How to stop raccoons from killing everything.

[JasperMoon]

It almost sounds like you know the answers to your own problems, you just don't implement them. The Great Pyrenees were keeping the predators away, but they weren't staying home due to short fences. Were they spayed/neutered? That often helps keep a dog home. Also, better fencing would also have helped keep the dogs where you needed them to be to protect your flocks. I would not recommend spending another penny on expensive birds until you address your security issues. Otherwise you wll just be feeding the raccoons again.

Yes I understand that, we had about a 4 foot fence. We had planned on breeding the dogs, and tried an invisible fence but nothing ended up keeping them home. They would end up getting out all the time.

 

[Newfowler1]

So I went through this as well. Lost 16 Guinea and a duck in one night. I built a coop using 1x4" wire across the bottom and the top and used 1/4" wire (hardware cloth, lord a silly name) on all sides where there weren't doors.

That didn't stop them from ripping off a leg or two from underneath. So I added some protection in places.

I went a bit bonkers when they got the one-eyed Pekin of mine they almost killed before, I shot two and snared 3 more who received termination with extreme malice. Not my finest grown up moment but I took it too personally. Fact is I grew up loving coons for their personalities, cuteness and smarts. Being an ornery kid I saw some kindred spirit in them I suppose.

I am now dealing with Redtail Hawks hitting Guineas about 1 per week. My birds free range as the primary goal is tick control for Guineas and the ducks are for fun. I am pretty convinced the only thing I can do is change a few things.

I am preparing an area for a 10-12 x 20' covered run & moving my overweight and overbuilt bird tractor at the rear of the run.
I'll be adding electric fence at the bottom and top around entire perimeter and thinking around the coop as well. I am building the run in a partially wooded section to add some cover and not cutting down the high brush as the birds use it for cover.

I have cats but they add little protection against the raccoons at night. One thing I've done which has made a big difference. I don't let any birds out of the coop until as late in am as possible. Sometimes as late as 9am if work permits. I pin everyone up an hour to hour and half before dusk when predators are more active and hungry.

My ducks seem most vulnerable during the day hence the need for a large run. I now have 8 ducks and they seem to be my main priory for safer conditions needed here.

I also keep a high powered pellet rifle on hand, a devistatingly accurate 22 target pistol and a shotgun loaded with high brass #4's and 7.5 bird shot. I hope I don't need to use any of these for anything but my carnival target arrangements set up to keep me sharp and in tune.

Good luck with your situation. If you choose to eliminate the raccoons I don't have to tell you to handle them extreme care. Rabies is 100% fatal. I won't trap and release them, a professional pest control company legally must destroy them in many places.

I can tell you a variety of ways to trap them but would rather not here in the forum, It may not be appropriate?

 

[cmom]

I have seen coons on my game cameras but so far they haven't messed with my birds. I have electric wire around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates to the pens and netting covering all of the pens, all due to losses in the past. I did recently loose 21 birds. The only predator that I saw was a big hawk in one of the inside pens. I have other pens on both sides. I have welded wire and chicken wire hog ringed together separating the pens. I think I found the spot in the netting where the hawk could have gotten in and repaired it. I don't know if the hawk had some help but didn't find any spots where something else could have gotten in. Some of the birds died the next couple of days possible from injuries and most were pullets about ready to lay. I tried to check them all over but they were so freaked out I decided not to freak them out more. I hope you catch your predator. I have a .410 with #4 shot and a couple of .22 rifles which I have used on a bobcat and some fox that had killed some of my birds in the past. They made the mistake of coming back for more. Good luck.

 

[slordaz]

Shoot em on sight is best option but not always able to. another option would be see if theres any trappers in the area interested in them for making hats out of, and they ca come trap and get rid of them as there is most likely a lot if they took down that many birds

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes I understand that, we had about a 4 foot fence. We had planned on breeding the dogs, and tried an invisible fence but nothing ended up keeping them home. They would end up getting out all the time.

Whew, that is unfortunate. Also good to know. I have considered getting a Pyr but we have no perimeter fences here and it is impossible to install any due to the layout of the property (a road runs through it. It doesn't get a lot of use but we can't block it). My Sheltie never leaves the premises but she is getting up in years and I am having to think about getting her an apprentice.

 

[JasperMoon]

Shoot em on sight is best option but not always able to. another option would be see if theres any trappers in the area interested in them for making hats out of, and they ca come trap and get rid of them as there is most likely a lot if they took down that many birds

yeah weve been having them killed, we have two live traps out at the moment one near the main coop and one near the old bantam coop (however our only bantam just lives with our goats now) is there any other ways we can trap coons without harming any of the rest of our birds?

 

[slordaz]

yeah weve been having them killed, we have two live traps out at the moment one near the main coop and one near the old bantam coop (however our only bantam just lives with our goats now) is there any other ways we can trap coons without harming any of the rest of our birds?

If the live trap you have isn't catching them,get a bigger one, we were using a medium and a large one and they were just stealing the bait , we finally got one big enough for a wolf from a friend and caught this one first try if they have enough room they will open a trap back up, also put the bait dead center and tied down. A lot of them are trap savvy though

 

[JasperMoon]

Whew, that is unfortunate. Also good to know. I have considered getting a Pyr but we have no perimeter fences here and it is impossible to install any due to the layout of the property (a road runs through it. It doesn't get a lot of use but we can't block it). My Sheltie never leaves the premises but she is getting up in years and I am having to think about getting her an apprentice.

ahh yes Great Pyrenees dont know boundaries. as far as they can travel is as far as there boundaries. they are also more active during the night for the most part. however they are super sweet if you get to know them at a young age (and keep the puppies age from born-3 from any small animals at all cost as I have had an issue with that but usually the full grown are good, our male has killed several coyotes and deer)

 

[JasperMoon]

If the live trap you have isn't catching them,get a bigger one, we were using a medium and a large one and they were just stealing the bait , we finally got one big enough for a wolf from a friend and caught this one first try if they have enough room they will open a trap back up, also put the bait dead center and tied down. A lot of them are trap savvy though


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so larger traps are better? we have caught several coons with ours but we havnt been lately for some reason. maybe its the lack of birds (we have like 4 left) but im not sure

 

[slordaz]

so larger traps are better? we have caught several coons with ours but we havnt been lately for some reason. maybe its the lack of birds (we have like 4 left) but im not sure

or they are big enough to let themselves out of the traps, is the bait disappearing?, I would keep the traps set, also having a solid enclose trap is a good thing too as skunks are gonna be looking for a free meal too soon as other stuff when it's cold isn't readily available