How do I keep raccoons away

[centrarchid]

Fence you keep hot all the time. For me the fence being charged is not what keeps birds in, rather it is the simply the barrier presented by the netting.


I use netting from the following:

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_detail_NSPCG.php

They recommend a minimum of 0.25 joules per 164 foot length so I go about 0.5. If going with a larger number of lengths then you need to consider approaching the minimum to prevent overcharging.

 

[JackE]

What do you use to energize your fence. Do you leave it off when the chickens are inside?

I use the Kube fence charger, you will find in the link below. Along with the double spike 100' lengths of fence. The fence stays on all the time. It would be near worthless, to just have the fence out there, uncharged. It's the in excess of 7000Vs of bite, that gets the message across to the preds. The chickens quickly learn to stay clear of the fence, also.


http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_id=93

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks - I had gotten a solar charger from TSC (for regular hot wire for cattle fencing) - hooked it up exactly according to instructions and it didn't even register on two fence testers (thought maybe the testers was bad), when I attached to the Premier 1 that I have. So I ended up dismantling and taking it back to TSC. I guess I should have gotten an energizer from Premier.

I had heard that chickens could get caught and killed in the netting so I wondered about daytime -vs- night time use.

 

[grumpma1]

Thanks for the information. I have lost 1 chicken so far but they have been in there 2 times since getting my eggs. (In the daytime). I will get some traps.

 

[sheetmetaltom]

lost one of my ee's last night. all encased in wire. have no idea how it got in. tonight I locked everyone up. put a trap with dogfood in run at sunset. by 10 o'clock I had caught a raccoon. now I still have to figure out how it got in. i'll put the trap out for the next few nights.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

How big were the holes in the wire? If a coon can get a HAND in, it can pull the chicken out.

 

[Pdxile]

I was having a hard time catching raccoons until I baited the trap with marshmallows. Seriously, marshmallows! They can't resist them.

 

[sheetmetaltom]

How big were the holes in the wire? If a coon can get a HAND in, it can pull the chicken out.

the wire is 2x4 but on the bottom 2 1/2 ft I put 1/2x1 over it. I cant figure out how it got in, last night I locked everyone in the coop and put a trap in the run. by 10 oclock I had caught the little killer .today I added 1/2x1 wire everywhere that it wasn't already

 

[chickienewbie88]

Some of the best bait we've used is actually marshmallows! I dont know what it is but those things LOVE them!!

 

[Fuzzy Moto]

My understanding is that if any of the common predators can get their head through the wire they can get the rest of their body through. Because of that I am using 1/2" hardware cloth fro my fening on the coop and run. I would rather pay more now in money than the high emotional price later on to flock loss due to my not doing due diligence. Just my 2 cents.