Once and for all Coon Deterrents PLEASE

[Wickedchicken6]

I am fully aware that it's not IF predators come, it's WHEN. With that said, I am so frustrated with the relentless and aggressive raccoons in our neighborhood. We've lost quite a few chickens in last few weeks, some during the day (rabid coon, I'm guessing, since we spotted one the day prior). Anyway, I've secured the coop and run the best way I know how (short of pouring cement 2 feet underground, which is my next step). The hog wire that encloses the run is buried 18 inches below surface of ground, the coop is secured with latches and locks, and last night's attack shows the predator ripped the chicken wire of the coop (I had just staple gunned it last night again to reinforce). Anyway, any other new and fresh ideas? I'm thinking a guard dog. Anybody know of any low-maintenance breeds that can stay outdoors year round (I'm in Long Island, NY). How affective are motion powered lights? Will they actually deter a coon? While I don't want to invest a fortune into securing my girls (and sometimes boys), I really want to maintain a flock... I now only have 5 chicks left, one of which we hatched ourselves, and I'm scared to put them out (they're currently in the garage).

One of our attacks seemed to have been rats and coons conspiring together...hogwire was eaten through by rat (I'm assuming), letting the raccoon in to feast on my birds. Also, often times the chickens' bodies are missing...just feathers. What else could it be?

Thanks Chicken-lovers

Regarding guard dogs, we have two older livestock guardian dogs; a Pyrenees (7) and a Pyrennees/Maremma cross(5). They were bought for protection for our sheep. We've kept them separate from the yard and strictly with the sheep. Now our white Pyrenees has been spending his evening and nights at the farm. I couldn't be happier.

We have a secure garage with a hardware cloth front for our main coop. The entire building is surrounded by an electric poultry netting run powered by a plug-in electric fencer. Nothing has touched the birds so far with the electric fence. But we've had a sudden explosion of mink this winter become and they're small enough they could breach the electric poultry netting. There have been a few times we've been later getting home when the main chickens and the roosters have been open. I have full confidence that there won't be anything coming into the yard and attacking the chickens as long as he's there. He's killed two mink himself, I've trapped two and Dh has taken one. This dog hasn't been raised or exposed to the chickens, yet he knows to leave the chickens, the guineas, the pet rabbits and the cats alone. I opened the chicken run a few days ago to let them free range and forgot he was here.

Pros - Ours LGDs eat no more food than our regular collie cross (both are well over 100lbs). They eat less than our purebred border collie used to eat.

- They are always on and there when you aren't.

- Ours have a very pleasant demeanour, we weren't familiar with LGDs prior. These two breeds do not have a tendancy to be aggressive towards humans. Our son was small when we got them and he had friends out so this was important to us.

- Our dog tends to avoid people who come into the yard. They stay out of reach yet stand there looking intimidating. I wore a hoody and accidentally surprised one when he was young...and I know they turn on very, very fast. And they turn off as fast with a few familiar words.


Cons - They can get very big (we wanted that for coyotes and wolves) and while they don't eat anywhere what one would expect...it costs a lot for any vet procedures, for dewormer and for any medications because they weigh so much.

- They tend to sleep more in the day and they bark a lot. At night. These two particular breeds use barking as a main deterrent. We have no close neighbours so it works for us. If you have neighbours, they may not be pleased.
There may be other breeds of LGDs that may not bark as much.

- They can run. Some work as perimeter dogs and they need guidance in understanding the limitations of your property. They have instinct but they do require guidance. They're not a machine that's automatic.

- They require proper food, water, vetting and proper care. Having a livestock guardian dog means you have the extra responsibility to keep all shots etc current and the dogs acclimated to being handlable in the event they are wounded. These dogs have a higher risk of being wounded, bitten etc.

- You have to have some way to transport them. They require a lot of room and don't fit in transport kennels. We have trucks and a trailer. We usually trailer them in to get shots...lol.

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

Did you forget dynamite, microwave oven, flame thrower, jackhammer, run over with a backhoe, food processor, hire a ninja?

But really, I hate the little f-ers too. SSS when possible!

I love the way you picked right up on my train of thought. You got it.

 

[WVduckchick]

Regarding guard dogs, we have two older livestock guardian dogs; a Pyrenees (7) and a Pyrennees/Maremma cross(5). They were bought for protection for our sheep. We've kept them separate from the yard and strictly with the sheep. Now our white Pyrenees has been spending his evening and nights at the farm. I couldn't be happier.

We have a secure garage with a hardware cloth front for our main coop. The entire building is surrounded by an electric poultry netting run powered by a plug-in electric fencer. Nothing has touched the birds so far with the electric fence. But we've had a sudden explosion of mink this winter become and they're small enough they could breach the electric poultry netting. There have been a few times we've been later getting home when the main chickens and the roosters have been open. I have full confidence that there won't be anything coming into the yard and attacking the chickens as long as he's there. He's killed two mink himself, I've trapped two and Dh has taken one. This dog hasn't been raised or exposed to the chickens, yet he knows to leave the chickens, the guineas, the pet rabbits and the cats alone. I opened the chicken run a few days ago to let them free range and forgot he was here.

Pros - Ours LGDs eat no more food than our regular collie cross (both are well over 100lbs). They eat less than our purebred border collie used to eat.

- They are always on and there when you aren't.

- Ours have a very pleasant demeanour, we weren't familiar with LGDs prior. These two breeds do not have a tendancy to be aggressive towards humans. Our son was small when we got them and he had friends out so this was important to us.

- Our dog tends to avoid people who come into the yard. They stay out of reach yet stand there looking intimidating. I wore a hoody and accidentally surprised one when he was young...and I know they turn on very, very fast. And they turn off as fast with a few familiar words.


Cons - They can get very big (we wanted that for coyotes and wolves) and while they don't eat anywhere what one would expect...it costs a lot for any vet procedures, for dewormer and for any medications because they weigh so much.

- They tend to sleep more in the day and they bark a lot. At night. These two particular breeds use barking as a main deterrent. We have no close neighbours so it works for us. If you have neighbours, they may not be pleased.
There may be other breeds of LGDs that may not bark as much.

- They can run. Some work as perimeter dogs and they need guidance in understanding the limitations of your property. They have instinct but they do require guidance. They're not a machine that's automatic.

- They require proper food, water, vetting and proper care. Having a livestock guardian dog means you have the extra responsibility to keep all shots etc current and the dogs acclimated to being handlable in the event they are wounded. These dogs have a higher risk of being wounded, bitten etc.

- You have to have some way to transport them. They require a lot of room and don't fit in transport kennels. We have trucks and a trailer. We usually trailer them in to get shots...lol.

 

[chicknmania]

Look, I have to agree that raccoons, like everything else, are not plotting against you or your flock. I do want to point out though that, if you have to trap, please humanely destroy...don't trap and release. Humanely destroying does not mean clubbing an animal to death, or drowning. If you don't have what it takes to humanely destroy a trapped animal, then find or hire someone who does. We had to hire a trapper to try and catch a raccoon that comes every day during the day, and steals eggs. It doesn't bother the chickens....unless they're in the way of stealing eggs...then it will pull their feathers out...but it has yet to kill one. I hate to kill the little bugger...because it is an amazingly smart and resourceful animal...but what we are going through is the result of someone else trapping and releasing it. It is terrorizing our free range broodies and they are resorting to going outside to go broody now, which is not a good thing.

Thanks Wicked Chicken, for the tip about trap wise coons and marshmallow bait. I will definitely try that.

Raccoons are difficult to discourage, though it is possible.

"Hating" predators is pointless. They are just trying to survive and take care of their young...just like we all do. We all have to share this world. And predators have a definite purpose in the scheme of things. That's why they're here.

 

[chicknmania]

True. I have seen perfectly healthy raccoons out and about in late afternoon. Not common, but it can happen.

It's very common around here. Females usually forage during the day; so do the ones that are lower on the totem pole as far as getting food; they have less competition during the day. We have a severe overpopulation of raccoons in this area.

 

[llombardo]

Doesn't anyone have a licensed wildlife company near them? We do here. They are reasonably priced and just purchased lots of land in the middle of nowhere where they release the animals. For a small fee, the animal is removed and lives out its life in a wooded area where they belong but have less and less access to.

 

[chicknmania]

That's what we are using, and that's what this company says they do, is release the animals elsewhere. But really, it's cruel to the animal. They have to figure out how to find new food, water, and shelter, and compete with their relatives already in residence. Some wildlife can do it, some can't.

Here in Ohio, it's illegal to trap and release coons, but most people do it anyway. If you are caught doing it, it's a nasty fine. The trapper we are using does not appear to know what to do for us. All the bait they are using has not worked. In fact, I saw the coon using the trap for a step stool one morning, to get up on a shelf. It also turned the barn lights off, on the way up.... I think it's possessed. Anyway, I hope the marshmallows work....

It would be nice if there were more legislation to stop all this ridiculous and unnecessary development, so the wildlife has somewhere to go, too....

 

[llombardo]

That's what we are using, and that's what this company says they do, is release the animals elsewhere. But really, it's cruel to the animal. They have to figure out how to find new food, water, and shelter, and compete with their relatives already in residence. Some wildlife can do it, some can't.

Here in Ohio, it's illegal to trap and release coons, but most people do it anyway. If you are caught doing it, it's a nasty fine. The trapper we are using does not appear to know what to do for us. All the bait they are using has not worked. In fact, I saw the coon using the trap for a step stool one morning, to get up on a shelf. It also turned the barn lights off, on the way up.... I think it's possessed. Anyway, I hope the marshmallows work....

It would be nice if there were more legislation to stop all this ridiculous and unnecessary development, so the wildlife has somewhere to go, too....

They are resourceful. I had one that managed to get into the wall from the roof. I was renting at the time. Every night at 6 pm I would here it climbing the wall to get outside and every morning it came back at 6am. The claws made noise as it was climbing--drove the dog nuts. One night on its way out it was dark and my son was watching tv when he saw two eyes looking in the window--he screamed like a girl and I thought the poor raccoon fell off the roof. I laughed my butt off after I made sure the raccoon was ok. The landlord set a trap. I found the raccoon in there and let him right back out. The landlord finally figured out that fixing the roof was the way to go..

 

[llombardo]

I work in the garbage industry. They are always in garbage cans and get picked up. Sometimes they climb out and are on top of the truck while it's going down the road. The drivers pull up to a tree and up they go. All the others end up living at the dump--usually high up in the rafters. They climb the steel beams like monkies.

 

[McGold]

Prob not rabid tho. Rabbies kills in days Utube it u will see its pretty distinctive.



I guess u didnt read the part about being in long island... NY aint a fly over state where u shoot shovel. U shoot a gun in LI your going to jail. Simple.

Use a double fencing system, its best. That's why prisons, military bases everywhere that needs security uses two fences.

Alternatively if u dont want to spend a lot of $$ you could just go buy a trap set it next to your hen house put some bait in there and just continually have a trap that will be an easier target then the hens... now what to do with the animal when you have a trapped that's entirely up to you.

You can also put a mets jersey in the cage once they see the hens are mets fans they will realize its not even worth there time!!!

Haha!