Hey, Will Raccoons Eat My Chickens?

[Demarvell]

Kill the dang critter! I've paid 1000's for the damage caused by those damned raccoons. Kill it and bury it.

 

[Twilia]

I trap my interlopers and cart them off to a nature spot. We are rural and for whatever reason (not very progressive) there is a "city" lake that is not at all tended to. Has a natural walking trail around it where I often take my dogs. I let the coons go there. That way they have a water source. I always look down on people who take the easy way out and say, "just shoot it." But someone has to be on that rung of the ladder I guess. Just not me.

Same here ViggoRoo. I always advice people to build a secure chicken coop before you get the chickens. Saves you the hassle, right?

It isn't logical to mess up natures system (something you don't know about). Remember what happened to African farmers when they killed off the leopard population? They became overrun with baboons that preyed on their crops just as bad. The problem just got worse. We are in raccoon habitats, their backyard, not vice versa. Among others 'predators' that make this place their HOME.

_twilia ;-)

 

[Rdgg]

I would trap it. If it can access your chickens it will try to eat them.

Trap then shoot. They ravaged our coop

 

[Wild Chickens]

Trap then shoot. They ravaged our coop

+1 for Trap and then shoot. They can get into places you would not believe possible. They absolutely will eat your birds.

 

[Yardmom]

In most areas it is illegal to release animals that you have trapped into another area.

 

[Schreib69]

Thank you. I hate this, but we may need to shoot it. Don't know how word spreads in the raccoon community, but if it gets out that there is a nice chicken meal to be had....gotta put a stop to that raccoon gossip now!

a no brainer; put up a trail cam and figure out his normal "visiting" time. Wait for him and . . . bang, bang. You're done; and so is he.

 

[Jimscoop]

Our dogs were barking at the grasshopper farting in the grass. At least, that's what we initially thought. Then, my husband spotted a bandit with stripes peering into our 2nd floor window, straight across from the top of his garage...he was LARGE!!! He told me with baited breath about the size of this interloper staring back at him, and thought of the different colored eggs that I collect everyday. Now, a raccoon might eat these eggs, but now I'm wondering, could a large raccoon devour my beautiful bird babies? Just asking for advice and information from some of you long time chicken mommies, if this may be a threat? If so, shotgun is handy....my husband says that this furry character is probably around 40 or 50lbs. and our dogs are not big enough to handle him. Ignore, trap or shoot it?

The racoon will definetly kill small birds and even full grown birds, have tendency to kill a whole small flock in an evening. The CURE is having a funeral set up for the racoon, trapping and moving only takes the problem to someone else and raccoons are known to carry rabies.

 

[Tormund]

Look into your local laws before releasing an animal away from where it has been caught. In some places that can be illegal. Always better to just kill the animal that has become a nuisance unfortunately.

 

[Ruf]

Our dogs were barking at the grasshopper farting in the grass. At least, that's what we initially thought. Then, my husband spotted a bandit with stripes peering into our 2nd floor window, straight across from the top of his garage...he was LARGE!!! He told me with bated breath about the size of this interloper staring back at him, and thought of the different colored eggs that I collect everyday. Now, a raccoon might eat these eggs, but now I'm wondering, could a large raccoon devour my beautiful bird babies? Just asking for advice and information from some of you long time chicken mommies, if this may be a threat? If so, shotgun is handy....my husband says that this furry character is probably around 40 or 50lbs. and our dogs are not big enough to handle him. Ignore, trap or shoot it?

Yes. Definitely their favorite meal.

 

[HydroGardener]

Our dogs were barking at the grasshopper farting in the grass. At least, that's what we initially thought. Then, my husband spotted a bandit with stripes peering into our 2nd floor window, straight across from the top of his garage...he was LARGE!!! He told me with baited breath about the size of this interloper staring back at him, and thought of the different colored eggs that I collect everyday. Now, a raccoon might eat these eggs, but now I'm wondering, could a large raccoon devour my beautiful bird babies? Just asking for advice and information from some of you long time chicken mommies, if this may be a threat? If so, shotgun is handy....my husband says that this furry character is probably around 40 or 50lbs. and our dogs are not big enough to handle him. Ignore, trap or shoot it?

I had a large racoon kill 3 chickens in one night when I neglected to secure the coop. Trap it or shoot it. Canned tuna and marshmallows are good bait for a live trap. You can release it to be someone else's problem or euthanize it.
That raccoon has nothing better to do all night than test your defenses.