Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

You should be able to find them under 'pest control', sorry I can't be of more help for the area...
But my $.02.... relocation doesn't fix the problem, it just moves it into someone else's yard/woods. There is little predation or other natural control of the population of mink, skunk, racoons or opossums, fox or coyote anymore.
With the spread of housing, and hence the forced decline in hunting and trapping of these animals the farmers are feeling the results. These animals are predators, and simply doing what they need to do in order to survive. I bear them no malice for that... their goal is not anything malicious, it is survival. As a chicken person though my only option is to eliminate the threat or build Fort Knox to avoid it. Moving it somewhere else is doing no one any favors, the moved animal now needs to fight with local resident animal populations to survive in a new area and may starve or be killed before it can carve out a new home.
To me the answer is to provide a quick and humane end to the threat. It is unfortunate that the animal needs destroyed but allowing a predator population to outgrow its carrying capacity for an area will eventually result in disease and starvation when 'mother nature's' defenses kicks in...and a bullet is much quicker than disease or starvation.
 
Does anyone know a good raccoon relocation service for Chester County?
I have one digging every night under my coop--I PRAY he doesn't figure out that the Pop door opens at sunrise!

Perhaps maybe putting something around your coop might be helpful in the mean time. Look for any kind of cheap or free brinks or cinder blocks on Craigslist. In the spring, you could dive a couple inches and put them deeper in the ground. Maybe also a cheap radio playing might deter him for a little bit?
 
You should be able to find them under 'pest control', sorry I can't be of more help for the area...
But my $.02.... relocation doesn't fix the problem, it just moves it into someone else's yard/woods. There is little predation or other natural control of the population of mink, skunk, racoons or opossums, fox or coyote anymore.
With the spread of housing, and hence the forced decline in hunting and trapping of these animals the farmers are feeling the results. These animals are predators, and simply doing what they need to do in order to survive. I bear them no malice for that... their goal is not anything malicious, it is survival. As a chicken person though my only option is to eliminate the threat or build Fort Knox to avoid it. Moving it somewhere else is doing no one any favors, the moved animal now needs to fight with local resident animal populations to survive in a new area and may starve or be killed before it can carve out a new home.
To me the answer is to provide a quick and humane end to the threat. It is unfortunate that the animal needs destroyed but allowing a predator population to outgrow its carrying capacity for an area will eventually result in disease and starvation when 'mother nature's' defenses kicks in...and a bullet is much quicker than disease or starvation.
Any licensed pest control agent will capture and dispatch the coon. It is a violation of state law to relocate any trapped animal without a permit. You can release it where you caught it or (in some cases) kill it. Coons can be either very hard or very easy to catch. Until they get addicted to an easy meal of poultry, they tend to be hard to catch. I generally leave them alone until I start finding headless bodies, the the trap comes out.
 
Just set 68 eggs, mostly Penedesencas. I candled also, and found 92% fertility in an older set of Penes. This is extraordinarily good for dark egg layers. I was always delighted to get 40% with Welsummers or Welbars.
I also set my first 2 Kraienkoppe eggs. These are also called Twentse. They are small pullets and small eggs, but I find them interesting. They are supposed to be fantastic at free ranging, as are the Penedescas, but their pea combs is probably an advantage for wintering outdoors on the farm. Many of our free ranging roos have badly frostbitten combs by the springtime, but not the ones with pea combs.
 
So I just sprayed all of my birds tonight with a 10% Permethrin solution to help combat lice and mites. I have read through this thread and found it helpful, so I thought I’d give it a try. I know most of my birds have them, so I gave them all a spritz, as best I could, under their butts and under their wings. The package recommends 1/2 ounce per bird, but who knows how much I got on them. Lol. It is a water base, so it drips off anyways. Tomorrow I will spray the roosts as well, after they are playing outside.

Here is the thread I referenced.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/permethrin-spray.1134783/

Here is a the product I used.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...livestock-and-premise-spray-8-oz?cm_vc=-10005

It does come in larger sizes.

I was concerned about egg withdrawal, but it doesn’t seem that there is a withdrawal period recommended. I may feed them to the dog anyways, since I am not getting too many right now. I found this article on the subject.

https://blog.cacklehatchery.com/is-permethrin-a-safe-treatment-for-poultry-lice-and-mites/


I also used Vaseline on my Roos combs, although my poor Rusty looks pretty rough from this last cold patch. He looks more like a dinosaur or a gangster now, with his battle scars. But he is such a good boy and always gentle with the girls. I will have to do his spurs soon too. Do you guys use the pliers method? Or do you file them down?


What a joy it was today to have such warm weather! Even though it was raining, it was nice to not be so cold.
 

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