Lost our first hen to a raccoon - no more free ranging?

[bcchick22]

We are new chicken keepers in an urban setting. We have (had) two laying hens and two seven week pullets. We let them out mostly supervised in our backyard, but will occasionally be in and out of the house. Late this afternoon there was a commotion and a raccoon made off with one of the hens. We feel extremely guilty as I had seen one around a couple of weeks ago and got too lax leaving them unsupervised. At the same time it seems unfortunate that we can't leave them to range in our contained, urban backyard while we are in the house. Is that just the reality here? They love being out in the yard so much but I can't take losing any more! She was such a sweet girl and her hen pair is pretty upset. We ended up putting the two chicks into the main coop tonight as we were planning on soon anyway and we didn't want to leave the remaining hen alone. They are are cuddled up on the same roosting bar tonight.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Ah yes, the urban coon. Know it well. Ours around here are very aggressive. You will likely have to trap it to prevent it from coming back. Once they get a free meal, they almost always come back for more.

Check your local ordinances as to what your options are. Where I live we are allowed to trap them, but it is illegal to relocate them. If they have harmed your livestock, you then are allowed to disperse with them humanely. (We actually purchased a high powered air soft rifle which is perfectly safe and legal in city limits but quite lethal at point blank range into the skull).

If you are very lucky, it will go away and not come back. But usually they become a problem until you dispense. They can clean out a whole flock.

LofMc

 

[Eggscaping]

We are new chicken keepers in an urban setting. We have (had) two laying hens and two seven week pullets. We let them out mostly supervised in our backyard, but will occasionally be in and out of the house. Late this afternoon there was a commotion and a raccoon made off with one of the hens. We feel extremely guilty as I had seen one around a couple of weeks ago and got too lax leaving them unsupervised. At the same time it seems unfortunate that we can't leave them to range in our contained, urban backyard while we are in the house. Is that just the reality here? They love being out in the yard so much but I can't take losing any more! She was such a sweet girl and her hen pair is pretty upset. We ended up putting the two chicks into the main coop tonight as we were planning on soon anyway and we didn't want to leave the remaining hen alone. They are cuddled up on the same roosting bar tonight.

Can't see where you're located, but we are in a very 'city' part of Portland, Oregon. Not rural at all. But we get raccoons with great regularity. They have killed a neighbor's cat, and my small, elderly dog. We won't have chickens for almost a year now - after we move - but when we do, we will severely predator-proof our run and coop. Raccoons don't have any real predators themselves in the city, so they thrive. Every once in awhile the population crashes when they get distemper (contagious to dogs and cats) or rabies, and then there are fewer for awhile. But they are here to stay. I'm sorry for your lost chicken.

 

[bcchick22]

We're in BC and can't kill them so would need to get a professional in. You're right though, it's just a part of the urban life. Our coop and run is super secure, we just hoped to have them ranging more. Do most people do supervised ranging only then? Is that what we should expect to do? We do want to let them out sometimes.

 

[Willowspirit]

I have personally seen more raccoons in the suburbs than here in the country. I think the concentration of food resources especially trash in the city supports a high concentration of them. Very sorry about your hen.

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. I was very complacent and let my very special 3 year old hen out to free range daily but she always stayed close and would come to us when called. I wasn't paying attention one day not long ago and a fox sneaked in and got her. I was so mad at myself for being so lax and not paying better attention. I'm no longer letting any of the birds free range. They all have nice large pens. Now I'll only let them out if I'm with them. I cried for a couple of days because I missed her so much. She loved to be held and loved to be with us.

 

[varidgerunner]

My profession is trapping urban raccoons. There are far more coons in urban areas than in rural areas. Not only is it eating chickens, cat food, tearing into garbage cans, and potentially eating cats to feed it's large litter. It probably is denning in someones home, ruining insulation, wreaking havoc on wiring, and loading an attic with racoon roundworm infected feces. Hire a professional if you want a professional job.

From about April to August, raccoons and foxes are feeding young. They hunt in the daytime right now because of the nutritional demands of young that can't forage on their own. If you have non wary breeds of chickens out, they will pay the price.

 

[cmom]

Once your flock is discovered the predators will be back looking for an opportunity.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Free ranging is a risk laden way of life but I will continue to allow mine out. Maybe consider a smallish/medium dog that could protect and deter predators? Electric fencing is a decent deterrent but raccoons are very intelligent and can find their way around most obstacles. I would absolutely consider trapping and terminating or turning it over to a wild animal preserve.

This article about the joys/hardship of free ranging really sums up my feelings of risk to benefit:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nderhearted-farmer.72519/reviews#review-23620