Catching raccoons - do it proactively?

[Sandbyter]

I am a new chicken keeper and just got my 5 girls about 3 1/2 months ago. Since spring I have been trying to catch 2 groundhogs that are raiding my garden with a Have-A-Heart trap. Unfortunately I've been unlucky so far.
BUT, in the process I have caught 9 raccoons!!! I didn't know we had so many raccoons around here, but it also shows me how much danger is out there because I know raccoons are a major threat for chickens.

My question: Is it a good idea to try to catch predators and keep your area clear of them to protect your girls? Does anybody else do this?

 

[CluckerFamily]

For the groundhog, I've caught two in the last three years. Put the trap near it's burrow and put cantaloupe in the trap. The older the cantaloupe the better, they love that smell of fermented cantaloupe!

 

[CluckerFamily]

As for raccoons, my neighbors take care of the raccoons that come into the neighborhood if they aren't hit by a vehicle.
Protect those girls! I've caught and depending on the critter, re-homed because some animals are against the law to kill up here: groundhogs, rats, weasels, and an accidental mink.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

If you feel that your chicken coop/run is not raccoon proof then I would defiantly try to keep the raccoon population in check. I have them in abundance also but I have dogs in close proximity to my chickens and so far have not had any raccoon casualties and I'm thinking the dogs keep them at bay.

 

[Rldad1]

Raccoons ae not only a threat for your chickens but a danger to you and your other animals. They are carriers of Rabies. Most places will not allow you to relocate them. It is best to do away with them. If you get bit or scratched by a Raccoon, they will want to test the animal for Rabies and if you have relocated it, you will have to take Rabies shots.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

YES, always protect your chickens before hand or it could be too late

 

[Sandbyter]

Raccoons ae not only a threat for your chickens but a danger to you and your other animals. They are carriers of Rabies. Most places will not allow you to relocate them. It is best to do away with them. If you get bit or scratched by a Raccoon, they will want to test the animal for Rabies and if you have relocated it, you will have to take Rabies shots.

Thanks for the rabies tip. I always approach the trap holding a small blanket so the animal doesn't see me. Then pick I pick up the trap with blanket over it. I have caught all sizes, young and old, and some of the older ones were really heavy and hard to carry while holding the trap away from my body.
I hope that at least for a while I will be raccoon-free. LOL.

 

[Sandbyter]

YES, always protect your chickens before hand or it could be too late

Thanks! Yes, I am trying and have read a lot about predators. But I also realize that as a newbie I still have a lot to learn. I worked hard on my coop and run and hope with the hardware cloth going all around them it's like Fort Knox.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Thanks! Yes, I am trying and have read a lot about predators. But I also realize that as a newbie I still have a lot to learn. I worked hard on my coop and run and hope with the hardware cloth going all around them it's like Fort Knox.

Sounds like you have done your homework and are working hard to take care of your birds

 

[Howard E]

To the question of if you should pro-actively trap varmints to keep your local area free of them and the danger they impose? It depends. Almost all danger from coons arrives at dusk and ends at dawn.....which coincides with same hours the birds are in the coop and on the roost. If you have done your part to build sanctuary that protects them at night, trapping is not needed. They can be stacked up 3 deep, but if they can't get in to do harm, they are no threat.

But if you have holes or weak spots they can breech, they will get in and wipe you out. You can try to thin the herd by trapping, but you will never get them all, so while losses will be less, you can still expect trouble. When any one coon or varmint has success, they return time and again until you get the varmint or they get all the birds. Battle of wits and skill, and they are really, really good at it.

So question for OP.....what have you done with these cage trapped coons? Dispatched or relocated?