Daylight Raccoon

[bobbi-j]

One less raccoon in the world is just fine with me!! Rabies or not. I have no love for them.

Here's some helpful info:


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one human has ever died from the raccoon strain of rabies.
A rabid raccoon is usually dead within 1-3 days of becoming infectious, and even if you're bitten by a rabid raccoon, effective post-exposure treatment is available.
Is that raccoon rabid?

If you see a raccoon in your yard during the day, don’t panic—she is not necessarily sick or dangerous. It’s perfectly normal for raccoons to be active throughout the day. She may merely be foraging longer hours to support her young, visiting a garden while the dogs are indoors, or moving to a new location.
Look for:

• • An animal seemingly oblivious to noise or nearby movement
  • Erratic wandering
  • Discharge from eyes or mouth
  • Wet and matted hair on face
  • Repeated high-pitch vocalization
  • Self-mutilation

If you see a raccoon showing these signs, call your local animal control or police department.

 

[nab58]

I'm surprised you are asked to decapitate the raccoon.
We had an encounter with a skunk during the day where my two dogs got sprayed badly. My husband and son drove it off with a bat and golf club . I then proceeded to wash the dogs. Animal control told us what we did was expose ourselves to rabies. The skunk was never found, the dogs were quarantined for two weeks and I spent about $500 in vet bills after one dog was bit and the other was sprayed directly in the eyes. My brand new car stunk for months.

 

[settingdusk]

That is pretty standard, if you had caught or killed the skunk, you would not have needed the quarantine. I'm guessing your dogs came out okay. An animal is assumed rabid when ever an attack occurs on a pet or person and the animal is not recovered.

 

[fantomas]

911 is for life threatening emergencies. Please don't call it for a routine call (assuming the chicks aren't actively being attacked). Every single police department has a non-emergency phone number. If you need help finding it I would be glad to give assistance, just need your town and state.


-Your friendly neighborhood emergency dispatcher

 

[drumstick diva]

we live in a suburban area with forest preserve at end of the street, so all kinds of critters visit and at all hours of the day.

Over the past 43 years I have occasionally seen a possibly sick, injured or rabid animal out during the day. One that is not afraid of my approach ( so I don't get closer) or acting strange like repeating some motion over and over and over again. Or jus sitting in one place for hours without moving.

What I most often see is apparently very healthy, active predators out when the pickings are good. If they know you put dog /cat food dish out at a certain time - raccoons will be there. Or on garbage pick up day. Despite all the animals that tear open garbage bags- the neighbors just don't care. They just throw their plastic bags at the curb, sometimes not even tied closed. The rest of us use galavanised trash cans with lids.

We have seen the same fox for several years ,he has a some scarring from skin trouble or injury so it's easy to recognize him.
He runs if he sees people but, if he doesn't he just strolls thru all the yards like he belongs there. He is sighted any time of day or night and is pretty streetwise about cars.

There are often visits by opossum and coons - skunks aren't seen much I heard they had a distemper epidemic some years ago and the numbers still are way down low. I like that just fine.

 

[keirys]

Raccoons do come out anytime during the day esp. if she has a litter to feed. We had the same problem last week I saw a raccoon out at 10am she was out looking to feed her young. So far we have caught & dispatched 7 raccoons in 4 days.

 

[browning6]

Raccoons are frequently seen during the day this time of year. Don't think the coon is rabid just because it happened in the middle of the day. Remember mother coons now have a large number of larger babies that need lots of food. And if mama gets killed the coons will hunt all day and night if needed to fill their stomachs. So probably not radib just hungry of feeding young

 

[klyra]

There was a small raccoon in my chicken yard (free range, trees, bushes and lawn). It ran away when we chased it. It was approaching my very distraught alpha hen. I closed the girls up in their coop for the day while I was at work. So worried he will return during another day! They're safe at night in their coop, but day hunting presents a much bigger problem!

 

[Folly's place]

Call your doctor, better yet call your health department..Handling an animal (your injured chicken) exposes you to raccoon saliva, and is considered a possible rabies exposure. If you kill the raccoon, Animal Control should pick up the body for testing. You DO NOT decapitate that animal yourself!!! If the raccoon isn't caught/ tested for rabies, you may need to be vaccinated. That's what happens in Michigan, and it's what the CDC recommends. The raccoon may not appear to be ill, and still can be contagious. Mary

 

[klyra]

There was a small raccoon in my chicken yard (free range, trees, bushes and lawn). It ran away when we chased it. It was approaching my very distraught alpha hen. I closed the girls up in their coop for the day while I was at work. So worried he will return during another day! They're safe at night in their coop, but day hunting presents a much bigger problem!

I spoke to a raccoon specialist in the phone about my daytime raccoon visit. He said that this time of year for about a week and a half, mother raccoons are still nursing their kits, who are almost ready to be weaned. The kits are very active and nurse almost constantly, so mother is desperate for sustinence. After a week or so she will begin hunting only at night again, and will bring her kits with her. So sorry to hear of your loss. This is NOT likely a case of rabies. Lock the hens up at dusk in their coop and keep all food away from raccoons. Day hunting will end pretty soon.