, you simply encourage an unnatural and unsustainable population to form that is dependent on being fed. it will ultimately result in having an even bigger problem with your coop. ultimately, for a smallish coop/run, hardware cloth is the only best bet. the good news is that 1/2" keeps out breeder sized rats, but you have to go wall to wall and across the ceiling with no gaps more than a half inch, and down into the ground 24" at a 45 degree angle away from the coop. if the run is large, then sealing the main coop where they are locked at night with hardware cloth and using electric fencing for the rest should do the trick or at least help minimize losses to a manageable level. both my runs are completely covered, sealed like an envelope and I have zero loss to predators even though I have many of them that circle the coop and mark it with their musk. we have coons, possum, rats, coyotes, bald eagles and hawks. Our birds would not survive one night outside our coop and yet I do not feel that I am at war with all those critters salivating along the perimeter. we have learned to coexist, at least for now.

Random question: Is your run covered/boxed in with fencing (does it have a roof to it), or is it just fenced in? Right now mine is just fenced in and the coop is a solid fortress, and my newfound paranoia makes me want to box in the run as well, even though there isnt much daytime predator risk due to the location of their area.

 

[Birdinhand]

Random question: Is your run covered/boxed in with fencing (does it have a roof to it), or is it just fenced in? Right now mine is just fenced in and the coop is a solid fortress, and my newfound paranoia makes me want to box in the run as well, even though there isnt much daytime predator risk due to the location of their area.

for my runs, I dug them out, I framed them, covered them walls, floor and ceiling with hardware cloth, put the dirt back, burying the HWC about 8" with the dirt I dug out and added a roof. I used translucent roofing so they still get lots of light which is really important for us up north here in the winter. one of the main motivations for roofing here is the rain, it rains on and off for about 6 months and an open run becomes a mud pit, like a cesspool. the chickens love being dry 24/7 and as long as they have food and water they will habitually scratch and peck, turning the dirt over and over and they stay occupied. if we didn't get a lot of rain, I think my conclusion would be the same, that keeping them safe from birds of pray would still require a roof here.

 

[Mr Pink]

I did much the same as Birdinhand ... I tried to think of every conceivable point of attack , in short think like a predator ! Most attacks will be moments of opportunity quick snatch and run if they can short probing recons are more the norm ( unless they find a weak spot and get in ) . Usually if digging is deturded a few laps around the coop/run probing and they are off to an easier meal . Coons, possums and rats are the most persistent .

My coop is on a concrete slab and wire buried foot down and foot out all around run . 2x4 welded wire around run with chicken wire over that from ground 3 feet up and 3 electric wires from 6 inches to 24 inches all the way round .

The top of the run is covered with deer fence ( very strong and visible ) except for one corner I have a tin roof that can be folded back to allow me to add to my DL with the use of the front end loader on my tractor. couldn't think of anything else to do to deter predators I have here

Pic of my run cover