Caught and Relocated a Raccoon

[Klutch]

The raccoon was most likely born near those rivers, and it was probably looking for greener pastures

 

[SamLockwood]

I read that it’s better to not kill or remove any predators and beef up security instead (secure coop, run, LGDs…), because it’s better to have a predator in your area that has been frustrated or scared off and given up on getting to your livestock than a never ending parade of new predators (because the niche will be filled again) that will each challenge your defenses again and might be successful before you know they are even there… A The devil you know is better than the devil that you don’t kind of thing.

My experience has proven that the exact opposite of that is true, and I've been keeping poultry off and on since 1985.

First off, I have yet to see the hungry wild animal that gets "scared off" for more than 24 hours at a time. Nor do they get "frustrated" and just leave your flock alone unless there's some other, easier food source nearby. Maybe you get lucky and some idiot starts feeding them pet food in hope of having an exotic pet, then maybe the predator gets "frustrated" and leaves your flock alone. That sort of thing hasn't happened around my house in the 17+ years I've lived here.

The craziest example of persistence was this human-savvy raccoon that was not only trying to get at the chickens at night but it wast tearing up potted plants and the garden. The thing had a sixth sense for people with guns and I never could ambush it so I tried trapping. This was successful but I didn't want to dispatch it in the cage so I opened the door before I started shooting at it.

It turns out even when they're running in a straight line a raccoon moving full-speed is hard to hit. You'd think after that he'd have been scared away, but I trapped him again the next night. Again I tried to be sporting and he got away, although that time I got so close the dirt the bullet kicked up made him stagger. The third night I trapped him a third time and I was far less sporting. I guess he didn't read the same article you did.

Problem #2 with that thesis is that there is no such thing as "steady state" in nature. Animals grow old and die, they mate and have young, they get displaced by other animals, or run over by cars. Their normal prey moves away, or they eat it all.

Last fall a bobcat moved onto my property but as far as I could tell from the trail cameras it was only active at night and stayed on the west end of the property by the river. I figured since the birds were secure at night I had nothing to worry about. This situation held for about 4 months, then the chickens started disappearing. It got four before I got smart, including one it grabbed not 20 yards from me. Even after I put the flock on lockdown the bobcat would take wild birds that were on my property. It would lurk on the back porch, sizing up the coop at night (I found its droppings in the mornings).

I had a hell of a time stalking that 'cat, and was ultimately unsuccessful. The closest I got was I found its lair, but it disappeared a few days after that. Needless to say if a bobcat ever shows up on my land again I'm going to be far less "live and let live" with it.

Third, unless you're going to go with a commercial-grade metal building with a concrete slab floor there's no such thing as a "predator proof" coop. Anything made of wood can be gotten into by an animal with enough time. Plus, it's practically impossible to rodent-proof a coop: and given that even mice will eat eggs, rats can and do kill chickens, and rodent droppings in the feeders can make chickens sick I'd put rodents in the "predator" category as well.

Given that that I've had rats steal bait from a trap with another dead rat in it I don't think rats are easily scared off either.

I don't believe that livestock-keeping is not for the faint of heart. Either you get used to getting your hands dirty once in a while or you get used to losing birds to predators frequently.

 

[Stephine]

We live on a creek that is wildlife corridor between regional parks. Our coop is not 100 feet from the creek bed. We are deer fenced. We have mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, weasels, rodents, hawks, owls, everything. There’s absolutely no way to get rid of predators here. Our coop was built by a carpenter who build it like a small house. All openings have hardware cloth. When the chickens are out we have the dog with them. They are locked up at night. After our house burned down the chickens spent the daytime in their coop and run with no one on the property for over two years, locked in the coop overnight. We have had one loss due to a hawk attack while out free ranging - before our dog had learned that there could be a threat from the sky. That’s it. Coop and run are Fort Knox and not even a mouse can get in there. Dogs are the best protection while ranging.

 

[Stephine]

I should add: yes, a hungry wild animal will put a lot of work in to get its meal and won’t be easily deterred. Our wildlife here has plenty of other wildlife to feed on. Our chickens could be an easy snack if we didn’t protect them well. But since we do, they are not worth the trouble. And even a mountain lion will not risk troubling a protective dog…

 

[Coffetym]

We live next 4000 acers of state forest where everybody thinks is a good spot to release coon, possum, squirrels and unwanted cats. I know this because a friend told me he was bringing them to the forest to release them.

This all sounds like free target practice to me!

 

[Coffetym]

I use any method of killing 'coons that are available. From shootin' the bastids to the old Golden Malrin cola trick. Unfortunately, the manufacturers of Golden Malrin changed their formula, placing some ingredient that 'coons are repelled. Perhaps, for the smell or taste.

In 2013, which was prior to the reformulation, I killed 139 (that were counted ... who knows how many left prior to their demise). Shot around another thirty (37 to be exact). Shined and shot two, just last night ...

I know that I've lowered the population, but they're still overruning my backyard and out buildings.

Coyotes are another story. I enjoy shootin' 'yotes. For raccoons, I just sit outside on my lower patio and shine 'em. 'yotes, on the other hand, I'll either stock my wooded areas or take a stand by my creek. Those blasted 'yotes are nasty critters.

Chicken legs placed in gallon ziplock bags & coated thoroughly with the Golden Malrin for about 5 days are almost irresistible for the cute forrest critters. Just don’t let your pets get to it.

 

[McChooky]

One of my hens took flight and escaped whatever was after her today .She apparently injured herself when she landed but I couldn't find any injuries. I carried her while locking the others up so it wouldn't get any of them. I only got a brief glimpse of something orange above her in the woods before it vanished into thin air ,probably a bob cat.