Escaping Raccoon

[Gone]

I have for several weeks now tried to catch a raccoon that has been wandering my back yard. My chickens and duck are inside a closed coop at night, but raccoons are known to tear through chicken wire and open doors. I saw it cross my driveway and make prints on my trash cans along with knocking over potted plants. It even took the bird seed cakes out of the holder and climbed the chicken pen with it. Next will probably be to kill all my birds! Every time I put food in the live trap, in the morning the food is gone and the door to the trap down. The cage is moved away from where I put it. The raccoon must be able to raise the door or it is so big it gets the food with it's body still in the door and backs out. I don't know what to do. Does the raccoon have to win?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Might want to buy a new trap. Not sure how large yours is, but if it's getting the food out without setting it off it needs to be a bit bigger.

 

[nuthatched]

What kind of trap are you using?

 

[Penpal]

Use poison. This guy has no fear of humans and if you relocate him he will become somebody else's problem. Just put it where he seems to enter your property. He will eat the poison before he fills up on garbage or chickens.

 

[mossyoakpro]

Use a dog proof foothold with fruit loops and mini marsh mallows as bait in the trap....he will NOT escape that. They are suckers for the sweet stuff.....

 

[nuthatched]

Use poison. This guy has no fear of humans and if you relocate him he will become somebody else's problem. Just put it where he seems to enter your property. He will eat the poison before he fills up on garbage or chickens.

Risk of secondary poisoning too high.

 

[Gone]

Might want to buy a new trap. Not sure how large yours is, but if it's getting the food out without setting it off it needs to be a bit bigger.

The raccoon did set it off because the door was down. I'm thinking it was somehow able to push the door up to still escape.

 

[Gone]

The raccoon did set it off because the door was down. I'm thinking it was somehow able to push the door up to still escape.

The trap is the size for a full grown raccoon, but not the trap for a coyote.

 

[Geena]

The raccoon did set it off because the door was down. I'm thinking it was somehow able to push the door up to still escape.

They're probably not going all the way in. Try this -
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/raccoon-or-malicious-spirit.1431804/page-2#post-23617727

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Is your coop predator proof? Is so I think the raccoon will move on. They are opportunist and won't hang around if there isn't an easy meal. Last year I had racoons climbing all over the coop for a month, but after they couldn't get in I haven't seen any since (trail cam)