Dispatched momma coon and three kits, but feeling bad about it.

[Chick-N-Antics]

Quote:
Sorry, I did see this but wasn't sure who it was directed at.

The adults were just coming in through the front door, while I was in there during the early evening. The first time I found one I wasn't paying any attention and was doing my thing within inches of her and she had no fear of me. It was until I turned around and looked right at her that she moved. The second time I think it was the daddy racoon (it was twice the size of the first) and he walked in while I was treating one of my birds for a broken toenail. Had corned her and was checking her out and I heard something behind me and my other girls were fussing and it was just sitting there giving me a dirty look. I did scream that time.

My husband and I are getting ready to build a new coop and I have already started the tear down on the old run. Our property is completely fenced in with a six foot hight chain link fence, so I didn't have any worries about letting them roam the yard during the day. I personally had never seen any dogs, racoons or possums in the area and only recently started hearing about coyote sightings in the area. The only 'predator' was one of the neighbors barn cats and she disappeared...hmmm about four or five months ago. Makes me wonder if she didn't know something was up.

All of our neighbors have dogs and most of them have livestock of some sort or the other. I guess I figured the lack of predators was due the dogs. But, like I mentioned we are getting ready to get the new coop going and are now making the necessary modifications to try and minimize the dangers, including running electric to make the coop fencing 'live'.

 

[GwenReaper]

I am dealing with raccoons right now. I have city backyard chickens and I dont have as many predators as if I would living in the country. But a year ago I heard what sounded like a child screaming. But it was coming from the coop. Not knowing what was going on I ran right in. There was a raccoon caught in the act of attacking my chickens. It had killed 2 by the time I got in there. We shut the coop door quickly and ran in and got the .22 and shot it. I had a live trap set around the coop for months and months and never caught anything. Well I went out yesterday to find that a coon must have got into a small breeding cage I had a japanese bantam pair. It took of my roos head and I couldnt find my hen anywhere. It was a locked cage. I hate to think of the torment they went through, while I was inside not knowing what was going on. So I have the live trap set beside the coop again- with a .22 by the bed.

But I am wondering if this raccoon has rabies or is sick cause the other day it tried to get in one of my small tractors DURING THE DAY...

I get no sleep at night because I am so scared that the raccoon is in my coop. I went out at 12,2,4am in the morning to make sure my birds were okay. I just dont know how much sleep I am going to get until I know this raccoon is gone.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
I hope your grandfather can take care of the problem. Either that or call animal control, your local law enforcement or whoever you need to call to get the dog. You don't need a big, mean stray dog at your place! There aren't any small children living there that could get bitten are there?

Yes, my 4 year old daughter...... now you see my issue with the big mean dog

I love dogs, but if I had a big, mean stray on my place - especially with a small child living there - I would not hesitate to either shoot it myself or have someone come do it for me. I hope you can get that taken care of soon.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

I think most people that shoot something feel some sadness/guilt HOWEVER the horror of finding your pet hen with her head pulled through the fence and tore off or your old cat ripped apart by a racoon quickly alleviates those feelings.

I shot two possum mamma's with babies this past month after finding 10 out of 16 young chicks ripped apart in their pen and another pullet blinded in one eye (she survived somehow). I did not feel bad pulling the trigger...just thought of my poor young chickens that did not deserve such an atrocious end.

You have to protect those that cannot protect themselves...you did GOOD!

 

[noodleroo]

Be glad you dispatched the coons you could. It was our turn night before last. A coon got in a weak spot in the coop at the bay and killed two of the BSLs. Darn it. DH feels really bad since he had been meaning to fix that spot. He spent $1,000.00 building this coop and damaged a piece of the wire when he was modifying the roosts the other day. That's where the coon pulled it apart.

So as far as I'm concerned, don't feel too bad for having to dispatch a predator. We'll be dispatching as soon as we can catch it...