Ground Cayenne Pepper

[Tiffrz-N-Kidz]

I have been sprinkling this around my fence and chicken pen and <knocking wood> it seems to be keeping the racoons away. I live in a development so they have plenty of opportunities for food that do not involve eating my flock, so this minor deterrant seems to work here.

That said, DO NOT sprinkle pepper on a windy day. Just offering a word to the wise from a puffy-eyed sneezing sinus drainining lady in the 'burbs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I learned the hard way too

 

[centrarchid]

Somebody needs to test with a pet racoon, where it is legal. Experiences I had with critters as kid suggest they might start liking the stuff in small amounts.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
The coon that eat from the dumpsters here behind the mexican joints and the chinese restaurants kina have me doubting the effectiveness of it. I know folks who have tried it as a pesticide but they have to reapply it after heavy dew / rain, this wet time of the year it sounds like a lot of extra work.

 

[BayouPoules]

When we throw out our crawfish shells after a crawfish boil, the coons dig them up and eat them! They are boiled and soaked in cayenne,. I mean HOT with cayenne and the raccoons here love it.
It didn't work to keep them or the squirrels out of our bird feeders either.

 

[PineappleMama]

There's a difference between eating it and sniffing it... I can handle eating (some) but I've never been brave (or stupid) enough to put any up my nose... shudder to think of it.

I sprinkle plain black pepper around the Christmas tree to keep the dogs from getting to interested... strange store smells might make them think of marking... eww.

 

[BayouPoules]

Quote:
Yes,.. eating it and sniffing it are not the same,. but they didn't mind sniffing it when it was sprinkled liberally on the birdseed,.. and they handle those seeds and the crawfish shells a lot to eat them,. I had thought one they got it in their eyes it would be enough to deter them,. it wasn't.
I just wouldn't want someone to depend on it. I sure hope it keeps working for you Tiffrz-N-Kidz!

 

[PineappleMama]

That's a good point... especially on the eye thing. Of course coons are known for washing food (and incidentally their hands) when possible...

I don't count on my pepper trick to work on my dogs, that's why I put the presents up off the floor but I do think pepper helps.... for ONE night... Christmas Eve... does NOT work for long though, without resprinkling... messy and tedious.

The same thing happens to me... I get sneezy if I sprinkle the stuff, the micro dust gets up the nose... but once it's down onto the food, no problemo. Maybe it's the same outdoors??

We don't seem to have had any problems... couple possums in the back yard since we got our girls, but that was over under the shed, NOT near the coop, and the dogs took care of them (doxies RULE!)... have seen coons in our area, but not in our backyard.

But those critters, and dogs, and rats, are why we went ahead and HC'd the whole enchilada... lot more pricey that way, but better safe than sorry.

 

[BayouPoules]

Quote:
I know what you mean,.. we too are paying for HC for every inch that can be covered! We have read too many sad stories here not to take all precautions,.. and we have lots of coon, possums and hawks,.. I am going to get the cayenne back out and try to put it where the neighbors dog pees in front of the house. I've never tried it on dogs before,.

I hope
Tiffrz-N-Kidz is right about the coons staying away from her coop,.. but I still like wood and HC best.

 

[cochinfan]

My mother used to have a dog in her house that stole stuff. So everything was covered in a layer of pepper. It was the only thing she could come up with that kept the dog from chewing things. She was not any kind of dog trainer