English Shepherd as Poultry Guardian

[centrarchid]

Fireworks again. Dogs refusing to go outside without me close by. Even chickens flinching on roost. A racoon is probing hard so I will be sleeping hammock near perimeter to barn. He is beating fence somehow.

Two nights ago racoon got into barn where it actively pursued chickens for an extended period. Lights enabled chickens to see racoon and evade, except for one chick housed in a rabbit pen. This raccoon will be captured and dispatched. Traps in place. This dude has nothing to do with live traps. Large boar.

 

[centrarchid]

We are getting real busy now. In three nights we have taken down 3 raccoons. Dogs did 2.5 with help from a live trap. My son helped set and bait traps for first time. Good experience has he is getting into trying to trap lizards. Lucy is not treating my live traps with respect which could get expensive. Honey participated in first kill I actually witnessed, but based on her coat and her controlling of the raccoons biting end, she has already gotten basics down. She does not not try to mall traps, thankfully.

Two raccoons taken appear to have come up fenn from south where one challenged a rooster pen before dogs got it. Both raccoons attempted to retreat back down fenn, but could not get away from dogs. The other was taken in a live trap that Lucy got to as I was running trap line. I new something was up by way Lucy ran up to group of free-range juvenile chickens and seemed to be trying to sniff their faces and the chickens were all up in Lucy's face.

Below is Honey between bouts of making sure raccoon is dead. Lucy knows and is trying to cool down. Ben was out patrolling with Bella during all of this. He is more into foxes, coyotes and other dogs anyway.........and armadillos.

Carcass of raccoon taken this morning will be chew toy for Honey until flies find it. Then I will cover it with a drop pen to keep Bella and Turkey Vultures from stealing it. Dogs works hard to run vultures off but they sleeting in shade during middle of day takes priority.

Carcass then will be moved so free-range juvenile chickens can consume pupae as they cannot eat raccoon directly.

 

[centrarchid]

I have been having a problem where when I check traps, one of the dogs likes to run ahead and check them first. We have been doing with 3 times every 24 hours so dogs have gotten into my routine. I strongly suspect Lucy also runs traps when I am not out there. Traps are all located immediately outside the perimeter of electrified fencing that encompasses the main poultry yard and barn. The area is very close to 1 acre. Every single raccoon actually captured in a trap was caught within 10 feet of a patch that comes in from the northwest corner of the property. It is the shortest distance the raccoons must traverse to get between poultry area and out property boundary. When I find dead raccoons taken out by dogs, they are in other locations and either near a baited trap that is not discharged or a rooster pen set outside electrified perimeter. Raccoons caught by dogs away from the northwest corner are getting taken care of without my direct involvement. Those actually getting trapped may get targeted soon if I do not get better control over Lucy. If is not good form for her to take on raccoons alone when they are already in a trap and also in a tight location.

I have taken up to placing the wooden dowel, which is used to dispatch by blunt trauma to head, next to the front door. When time to run traps, I say "run traps, Lucy" and pickup dowel. She then starts heading to starting point for trap line. When I have dowel she stays closer like when I have rifle. She goes into pointer mode as well.

 

[centrarchid]

Dogs barking and rooster crowing a lot in yard. Last time all this commotion we had an intoxicated human hiding in bushes.

 

[centrarchid]

I was incorrect, big time. It was a skunk and Ben got sprayed. Ben seems good with his newly acquired oadour. House also smells. Wife will have some words shortly for me.

Then we ran trap line and got two boar coons in the same location all the others have been trapped in. These guys are more likely than not new, otherwise I have been having a dozen coming in and they are not showing up on my game cameras or going after feeding stations or other traps. One was caught in a live trap (lighter brown on right) and other (darker 15+ lbs on right) in dog proof trap.

With boars I had to upgrade to a large dispatching stick as the dowel was not up to task and in part to long when so close to bamboo. The rifle will be used on subsequent jobs unless I can get a heavier and better balanced stick.



Chickens are also getting bait out of traps making so they have to be re-baited every evening. This guy, whether we like to think of it or not is bait. He must be protected.

I am covered in spider webs. Lucy got so excited and hot she had to take a bath in the Betta spawning tank. Darn that can not be allowed to go.

 

[centrarchid]

We are going to keep track of raccoons culled starting this year using traps. Last year we had a similar number in total compared to what has been taken to date. It is like a conveyor belt where we take one out and two nights later another is in its place. Last year they were clearly in groups, but did not come as regularly as this year. Cameras enable assessing some of this. We are winning so long as they stay out of poultry area and away from pens scattered between there and orchard.

Dog proof is currently 5; live trap 2. At least two confirmed kills by dogs but not all those are brought up where I can find them.

I am going to setup a Bella proof feeding stating for Turkey Vultures and Bald Eagles behind orchard so kids can see how they carcasses are processed.

 

[centrarchid]

We are going to keep track of raccoons culled starting this year using traps. Last year we had a similar number in total compared to what has been taken to date. It is like a conveyor belt where we take one out and two nights later another is in its place. Last year they were clearly in groups, but did not come as regularly as this year. Cameras enable assessing some of this. We are winning so long as they stay out of poultry area and away from pens scattered between there and orchard.

Dog proof is currently 5; live trap 2. At least two confirmed kills by dogs but not all those are brought up where I can find them.

I am going to setup a Bella proof feeding stating for Turkey Vultures and Bald Eagles behind orchard so kids can see how they carcasses are processed.

Just took another with dog proof trap.
Dog proof is currently 6; live trap 2.
Sow taken in location that had previously yielded a raccoon. Raccoon taken some time after 1100 AM and apparently killed shortly after by dog based on appearance of both carrion beetles and fly eggs that had not yet hatched. I think Lucy did it because she came back hot when we were finishing up lunch.

I am also seeing more raccoons squished on road. I bet it has something to do with bottoms drying out and no corn fields where there would normally be several hundred acres of corn in a little over a 2 mile radius down in the valley. They are hungry.

I have yet to see any turkey poults, but wet spring could be reason for that.

 

[aart]

I have yet to see any turkey poults, but wet spring could be reason for that.

Just started seeing them in the last few days, including a dead poult on my driveway at the road shoulder last week, they cross the road there..and then 2 hens with a bunch of poults in the back filed today.

 

[centrarchid]

We have had multiple years in a row with poor local recruitment. Local turkey hunters are attributing it to high raccoon densities resulting in clutches being consumed prior to hatch if not start of incubation.

 

[centrarchid]

Just took another with dog proof trap.
Dog proof is currently 6; live trap 2.
Sow taken in location that had previously yielded a raccoon. Raccoon taken some time after 1100 AM and apparently killed shortly after by dog based on appearance of both carrion beetles and fly eggs that had not yet hatched. I think Lucy did it because she came back hot when we were finishing up lunch.

I am also seeing more raccoons squished on road. I bet it has something to do with bottoms drying out and no corn fields where there would normally be several hundred acres of corn in a little over a 2 mile radius down in the valley. They are hungry.

I have yet to see any turkey poults, but wet spring could be reason for that.

When I ran traps to reset and rebait, I found a live trap that was tripped but not capture.
Dog proof is currently 6/6; live trap 2/5. Coding shall be # captured/# traps tripped.
Live traps doing less than 50% so far.