Ok, so I have sad news for the BackYard Chicken community...... Racoon massacre!

[Kakaruk]

Hello friends,

I see I am not alone as there are other posts of similar massacres......

I have two inch chicken wire all around my chicken run and sealed bottoms as well along the fence line. However, we have a tree with multiple branches going up and I stapled the wire around those. It was good for many years. However, two years ago we had a snow/cold storm and killed parts of the tree. Branches then grew out all over the trunks and I didn't really trim them for nearly two years. As a result, the wire was compromised and a racoon got in there about 6-7 weeks ago, killed a girl. I then fixed it up real good, at least I thought, and cut most all of the branches away.

Then, two mornings ago we woke up with a hole in the wire and all eight hens dead and mangled everywhere, very sad and traumatic! We had three adult girls and five babies about 10-11 weeks. All eight girls were deceased. Only a racoon would do something like that.

Therefore, I am going to use this time to rebuild my chicken coop, mourn, and fortify my run and coop. I put out a trail cam last night and sure enough, it was a racoon.

We will be back however with a new flock soon! Who knows, I might even add a turkey hen or two and/or a duck and Goose to go with the new chickens. I'll research it a bit....

Kakaruk
Texas


I did put out a trail cam last night with bait

 

[Lor]

So sorry to hear that!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hello friends,

I see I am not alone as there are other posts of similar massacres......

I have two inch chicken wire all around my chicken run and sealed bottoms as well along the fence line. However, we have a tree with multiple branches going up and I stapled the wire around those. It was good for many years. However, two years ago we had a snow/cold storm and killed parts of the tree. Branches then grew out all over the trunks and I didn't really trim them for nearly two years. As a result, the wire was compromised and a racoon got in there about 6-7 weeks ago, killed a girl. I then fixed it up real good, at least I thought, and cut most all of the branches away.

Then, two mornings ago we woke up with a hole in the wire and all eight hens dead and mangled everywhere, very sad and traumatic! We had three adult girls and five babies about 10-11 weeks. All eight girls were deceased. Only a racoon would do something like that.

Therefore, I am going to use this time to rebuild my chicken coop, mourn, and fortify my run and coop. I put out a trail cam last night and sure enough, it was a racoon.

We will be back however with a new flock soon! Who knows, I might even add a turkey hen or two and/or a duck and Goose to go with the new chickens. I'll research it a bit....

Kakaruk
Texas


I did put out a trail cam last night with bait

So sorry for your loss. My Son years ago lost all of his the same way. He did not have any type of covering over the top and it got all of his chickens and ducks. Coons are absolutely terrible to birds. I hope you can find the ones that you want to replace your loss.

 

[Kakaruk]

Thanks y'all for your condolences! It was definitely a racoon because I got images the last two nights on the trail cam. I did not get an image of it going into the trap I set out for it but the bait was gone. It started thundering and lightning that night, maybe it got the bait after the rain started? Either way I was going to try to 'rehome' the racoon.

I will rebuild the coop and run to make it more predator proof. I might even install the automatic door the closes at night, opens in the morning so we don't have to stay up late to close the door and get up early to let them out in the morning. As I shared, I have two inch wire covering the top of the run also, which has been pretty much impenetrable but the tree branches compromised it and sure enough a coon finally got in after over five years.

In my experience only coons will do multiple kills. I have had a fox just take the one off chicken here or there and I had a possum coming around one time but it was only interested in the food. I think I've had snakes take eggs underneath a brooding chicken one time but I recall it only took one. I have no idea about skunks but I would think they are less grusome than racoons.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

How awful for you. I’m so sorry for your loss.

 

[Pullet Press]

Oh, man, I'm so sorry. I had something similar happen like that 2 years ago (actually to the dot in a few weeks). A suggestion (if y'all aren't doing it already) is setting some kind of trap for the coon. There have been some weeks that we've set a trap every night and would catch a coon every night.

 

[McChooky]

Our predator proof coop and run is a blessing but they free range during the day in an open fenced yard. I'm hoping the electric fence I'm installing will protect them from most predators .Wishing you the best and hope you get more chickens soon! Sorry for your loss!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thanks y'all for your condolences! It was definitely a racoon because I got images the last two nights on the trail cam. I did not get an image of it going into the trap I set out for it but the bait was gone. It started thundering and lightning that night, maybe it got the bait after the rain started? Either way I was going to try to 'rehome' the racoon.

I will rebuild the coop and run to make it more predator proof. I might even install the automatic door the closes at night, opens in the morning so we don't have to stay up late to close the door and get up early to let them out in the morning. As I shared, I have two inch wire covering the top of the run also, which has been pretty much impenetrable but the tree branches compromised it and sure enough a coon finally got in after over five years.

In my experience only coons will do multiple kills. I have had a fox just take the one off chicken here or there and I had a possum coming around one time but it was only interested in the food. I think I've had snakes take eggs underneath a brooding chicken one time but I recall it only took one. I have no idea about skunks but I would think they are less grusome than racoons.

I hope by rehoming it you mean putting it 6 feet under. It is illegal to take a pest animal and make it someone else's problem. We have a friend that has given one a bath in the livetrap. It was put in a large garbage can and told to hold its breath but didn't. I love animals and I know it is the nature of the beast but unless you are going to take it to possibly a national park and maybe they don't even want them I don't thing you can legally relocate it. One killed all of my Son's chickens and ducks, they are so gruesome is right! Sorry, I just saw how you had written rehome and I am sure you did not mean relocate.

 

[Kiki]

Unfortunately, you had to learn the hard way that chicken wire isn't made for keeping predators out
Be sure to rebuilt with hardware cloth.

 

[McChooky]

I'd never built a coop or run before when I made mine 2 yrs ago but I took everyone's advice about using 1/2" hardware cloth. We've got a big male coon that comes around occasionally and he's every bit of 40 lbs. If I didn't have hardware cloth I'd be worried sick about my flock.Chicken wire is thin and fragile and it stretches.It can't hold up to a big coon.