Caught this little guy snooping around the chicken house last night...

Racoon is just being a racoon, true to his nature. If you want to kill it and eat it, that is one thing. I do that to Bambi all the time. But to kill it and dispose of it for eating one of your chickens, seems like you might consider doing a better job protecting your flock... just saying...

A "Better" Job protecting my flock? Well I don't know if thats possible considering that He got one of them by crawling up the slick side of the coop, tore down the bird netting used to cover up a triangular opening in the top of the coop, got in the locked coop, grabbed a hen and got out all in one night without us knowing, I would say we can't do much about that-Thank you very much! (Sarcasm)​

 

I believe it is not that difficult to build a raccon proof coop. For one thing, wire works better than bird netting.
But then again maybe YOU can't do much about that...(sarcasm)

 

Woah!! Be nice, people!!!

 

I have to admit that sometimes I don't post things because I've had "experienced" posters make me feel like an idiot. I remember specifically the first time I lost a chicken and someone blasted me about biosecurity . . .

 

Most people on here are good at blasting someone else.

 

Well I will probably be blasted too. Oh well. Maybe I have been just lucky but I feel I have my coop built like Fort Knox or any other Fort you prefer. I had a mother racoon living in a tree about 100ft from my coop and she had babies in the tree to feed. I never had a problem with her or the babies. When they got old enough off she and the babies went. Since I have never had any problems with any critter and I have quite a few living in my area, I don't think I could kill another animal even if it got my chickens. Sure I would be livid but I feel it's my responisbility to keep them safe and I believe I have done that since I never had a problem. That's what wild animals do, they're trying to survive as we are. I am not a hunter or any kind.

 

Quote:SET HIM FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE I SAY!!

 

I believe it is not that difficult to build a raccon proof coop. For one thing, wire works better than bird netting.
But then again maybe YOU can't do much about that...(sarcasm)

Ok first off i would like to apologize if I offended anybody here for what i have said in this thread. Second, I just wanted to say that No, I couldn't of done much about that because I had to build the coop out of what I had laying around the house. I think I spent less than 10 dollars on that coop. If I had the money available, then yeah, maybe I could make a raccoon- proof coop, but I don't so there isn't any good way to protect my chickens other than to trap the predators.​

 

I've said it many times, no chicken is 100% safe, and if it is, it isn't 100% happy. Raising chickens means accepting the fact that everything wants to eat them and if something wants to tear a coop apart to get it, it will. We have bears that tear barn doors off for a few rancid steak bones in a garbage can.

Do the best you can with what you have. Just love your flock.

 

Dont want to offend but i would put a pellet in its head. Once that animal gets a chicken it will come bk until its relocated or sadly disposed of Because of disease raccons prob the first u kill rather than relocate. Ive relocated a small skunk b/c he got 2 polish chicks when they were new b/c I had a new coop with a small week spot and they were still sleeping on the ground.