Missourians

[roosterhavoc]

I worded that kind of strange. I meant you need to be able to kill it quickly. Poisoning doesn't kill it quickly. I thought it was ironic that someone could poison something to death but not shoot it.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I guess I didn't express what I meant very well either. I wanted to put poison in the marshmallows incase it got away. I do have cats running around here and I would test them with marshmallows to see if they had any interest before I put any marshmallows out. Otherwise, I don't know of any animals around here that I would miss. I think my husband says there is a fox now and then and that is what I thought was getting a chicken every 3 or so months.

As for shooting it, well, the darn thing has eyes and if it looked at me, I don't know.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Cats will eat marshmallows and the raccoon will definitely look at you. Better hope it don't come back. Lol

 

[bobbi-j]

Before you trap it, you make sure you have someone who can shoot it for you. If you set your trap properly, there should be no worry of it getting away.

 

[Sylviaanne]

I am missing another hen. If the raccoon got her, it was the same hen he was after last night and he came during the daylight this time.

Someone said that if it is a big raccoon and my husband said it was, that it could tear up a trap. Someone else said that if it is a big raccoon it could back out of the cage because the door wouldn't be able to close behind it.

Suggestions?

 

[centrarchid]

Daylight? Camp out with light rifle starting an hour before time clock it visited today. Be prepared to see fox or coyote.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Would a raccoon be in the same territory as a fox or a coyote?

 

[roosterhavoc]

Daylight? Camp out with light rifle starting an hour before time clock it visited today. Be prepared to see fox or coyote.

I agree. If anyone is ever missing a bird during daylight IMO always assume it's a fox. I have tons of raccoons here and have no real proof that one has killed any of my chickens.

 

[centrarchid]

Would a raccoon be in the same territory as a fox or a coyote?

Yes. all three can have overlapping territories.

 

[bobbi-j]

I agree. If anyone is ever missing a bird during daylight IMO always assume it's a fox. I have tons of raccoons here and have no real proof that one has killed any of my chickens.

We just had a mama raccoon with babies attack and kill one of my chickens right in the coop a few weeks ago. Well, I should say that that's what we THINK killed her. DH saw the babies wandering around looking lost (my chickens free range), and found a pile of feathers in the coop during the day. Next morning, our dog had cornered the raccoon family near the coop - in the morning, during daylight hours. DH eliminated the problem and the little future problems, and we have not had any more incidents. What I'm thinking may have happened, was the family was looking for feed and found chickens instead. Mama coon cornered Mama hen and Mama coon won. Just a theory, of course. Raccoons are not just night time predators. They are opportunists and will eat what they can, when they can.