I've had it with the DANG VARMINTS!!!

[mick&cori]

I'm so frustrated. We lost 3 chickens to racoon(s) in 24 hours. We are trapping and giving them lead poisoning... but my gosh. I've done everything I possibly can to protect my animals, but I can't be out there 24/7. THIS WAS DURING BROAD DAYLIGHT!!

I called D.N.R. to see if they would rather me "relocate" them, and they said, "Nope. Dispose of them. They are over-populated in this area right now."

Dispose of them? My pleasure!

After I got of the phone with D.N.R. I wondered to myself - If they are so overpopulated, why haven't they stepped in to do something about it?

Sorry for the rant, but I love my animals. I'm sick of them dying... It's just heartbreaking.

 

[magicpigeon]

I hear you! Here it's completely illegal to shoot crow, possums, any native animals. They steal our eggs, steal the food.... terrorise the chickens. The most I can do is to trap them and release them a few 100kms away.

Sorry for the loss of your birds. Sending my best wishes

 

[dandydoodle]

Sorry for your loss. Were your chickens in a coop or free ranging? Just curious I get so nervous when letting my girls out. I wish I knew how to get rid of rats. I am managing to keep down the numbers but, I just can't seem to get rid of the darn things. I am do know like predators and varmints.

 

[moetrout]

Keep the trap out 24/7 until you stop catching them, then move it to a new spot and keep on going. You'd be surprised sometimes how many there are.

 

[mick&cori]

Quote:
We have a fenced run. Some of the chickens can get out, but I've clipped their feathers lately so they have to stay in the fenced area. It's not covered, and it's HUGE (probably 20'x50') for my 11 chickens. I consider it "free-range". There isn't even enough of them to keep the grass and weeds down in there. I have to go in there and mow it. They've been ripped out of the fenced-in area by the coons.

I also have another large run where I take let my "teenagers" (7weeks old) out for sunshine, grass, and play-time. There are 19 of them, and we haven't lost any yet. I only let them out for about 3-5 hours in the evening. It was between 9am-2pm that I lost 2 of them, and between 8pm-9pm that I lost the other one.

It just sucks to have to worry about them all the time. I let them out around 6am and put them in around 9pm.

My biggest complaint is that they (D.N.R./Animal Control/etc.) don't do anything about the over-population.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

here in maine we have seasons on crows, raccoon, fox, coyote, bear, opossum, weasel, and squirrels. All the animals that will terrorize chickens has a season so they are controlled population sort of. we still see a few fox, raccoon, coyotes, and opossums around, but no weasels or bears. squirrels are everywhere

 

[Ole and Lena]

The only tools the DNR has to manage predator populations are hunting and trapping seasons. Thank a Peta/ Humane Society/ Fund For Animals etc member for destroying the wild fur market several years ago. It's gradually coming back in fits and starts but will probably never be what it was in the 70's and 80's. It was quite self policing because there was money in trapping, everyone did it. It would simply be impossible for the DNR to manage predator populations on a statewide basis. FAR too much cost involved, forget about the politics.

You might try to find a local trapper, they have internet forums like this one, most states have an association. A more hands on approach would be to take up fur trapping yourself. It is a rewarding hobby that can generate some extra christmas money and will reduce your predators on a more regional scale if you rack and stack 100 or so fox and coon in your area.

 

[mick&cori]

Quote:
Thanks. That's a good idea. I think everyone needs a good coon hat