my first raccoon attack, and totally my fault

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
x 2 I'm sorry Orp. Thank you for your blunt honesty.

 

[erzsebet12]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. We just lost 4 chickens over 2 nights via a racoon(s). There may be more than one. The six Buff Orpingtons that we've had for 5 years (from an original flock of 12) were wiped out viciously.
They are now in our chain link dog kennel with our Border Collie, who mothers them. The racoon tore into the coop that was inside of our barn. We have not had this happen for five years. The last time it did, my husband shot the racoon and she had 3 youngsters living on the top of the barn. We live trapped them and they were relocated.

I'm new to this forum as of today. We have 2 survivors left. They were our pets too and now we are going to build a new coop.
I found this forum by google and I'm glad I did. Thanks.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Thanks to everyone. YES, I'm going to both change the door system on the tractor, and take a huge look at the coop security. The main coop has been tested by raccoons before, but the tractor left Lola just waiting for their arrival. Now that they have tasted blood, I'm sure they will do everything in their little minds to break into the coop. I need to get serious. My luck has run out.

erzsebet12, glad you found us. wish it was under better circumstances!

 

[erzsebet12]

Hi, Me too! We also have a Border Collie, Dolly, a mutt, Patches (Jack Russell & English Pointer mix) and 4 barn cats. The chickens were part of our family. I'll miss them when they coo at night before locking the coop and barn doors.
We are in the middle of a heat wave here in Southeast MI. We're are near the MI/OH border not far from Toledo.
I'm really happy to find this forum. I'll have my husband sign up too.
Our Buff Orpingtons were the best flock we've ever had. Just 2 left. They layed eggs all of the time and the racoon got the first 2 hens while they were in their nesting boxes brooding their eggs.
I've just started to look at the coop designs posted here. The photos and suggestions are great.

 

[Mommi3130]

I am so sorry you had to go through this.
I am right there with you, we started with 2 missing ducklings (during the day) then the next night we lost our beautiful Blue laced red wyandotte hen, she was also in a tractor won't be doing that again

And a few nights ago we got home late and a raccoon had gotten into the coop (we hadn't locked up yet cause it was early when we left and we planned on being home early) we lost 2 silkie roosters and a cochin hen

 

[erzsebet12]

Hi Mommi3130, I was thinking how cruel nature can be. Racoons are scavengers and they do keep coming back for more.
I'm thinking that the next coop will be off of the ground and fenced in with a ramp. We can put in next to the garden and dog kennel.
We're on 3.5 acres, but there is about a thousand acres of corn or bean fields around us. I was worried about our 2 survivors out in the yard while I had to teach a class last night. We got home just as it got dark and they were ok. We let them free range during the day as we did with all the others. They have to be locked up tight as a drum at night. You have had some beautiful birds. I've seen them at our fairs. In the past, we've had Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons. We raise the peeps inside with the light on until they get their feathers. We actually had a pet chicken that we had in the kitchen in a large metal tub. Her name was Penny and she had a deformed leg and couldn't be put with the rest of the flock. She lived about a year and a half and we would let her out during the day like a dog. She was good at hopping around on her one let.

 

[sreihart]

Just a few weeks ago I went down behind my barn and there in the middle of the field heading my way was a raccoon... in broad daylight! This is the 2nd time that I've seen one well before dusk on its way to the barn. I have robins nesting inside and I think the raccoons come up trying to get their eggs/babies. I still don't have my coop done so every day that passes I'm fretful that something will happen. I have my 8-wk old buff orps in an 8x8x5' high tractor of sorts and they are there overnight. I move it close to the house at night hoping that will be at least a little deterrence for predators.

But I digress... my point is don't get too confident that raccoons will only be around after dark. It was at least an hour before dusk when these coons were already out prowling around.

I'm so sorry that rotten varmint got away with your birds.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
great advice! I'm sure raccoons don't have watches. They'll strike whenever they're hungry and you're not around (or just not looking.)

The raccoons did not come back here last night, but it's only a matter of time and opportunity.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

well, they came back tonight. I went out to check on the chickens, and the babies had not gone in the coop, but were roosting on a hatch lid inside the pen. As I was putting them on the roost, I could hear something in the tree above me. It was the big raccoon.

I can't shoot in my neighborhood, so the bugger is still alive. But, let's just say that raccoons don't like to be pressure washed!

 

[alaskachick]

You go girl! Shoot some sharp water up that Racoons backside.