Coon or Fox, Help identify this scat

[stepbond]

I hate for my first post on here to be on this topic, but Monday morning between 8:30-10am something took our 3 month old rooster. We let our chickens free range during the day, and lately since it's been so hot, they've been hanging out in the shade at the edge of the woods. I was outside with the chickens until about 8:30am, and we noticed the rooster missing around 10am. After we noticed the rooster wasn't with the rest of the chickens, I walked down through the woods and found where whatever grabbed him stopped to eat him. There wasn't anything left except for a bunch of feathers and this pile of poop with whole corn in it. Any ideas as to whether this is a coon or fox?

We've been afraid to let the rest of the chickens out the last two days and have been keeping them in their run.

 

[iwiw60]

Sorry for your loss...it's never easy. Here's a chart of predator footprints...were you able to spot any tracks??:



This is raccoon scat...you can Google "raccoon scat" go to images and there's a mess of them:



This is fox scat (looks very similar to raccoon)




Either way you definitely have a predator problem. I would definitely stop allowing them to free-range until the problem is solved. Do you have a really secure coop and run? What kind of wire are you using? You might put a web cam out there so you can see just what type of scumbag you are dealing with. There's two way to get rid of it....either trap it or shoot it....I always go for the latter...a .22 works just fine and dandy.

 

[stepbond]

Yes, I believe the coop and run are very secure. We used 1/2" hardware cloth everywhere including the entire bottom. Also have heavy duty gate latches with beaner clips to lock them.

I've set a trap the last two nights, the first night, what I'm pretty sure was a coon, reached through the back side of the trap and stole the bait. So the second night I covered the trap on 3 sides and top with a piece of camo mesh and I didn't see any sign of him. Today I put the bait, canned cat food, in a jar with lid with holes and tied it in the back of the trap. If I don't get him tonight, then tomorrow night I will sit out there with a gun and wait.

 

[olfart]

The best 'coon trap I've ever seen is the Duke "dog proof" trap. I had a 'coon problem and caught two with a live trap, but the rest of them wised up and would not trip the live trap's trigger. I bought a Duke DP trap and caught 5 more in rapid succession. Only bad thing about the Duke trap is, there's NO way to free the 'coon from the trap unless he's deceased.

http://www.amazon.com/Racoon-Trap-Proof-Setup-Anyone/dp/B004949EIC

 

[iwiw60]

Yes, I believe the coop and run are very secure. We used 1/2" hardware cloth everywhere including the entire bottom. Also have heavy duty gate latches with beaner clips to lock them.

I've set a trap the last two nights, the first night, what I'm pretty sure was a coon, reached through the back side of the trap and stole the bait. So the second night I covered the trap on 3 sides and top with a piece of camo mesh and I didn't see any sign of him. Today I put the bait, canned cat food, in a jar with lid with holes and tied it in the back of the trap. If I don't get him tonight, then tomorrow night I will sit out there with a gun and wait.

Have you figured out 'how' it got in? Where's your weak spot(s)? Glad to hear you're using 1/2" hardware cloth...the ONLY way to go in my book. On your gate...do you have say a 2 x 4 on the ground under the gate that's toenailed into the posts? That way you can run a piece of 1/2" HC down and out in the dirt off that 2 x 4...reason I mention it is so many times the gate area is where coons will gain entrance.

YES to the gun and wait if the trap doesn't work!!! Good for you!

 

[olfart]

Why have you narrowed the suspect list to 'coon and/or fox? 'Coons are more likely to hunt at night, not sure about foxes. Big birds (hawks, eagles, owls), on the other hand, can and will carry a chicken a short distance to kill it, then carry it off to a nest. That scat doesn't resemble any mammal scat I've seen.

 

[iwiw60]

Why have you narrowed the suspect list to 'coon and/or fox? 'Coons are more likely to hunt at night, not sure about foxes. Big birds (hawks, eagles, owls), on the other hand, can and will carry a chicken a short distance to kill it, then carry it off to a nest. That scat doesn't resemble any mammal scat I've seen.

Uh.....did you see the picture posted by the OP on this thread? She does have either a fox or raccoon problem, no doubt about it...just sayin' ....

 

[stepbond]

Have you figured out 'how' it got in? Where's your weak spot(s)? Glad to hear you're using 1/2" hardware cloth...the ONLY way to go in my book. On your gate...do you have say a 2 x 4 on the ground under the gate that's toenailed into the posts? That way you can run a piece of 1/2" HC down and out in the dirt off that 2 x 4...reason I mention it is so many times the gate area is where coons will gain entrance.

YES to the gun and wait if the trap doesn't work!!! Good for you!

The chickens were out of the run free ranging at the time he was taken.

 

[stepbond]

The best 'coon trap I've ever seen is the Duke "dog proof" trap. I had a 'coon problem and caught two with a live trap, but the rest of them wised up and would not trip the live trap's trigger. I bought a Duke DP trap and caught 5 more in rapid succession. Only bad thing about the Duke trap is, there's NO way to free the 'coon from the trap unless he's deceased.

http://www.amazon.com/Racoon-Trap-Proof-Setup-Anyone/dp/B004949EIC

Thanks, I'll look into this trap. I think I probably screwed up with the live trap the first night, and taught him what it is.

 

[gagelora]

You got you a messed up opossum if it is hunting during the day it either is sick or has baby's to feed