Coon signs

[LittlesNBigs]

So yesterday afternoon I bought a bigger feed tray for my girls to use as a cool down pool. This morning ... see attached. Not sure how long we've had that coming around.

We have a solid 6ft fence around our 1/5 acre back yard. We're not willing to constrain our girls any more than that during the day. We don't leave any food out over night but we do have fruit trees. I plan to start doing perimeter checks each morning before opening the coops and sitting out with them in the evening until they coop up. I've repositioned some security cams to see how and where the coons are getting in and out. Once I find that out I'll be sealing those holes up.

What else should I be doing to keep my girls safe?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Do you have pictures of your coop and run?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Check your pest laws for raccoons in your area.
Set a live trap out for the raccoon. If allowed, re-home or dispose of said coon.

Coons can do amazing things. It may be climbing over the fence. Once it gets a taste of chicken, it will keep coming until it cleans out your flock.

I lock up at night and have coons attack mid-afternoon. The only way to make it stop is to trap. In my area I cannot re-home but I can dispose of a pest animal (which raccoon is categorized) if attacking my livestock on my property. We did such. If you can't discharge a firearm in your area, get a high powered air soft rifle. It is equally effective at close range.

Sorry for the harsh sounding post, but coons are NO joke around chickens. In time it WILL take a bird, and then a lot more.

My main losses have been from hawks and coons, with the coons getting REALLY aggressive towards me even.

LofMc

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

We have terrible raccoon problems around here but I have never seen evidence of them except actual raccoons and recently footprints after rain down the coop through the flower box thats on top. So it might be hard to figure it out except for knowing your weak spots

 

[Hayden Goseek]

Oh and be sure they can't reach through the side or roof and reach anyone on the roost.

(Also, I'm TOLD a .22 with 'sub-sonic' shells sound just like a nailgun.)

 

[LittlesNBigs]

@BlindLemonChicken: I don't have any good pics of the coops, but they are Cal Ranch specials and definitely not what I would consider well armored. They do have 3/8" wire mesh all around but are sitting on bare ground and could fairly easily be dug into. I suppose I should get on top of that now that you've caused me to think about it.

@Lady of McCamley: the city doesn't allow trapping, archery, crossbows, firearms or air powered guns within city limits. The city also pays a bounty for coyotes and a few other nuisance animals so I'm not sure how that jives.

Once I learn how it's breaching my perimeter I plan to harden those areas and will then attempt to neutralize the problem, observing all relevant rules, of course.

We get hawks and eagles commonly out here as well, but the wild sparrows I let live in my trees and gutters do a good job of keeping the raptors away from my neighborhood.

 

[Geena]

Once I learn how it's breaching my perimeter

It's most likely just going over the fence. Raccoons are excellent climbers.

 

[Pineywoods]

Oh for sure they are climbing.
No crossbows? What about flaming pitch or catapults? Sorry had medieval imagery with the crossbow thing.

Seriously they will climb with ease and after I put netting over the top they started digging under. Mama and 2 younguns killed about 10 birds in one night. They will kill indiscriminately and eat like 2 bites. The next night they will come back for the other carcasses. Gruesome but reality. I started trapping. I’m in the country so it’s any means necessary for me. I use cams to determine when to set out traps.

 

[Penpal]

Talk to somebody at the city office. Some municipalities will take care of the problem for you.

 

[LittlesNBigs]

I still haven't seen any sign of them on the security cameras nor any other sign than the prints in the water bowl that one morning.

Completely unrelated: I have recently agreed to store a couple live traps for my grandpa for a time I'm thinking to keep a handful of scratch in each to make sure the food stays safe overnight. Thoughts?