how long until racoons give up on getting into coop?

[McChooky]

thank you.will research on adding the hot wire. i havent been sleeping well, the trauma of waking up to feathers and carcasses all over has been giving me sleepless nights.i covered all possible places they can come in and hope it works for now.

Hardware cloth is not cheap or easy to apply but it will last 10 years without rusting and cost pennies a day prorated over the years. Most people new to chickens make the mistake of trusting chicken wire on their pens and runs and run the risk of losing hundreds of dollars they have invested in their chicks and feed only to see predators break in and kill them all. Flexible Chicken wire and plastic mesh traps chicks and chickens and makes it easy for predators to get in and kill them

 

[Cj Tracker]

I left my meat birds outside in a tractor and woke up to them gone, like no trace at all, i honestly cried. i had put in so much effort into raising them.after 2 nights raccoons found my coop and managed to open the pop door took 3 hens out of 10 and i woke up to carcasses and feathers everywhere. i figured they got into the run through the door since part of it was warped and left a small space to get through, it has been 1 year with no issues and all this was just crushing.anyway i'm keeping my laying ladies in the garage for now, i "fort knoxed" the coop, i now have a piece of wood across the pop door just to make sure nothing can get through.all my windows and doors have more than one lock, so if the raccoons happen to slide one they still wont be able to get through. so far i have watched them try, (they are a pack of 4) to enter the run and coop and for 2 nights they havent succeeded,I'm keeping a trap in the run so if any somehow manages to get in it gets trapped.

My question is how long will the raccoons keep trying until they give up.i'm willing to keep my hens for a week or more in the garage but will i ever get rid of them if they find no food? the chickens free range but they are still a bit traumatized and are not roaming as much, i get them locked in the run by dusk and once its dark carry them to the garage. I want to go back to sleeping well and not anxious of what i will find in the morning.

Hunger is a terrible thing. I choose to leave food and water in the front of my house away from the coop, especially during spring when babies are born. I have not lost any of my free roaming chickens or ducks in all the years I've had them.

 

[Goatsanddogs]

I had the same problem in the early spring. A family of four. I always put my chickens up. Used a trail camera to watch their activities. I found that we had coons one morning, let the dogs out and the motion sensor light came on. There he was with that duh look on his face. It took me two weeks putting out the catch and release traps. And what I caught them on you wouldn't believe... scrambled eggs. We released every one at the same spot away from my house, so they all could team back as a family. Bye bye raccoons. Safe chickens. Good luck.

FIRST,,,, for your losses.
You have to understand one thing. The raccoons are not mean.. BUT like all animals, do need to eat.
They may make a visit to see if there is a possibility, and then keep going further.
Like you stated,, You secured your run. "Fort Knoxed"
Reality with raccoons,, is they hunt usually after dark. Now that the days are long, I have seen them out before nightfall. Early evening.
Just do your best to keep coop, and run secure. Also do be aware they can climb, and enter from above. I don't know how your run is protected.

Fox, another predator, operates day and night.

A pack of 4,,, sounds like a mama racoon, and 3 cubs. Eventually the pack will break up and seek their own territory.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Magpiezoe]

Sorry for your loss. I feel for you. I remember the first time we had raccoons kill our first 2 hens. They were beautiful Rhode Island Reds. The worst part about racoons is that they are messy eaters. They will kill all of the chickens and only eat half of each chicken, plus leave a calling card. The calling card was on top of the nesting box! Then they will come back the next night for the rest of the carcass, which is how we caught them. (We put the carcasses in a Have-a-Heart trap.) They had broken through the bird netting we had on the top of the chicken yard, plus we used to leave the coop door open. That was a lesson to us to close the door at night and forget about bird netting. We cut the tree in the middle of the chicken yard and put chicken wire over the top of the chicken yard. We had to do the same thing to the other yard as well, because a hawk got our last white leghorn. As least hawks and foxes are neater. They don't leave a trace. We've also learned to make sure our galvanized fencing goes at least 2 feet under ground, because a neighbor's dog dug underneath the fence to grab our brown leghorn. Luckily, we caught the dog and rescued our chicken and she managed to fully recover. (I really prayed hard over that chicken.) Racoons are cute, but can be very scary. Bottom line is that predators never give up. They rely on scent, so they will know when the chickens are back out in the coop. The fencing has to be very strong.

 

[McChooky]

Hunger is a terrible thing. I choose to leave food and water in the front of my house away from the coop, especially during spring when babies are born. I have not lost any of my free roaming chickens or ducks in all the years I've had them.

Didn't have a problem until my neighbors damaged my electric fence with a weed eater. 2 disappeared by the edge of the woods on the same day same time without a trace. Now they all stay close to the coop

 

[Charlotteandfriends]

i'm getting more meat birds but for my own peace of mind, will have them in the garage at night.

Best wishes to you honey.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Sorry,
Those racoons can be a pest. My rule is if I catch them near my chickens they have to go. One night as I opened the gate a racoon launched off the run roof! Found them in the run several times.
I don't like what has to happen next- trap and shoot.
My husband doesn't believe in relocation - said it's not recommended and against the laws. Sad but true- racoons just want to eat but we invest time and energy in raising those birds.
Got a racoon in the trap now. Waiting for hubby to wake up.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

We have a large complete dog and I move the poops from the original position to around the perimeter of the fence where the grass has been trampled. I am pretty sure it works to keep stray dogs and foxes away.

Can you borrow a dog for a while ? Perhaps the initial confrontation would be enough to keep them away

although …
Between you and me, four raccoons attacking my girls ? I’d contact my neighbour (update - sorry I thought this emoji was a head with two guns )

Sorry guys I know this is objectionable to many of you and I truly understand your opinions, this however is my opinion. Please don’t shoot me down for it

I have several dogs- that didn't work.
Remove food and water bowls at night then a secure coop. Or trap and dispatch.

 

[Loving my girls]

12 Bore Shotgun ?

 

[McChooky]

Found out the hard way how difficult it is to get out of one covered in hw cloth. My only predator problems are when they free range