Can a raccoon climb a 6 ft. tall block wall (privacy fence)

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

I have a 6 ft. block privacy fence around my yard (our lot is just under 1/2 acre). We live in the middle of the city, but there is a dry wash behind us that does have some wildlife like rabbits, coyotes and possibly bobcats.

I haven't seen any raccoons around my yard or neighborhood, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Can a raccoon climb up a 6ft block wall (see picture)?

My coop is hawk proof & coyote proof, but I'm not sure whether I need to raccoon proof it also - I don't want to spend the extra time & money if a coon can't even get into my yard.

Also, the chickens head to their roost pole on their own each evening because the coop is always open to them. I've heard that raccoons will reach through chicken wire to catch chickens at night. If they are on their roosting board in the middle of the wooden coop, does this mean they will be safe from prying hands? Do the raccoons come out after the chickens are roosting and go back home before the chickens wake up?

 

[m00res]

We're in the city, too but I found a racoon on our concrete privacy fence (easily 6 ft). I peaked out the window to see what all the noise was and ended up eye to eye with the darn thing. Scared me to death! It could have climbed a tree and jumped over, but I don't know. They are pretty clever. Good luck!

 

[aiwetir]

i've seen a raccoon 'frolicking' around on the top one of these walls here in portland, i always assumed it climbed an adjacent tree or something.

coons will certainly grab at chickens if they can reach them. as long as your girls can't sit in a place where the coons can get them they should be fine.

i suppose there is always a chance that one of your chickens might just sit on the ground by the fence though and there's probably nothing you can do about that if you aren't home to see it or something.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

There aren't any trees on the other side where the wash is - it's just dirt & tall weeds and all my neighbors also have privacy fences. If a raccoon started out inside my yard, it could climb one of my trees and get up on the fence, but there are no trees for it to use when trying to enter my yard from the outside. I looked up raccoons online and can't find any information regarding them being able to scale a block wall. I'm sure hoping they can't.

 

[#1California Chick]

I am pretty sure that racoons can scale a block wall. I think that if you make sure that your run has hardware wire up the first 2 feet the raccons cant "grab" your chickens!

Cindy

 

[silkiechicken]

Coons can open doors and simple latches, if that wall isn't smooth, a hungry determined coon just may be able to do it. It's probably a good deterrent though. Somehow coons get up on the roof of the house and we have no overhangs from trees to it.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
if your walls are that high, why did you make it coyote proof? from the picture it looks coon proof also.. a coon can reach only as far as his arm is long..
sometimes they seem superhuman..
thats not really the right word,is it??

yes, they are mostly nocturnal..not always,,,,,,,,,but mostly..

 

[Mahonri]

I haven't seen coons here in the AZ desert yet, but a coyote can jump right over a 6' block wall. I've seen that.

 

[bluey]

Raccoons are very intelligent and crafty creatures... I would never underestimate their abilities to find a way to do almost anything if food was involved...

As much as I rail on raccoons, I admire their ingenuity!

 

[Kingpen]

Most certainly. a racoon can do some amazing things, climb the seeminly unattainable, open the open proof container, get in places where it wants to be and creat havoc! I had one that for the fun of it or just testing things opened everything in my barn, horse stuff, bottles, cans everything. Grain, feed. He or she was relocated!