Picture of Raccoon damage to Have-a-heart cage.

[Suziers]

Hi there-

I have been trying to search for the post of the damage a raccoon did to one of those cage traps. My husband seems to be doubting the strength and cunningness of the raccoon and I thought I would share with him some of the pictures I have seen on here.

Any other pics of raccoon damage to runs, coops, flocks etc are welcome.

Thank you.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
I'm with your husband on that. It looked as much like something was trying to get in as get out, like something was looking for a coon snack.

Obviously something very big.

ETA...
The raccoon has reached the point of mythical beast on this site, IMHO.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

true but let me say this;
I love coons, we had them as pets when I was kid so I have had many years experience with their behavior and what they are capable of. We had a big male that weighed 35 pounds and he did take the door off of his cage more than once - chicken wire, hinges, wood etc. The main problem is not their size and strength though its how smart they are give them long enough to figure out how to get into something and they usually will. and their top three favorite foods are crawdads, cat food and chicken heads.
They are incredibly interesting creatures, they just don't mix well with chickens. I did see that pic of the cage a totally believe a big coon could have done that. I've also seen them turn around and go for full grown hounds.

 

[Zahboo]

It's in the coop and run sections

 

[Zahboo]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=209766

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
Thats because if they weren't so darned lazy they would soon beat rats out on how annoying and destructive they are?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Thats because if they weren't so darned lazy they would soon beat rats out on how annoying and destructive they are?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naw, more likely because of the nature of urban legends and how quickly they form. You would think these things were as big and strong as elephants and more ferocious than tigers, rather than a fraction the size of many dogs.

But that's okay. I like folklore.

 

[Imp]

The ones in my yard are

as big and strong as elephants and more ferocious than tigers.​

One actually knocked my house off it's foundation just walking through the yard. Everyone else called it an earthquake.
I saw one take on and beat Mothra, King Kong and Nessie at the same time.
And talk about an appetite. I used to raise grizzlies until the raccoons moved in.

Imp- adding to the folklore

OK I'm one of those people that feed them

myself to save you the trouble​

 

[StormyRidgeChixLady]

I have had racoons do severe damage to the Have-a-Heart cages as well. I have 5 live traps and believe that that brand is poorly made, or just not a good option for coons. It gets tripped easily, and the wire the cage is made of is easy for them to bend, the clips it is put together with are easily stretched, and the front doesnt latch properly or securely enough for them. Racoons are very strong. I have caught 7 or 8 in that particular trap and all but 1 escaped. I prefer the heavier duty live traps made with steel and welded. Never had anything escape from those, i believe Piper or Pieper is the brand.