Predators!! Help!

[angel4tlbl]

So my neighbor's yard has this huge pile of debris like tree leaves, bushes, wood and such. We both have half acre yards with a fair amount of shrubbery and trees behind our yards. Although we have a middle school right up behind us, I know it won't stop predators from breaking in. I'm becoming extremely paranoid and terrified that I will loose another bird after an attack on Saturday that killed my dear Elsie (pekin duck) and Babycakes (Isa Brown hen). I'm very scared of loosing my dear Harold, my surviving pekin duck. I am always outside with him and cannot even think of him not being here with me.

(that's Harold) We found some poop in our backyard and have been noticing that our squirrels and rabbit population have been decreasing dramatically lately. Most people do not understand how someone can become so emotionally detached to an outdoor pet, or a duck. I cannot loose him. I would never forgive myself and would be absolutely heartbroken; shattered.. My two chickens live in a chicken coop with a small extension. Please please please tell me what to do. There is a dug up hole under our fence. I'm so scared please please please help me.

 

[Red5]

First thing that ran thru my head were how many raccoons hit that school dumpster each night for lunch leftovers?

 

[angel4tlbl]

First thing that ran thru my head were how many raccoons hit that school dumpster each night for lunch leftovers?

I would guess a lot because there is another school behind the middle school and a small forest behind that school. But I don't think it is a raccoon or it wouldn't of eaten the whole animal. Or maybe it be stealing our eggs. But thank you all the suggestions! Please help!

 

[Red5]

Quote:
FWIW, I had three beautiful colored fighting roosters (not for fighting) picked clean to the bone by at least one coon. Focus your attention here first imo. You already have an ample food sourcec attraction for them with TWO schools in your immediate vicinity. Off the information provided so far, and I am no expert just going off my own experiences, but do not underestimate the cat burglars of the animal world and dismiss them so quickly.

 

[BIggoMamma]

Here are some suggestions others shared with me. I don't know which will work in New Jersey.
1. Shoot the predator. 2. Get a radio into the coop and turn it to talk radio, keep it on, the predator will think humans are in there. Turn it up kinda loud. The birds like the human talk. 3. Outdoor lighting. Dollar store solar pathway lights around the coop. 4. Trap the raccoon buy traps at the farm supply store. 5. put cement blocks around the outer foundation or bottom wall of the chicken coop. 6. buy a product called Wolf Pee that you sprinkle it is like rock salt scented with the urine of wolves which deters other animals. Ads claim chickens just ignore it, but it seems to me in my humble opinion it might stress out the chickens smelling a wolf. 7. Put corn out somewhere else to attract the raccoons to another, different place. 8. set up deer cameras and see exactly what is going on.
Raccoons will eat anything, and it seems it would be a lot easier for them to eat lunchroom scraps than your chickens. MB it is not a raccoon.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Your priority must be to have a predator proof coop for them at night, and lock the birds in every night as soon as they go in for the evening. Then, a secure run, for all the times that they can't be roaming your yard, and only feed in the secure run or coop, so there's nothing laying around outside at night. Then live trap and shoot any raccoons, etc that you trap next to the coop. Don't trap and release! We all have 'varmits' that show up wanting a chicken dinner, and you can't manage the local feeding stations that are out there. Maybe public health would assist with the school dumpster issues; calling them may be worth a try. It's very tough to loose birds that way, I'm so sorry. Mary

 

[danchicken85]

I just came back from an overnight trip to find one of my rhodeisland reds dead in my drive way on further investigation found five more piles of feathers no chickens but feathers lots of feather I lost six chickens in one night one being one of my new spring chickens I got for the kids im annoyed beyond annoyed so tonight im setting up a trail cam and sitting outside with my bow I'm killing everything that comes in my yard lost a third of my folk time to make the fort knots of chicken pens

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! Build that really safe coop (and run), to prevent repeats. Mary

 

[danchicken85]

Thank you I will got it planned out

 

[jeria]

Coons can be nasty and destructive. They did over $8,000 worth of damage to my house including tearing apart siding parts of the roof and all the insulation before we trapped them, then before I could get the work done another "family moved in" and a 2nd round of trapping. My coop and run will be built as tight and coon safe as I can come up with. One reason I'm planning a year ahead of adopting my chicks. Per the exterminators possums can also wreck havoc and are able to get into even smaller spaces than coons. I also have at least one red fox that lives behind my house. I have 2 dogs but they are in the house at night and while I'm at work.