Orphan raccoon, anyone else raise one with chickens?

[McChooky]

Well I haven’t intentionally raised a raccoon with my birds but nature has! I probably have 5-10 raccoons living on my property and they help themselves to the chickens food mid day right next to the birds and so far I haven’t had any issues. They did steal some eggs I hadn’t picked up yet a few times. I do know that the last thing you want to do is keep a raccoon in a house. Had a friend that did this and it destroyed her home. For instance- raccoon lying in sink, water running over on floor, just bathing and playing….it turned on the faucets!

You wouldn't happen to have a video would you?

 

[sourland]

Been there done that. She was a great and fun animal, but learned readily how to open pens and killed a litter or rabbits and several chicks. Found her a home where she was gradually returned to the wild from a release/return pen.

 

[BabesDucks]

Interesting to note: the dogs know what she is, and two of the three keep their distance, but observe with interest and discipline whenever she approaches within a certain distance: I'm guessing they know her mother (and have warded her off) but because I brought the baby into our home, they have relegated themselves to not killing her and simply tolerating her. Our eldest Kuvasz, though, has been a mother at heart from day one, and she views the coon as just another baby, albeit with some reservations

 

[BabesDucks]

You wouldn't happen to have a video would you?

My 2 dogs and 2 cats are just fine with my ducks.

 

[birdlady11]

I have been a licensed wildlife rehabber for 40 years. Neo71665 is absolutely correct - what you are doing is NOT wildlife rehabilitation. You did the right first step by rescuing the baby but the second step when a rescue involves wildlife should always be to get it to the nearest licensed wildlife rehabber immediately. Each state has a department which regulates wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation (here in Florida it is called Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, in Pennsylvania it's simply called Fish and Game Commission). Do a google search for wildlife rehabilitation in your state. You should be able to come up with the state department which regulates rehabbing and they can provide you with a list of every licensed rehabber in your state. Call the one's nearest you.

It is NEVER too late to get a wild baby to a rehabber, especially if she's still in the "toddler" stage as you say. This time of year almost all rehabbers who do mammals will have plenty of other orphaned raccoons and they will put your baby with others that are close to her in age. She will then grow up surrounded by her new raccoon family, will quickly learn that dogs and people are not her friends, and will be taught by someone with experience how to survive in the wild. She deserves to live the wild life she was intended to live. Being a human pet and kept in a cage is most definitely NOT what her life was intended to be and she will not be as happy in captivity as she would be in the wild. If you love her - let her go to a licensed rehabber who can give her the future she deserves.

 

[McChooky]

Well I haven’t intentionally raised a raccoon with my birds but nature has! I probably have 5-10 raccoons living on my property and they help themselves to the chickens food mid day right next to the birds and so far I haven’t had any issues. They did steal some eggs I hadn’t picked up yet a few times. I do know that the last thing you want to do is keep a raccoon in a house. Had a friend that did this and it destroyed her home. For instance- raccoon lying in sink, water running over on floor, just bathing and playing….it turned on the faucets!

The odds of 5-10 wild coons coming out of the woods daily (at a specific time) to eat grain with your chickens is like a million to one! LOL

 

[PianoTheSilkie]

I have been a licensed wildlife rehabber for 40 years. Neo71665 is absolutely correct - what you are doing is NOT wildlife rehabilitation. You did the right first step by rescuing the baby but the second step when a rescue involves wildlife should always be to get it to the nearest licensed wildlife rehabber immediately. Each state has a department which regulates wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation (here in Florida it is called Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, in Pennsylvania it's simply called Fish and Game Commission). Do a google search for wildlife rehabilitation in your state. You should be able to come up with the state department which regulates rehabbing and they can provide you with a list of every licensed rehabber in your state. Call the one's nearest you.

It is NEVER too late to get a wild baby to a rehabber, especially if she's still in the "toddler" stage as you say. This time of year almost all rehabbers who do mammals will have plenty of other orphaned raccoons and they will put your baby with others that are close to her in age. She will then grow up surrounded by her new raccoon family, will quickly learn that dogs and people are not her friends, and will be taught by someone with experience how to survive in the wild. She deserves to live the wild life she was intended to live. Being a human pet and kept in a cage is most definitely NOT what her life was intended to be and she will not be as happy in captivity as she would be in the wild. If you love her - let her go to a licensed rehabber who can give her the future she deserves.

that's the truth

 

[Funflyers]

I raised a male raccoon when I was a teenage and my husband also did the same only his was a female. Now we have chickens and would not have a raccoon anywhere near our chickens. Take your young raccoon to a wildlife rehab or preserve if you value your chickens. If you continue down the path you are on, eventually you will be required to choose between your chickens and killing the pet raccoon yourself. Although from your previous responses it doesn't seem you are really listening to those who have experience with similar situations.

 

[neo71665]

Woke up this morning and my 2 escape artists have finally learned the lock on their enclosure. Sally was waiting on me on the front porch. As soon as I opened the door she took a vee line to her sister. Raven was trying to get into my chicken coop. No telling how long they been out, all night I guess. Little bit of leftover fried fish and the girls went back home. One being carried and the other rode on my left pants leg.

Just tells me I need to change the latch on the coon enclosure and my chicken coop is well secure. I'm sure if it wasn't for the hardware cloth around my main run I woulda had dead chickens this morning.

 

[cmom]

I'm putting a couple strands of electric fence around my new run soon as its completed.I like your set up .Simple and effective.They have plenty of room too!

I use the poly rope wire. I have lost way too many birds to predators in the past free ranging. Mostly to fox and coyotes. Lessons learned the hard way. My birds get good things in their pens and now when I have left a gate open some may come out but not far and before long they're back in their pen. I don't shut the pop doors on the coop so the birds can go in and out at their will. All of the coops have auto waterers. Originally I had them in the coops until one malfunctioned and flooded a coop so then I moved all of the waterers out side of the pop doors. Most of the birds when they go out in the morning the first thing they do is go to the waterers.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/