Lost 7 hens last night :(

One little glimmer of hope...we took a dozen of the girls' eggs and popped them into our incubator. Even if they're gone, hopefully they can live on in their offspring. Sigh.

Update on the Spitzhauben...she seems to be perking up and is eating and drinking. Her one eye is in bad shape and she has a wound on her neck and a small one on her back. We will keep her separated until she heals...
 
A small update...

I caught and dispatched a second raccoon who had made its way back into the coop. Thankfully, all the hens had already been moved over to the other coop, so there were no more casualties (unless you count the coon). It's been several nights and all's quiet out there. We've moved the trap to the porch, so we'll see what we get.

Sadly, we did lose the Spitzhauben. :(
 
A small update...

I caught and dispatched a second raccoon who had made its way back into the coop. Thankfully, all the hens had already been moved over to the other coop, so there were no more casualties (unless you count the coon). It's been several nights and all's quiet out there. We've moved the trap to the porch, so we'll see what we get.

Sadly, we did lose the Spitzhauben. :(
Very sorry about the Spitzhauben. But glad nothing has breached the new coop. Did you notice if the raccoons were male or female? If female, there may be more lurking since females usually live in family groups. Males usually live alone except for during breeding season and sometimes in the winter months when food is more scarce.
 
Very interesting question. The one I actually caught red-handed in the coop was a female, I think, but not one that looked like she had been nursing kits. I'm not sure about the second one. I just shot and dumped. I really don't like doing that, but it's the coon or the chickens, and our girls (and boys) always come first.

Hopefully we've hit the end of this plague, at least for now. :fl
 
I dont like killing native wildlife if it can be avoided either, & depend on my lgds to keep predators away. The only predators ive ever needed to kill were coincidently a group of female raccoons. After wiping out my neighbor's entire flock of 30+ chickens, they moved in for mine. The dogs barked frantically several nights in a row, til i finally went out by flashlight and saw eyes shining up in the trees. Those coons had no intention of giving up & going away, & they paid the ultimate price for their stubborness. Caught 6 females and 1 male. After 2-3 weeks of no catches, i removed the traps. I am rural in a heavily wooded area so potential chicken killers are abundant. But as long as they fear my dogs and thus stay away from my chickens, i take the approach "live and let live."
 

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