Please learn from our mistake - Raccoon Killed our chicken

[Bear Foot Farm]

Any thoughts if a plywood board with nails through it would prevent raccoons from walking around a cage?

It won't stop anything and it's too dangerous.

Guns and traps are the only things that will keep them from coming back​

 

[aprophet]

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I use conibear traps to dispatch suburban coons on a regular basis they are belisle brand and 220 in size

 

[aprophet]

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what gage is good?

the lower the number the thicker the wire bigger is better here I have seen coons peel back wire at the corners of a pen it is a good thing to use 1X 4 or so to "finish the corner" so they cannot get their claws behind the wire

 

[gpwelding1]

im not sure if there is a TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. near where you live.if so,i just bought 2 live traps tuesday for $34 at my local TSC.one is a large for coon,possum and bobcat.the other is small for small coon,possum,ferrel cats etc...
if you dont have one nearby,check out their website.i belive you may be able to order from them online.

 

[PtldChick]

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How do you undo the hot wire to get into the gate? thanks.

 

[Mattemma]

Set up some traps.I caught 13 in 2 months.Never knew they were living around us!

 

[Ole rooster]

The stray bullet thing gets me. A .22 will not be a "stray" if you hit your target. The bullet it self will stay in the body. Now if you can't hit what you shoot at you shouldn't even have rifle in the house. If you ever had to use it there is no telling what you would hit. As many possum as I've shot I have not found an exit hole on any of them. So just go off somewhere and zero in the rifle and learn to shoot. Then you'll be like an expert sniper. One shot one kill.

A bb gun. You gotta be kidding.

 

[IttyBiddy]

We've had our chickens since Feb. 2011. This morning we lost our first hen, a Welsummer, to a juvenile raccoon. My three (guard) dogs did not react or chase it away. It did go up one of our large oak trees. Lesson learned, "Keep the coop door shut and latched"...I could do more than kick myself!

An update: Nov. 4, 2011, trap was set for a few nights and this morning I found a 15 lb. (approx.) female raccoon in it. She met S. & W., will re-set again and try to catch the juvenile!

 

[Lisa Walker]

How about draping barbed wire around the pen? Would that work?

 

[jetdog]

Catch them in a have-a-heart and take it for a long walk off a short pier, they will return if you don't get rid of them.