Found raccoon scat near chicken coop. Need advice for how to keep it away.

[Ihavesomechickens]

I found some raccoon scat under a mulberry tree next to my Chicken coop/ run. I haven’t seen any raccoons nor have they killed any of my chickens. Is there any way I can get them to go away before they decide to eat my flock? I have though about setting up a trap to catch and release it, but I’m not sure if it’ll be interested in the bait. Any advice?

 

[itsasmallfarm]

raccoons are awful for chickens, if you have one there i bet there will be more.

please don't release it back into the wild, its most likely not legal, its cruel to the animal and your just giving some one else the problem, if you decide to trap it then shoot it.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

raccoons are awful for chickens, if you have one there i bet there will be more.

please don't release it back into the wild, its most likely not legal, its cruel to the animal and your just giving some one else the problem, if you decide to trap it then shoot it.

I won’t bring myself to shoot a raccoon, so the best I could do is release it on another side of my rather small property or give it to an animal rescue. I have a rather raccoon safe coop and a dog that goes bonkers over everything.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

I won’t bring myself to shoot a raccoon, so the best I could do is release it on another side of my rather small property or give it to an animal rescue. I have a rather raccoon safe coop and a dog that goes bonkers over everything.

sorry to say this but raccoons can travel for around 5 miles to go back to its home range. releasing on the other side won't really do any thing.

i guess if you won't shoot them talk to animal control not sure what they might do though.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

sorry to say this but raccoons can travel for around 5 miles to go back to its home range. releasing on the other side won't really do any thing.

i guess if you won't shoot them talk to animal control not sure what they might do though.

Thanks. I knew I couldn’t release it on the other side of the property as it doesn’t live here in the first places so it would have no trouble going back to wherever it lives. I am actually doubting it lives here at all as that was the only sign of a raccoon I have seen in the three days since I first noticed it.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Thanks. I knew I couldn’t release it on the other side of the property as it doesn’t live here in the first places so it would have no trouble going back to wherever it lives. I am actually doubting it lives here at all as that was the only sign of a raccoon I have seen in the three days since I first noticed it.

no problem, i hope it was just passing by for you.

i would also recommend keeping food sources to a low for them so they have no reason to stay

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

no problem, i hope it was just passing by for you.

i would also recommend keeping food sources to a low for them so they have no reason to stay

Yeah. I cleaned out the run and brought the food they had in their run into their coop. It is right next to a mulberry tree which is constantly dropping berries, but I can’t do anything about that.

 

[acpat]

Racoons travel in a 30 mile radius not five. good luck taking it across your property and releasing it.

 

[Howard E]

To the OP........reading your responses.......it occurs to me that this might be one of your first forays into the world of having to deal with predators. Your thoughts and values are not bad, not atypical and you express a common sentiment.....a reluctance to do harm to animals in general.

Having said that, the predators that your chickens will attract have no such sentiment. They are always present in abundance, are lethal and given the least little bit of opportunity, will wipe your birds out. As in kill every last one of them.

So considering your sentiment towards predators, the best thing you can do for your birds is to keep them confined in predator proof housing.....coop and run.....that nothing, absolutely nothing can get in to do them harm. Then....and only then......it won't matter what is lurking about.

Frankly, it's good advice for everyone.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I'll second that @Howard E. We have a lot of predators in my area but as long as your coop and run are predator proof, no problem. They will soon learn that they won't get a free chicken dinner and move on to easier prey.