Raccoon Apocalypse

[jiminpa]

marshmellows under the trigger on dp traps, sprinkle some cat food or chicken feed on top of the marshmallow. box traps put the marshmellows UNDER the trap, harder for them to get them that way.
do not use rachet straps to anchor traps! coon will chew them up! chain or steel cable only!
if the habitat is good, you remove the animals they will come back. remove the habitat, they go away!

 

[sciencegrrrrl]

I can't even remember how many we dispatched our first year here. We also have an orchard so if they weren't in the mood for chicken they were always up for cherries, peaches, or pears. Many weighed 30+ pounds. We have a trap set this time of year as well as a motion light to let us know when it's time to unleash hell it has gotten much better over the years, thankfully- I lost 4 hens and a roo that first year.

 

[seraphine]

I dont have your problem however, we do have coyotes and hawks, soooo I lock my girls inside a rabbit hutch at dusk every evening. The hutch is inside their coop which is locked at dusk also. They free-range from 7:30 AM till they go to roost at dusk.

 

[Cheery]

I am overrun with raccoons. In the past 9 months I have trapped or shot 17 coons. Is there something that can be used around the pen to repel raccoons? I have lost 7 chickens so far.

We have foxes, no raccoons here in Australia but foxes will climb a 6 ft wire fence for chickens.
we put a single electric wire (it’s actually a white nylon woven with fine wires into a flat 1/2 inch wide ribbon or string.)
We have a solar panel and recharble battery unit which has lasted for 6 years or so.
it’s standing off the fence by about 9” and it’s about 5” above the ground.
the fence we use it on is only and 4 ft high.
it’s a normal stock fence with netting.
anyway never lost a chicken even when we’re away. We don’t have a dog. We have lost ducks if we forget to turn the fence on.
Fox must check around regularly but the fence works well. We put a similar one on a six foot fence on another yard too. (after a fox attack)

 

[Chickassan]

@courtsmarans
Oh, nooo I know exactly what you're talking about and that stuff is mean and stays mean a very long time.
You can't safely dispose of the carcasses unless you burn them and that isn't pleasant at all!
Im pretty sure it is burn your butt illegal everywhere in the U.S too.
Eh, save it for the flies even though they seem smart enough to stay away from it lol!

 

[ChickenQuilt]

Tree in middle of chicken pen that coons came down. Place in fence where they dug under buried fence. There is coulee (creek) right behind pen that coons travel on. Located in South Louisiana, Lafayette. I am locking up coop at night presently and this has prevented any attacks.

We live in West Louisiana, and we've had Raccoon issues, too. We have 2 chicken tractors *sleeps 4-5. We're studying our trail cam footage. We have a four foot chain link fence, a deterrent, but not preventive. Dog helps--14 yr old heeler mix. We have lost one (ate everything but the feathers) and one in recovery in house from leg wound. the chicken tractor has a metal grating skirt attached on the ground to prevent the diggers. So far, Fort Knox when the coop and run are secure.

 

[hayley3]

We have a solar panel and recharble battery unit which has lasted for 6 years or so.
it’s standing off the fence by about 9” and it’s about 5” above the ground.
the fence we use it on is only and 4 ft high.
it’s a normal stock fence with netting.

Can you share the name brand of that 9" insulator? I've not seen one that long.

 

[Folly's place]

Check Premier1supplies.com. They have many items not seen at the local farm store.
Mary

 

[Ila88]

Here are things I do, with some success, or coincidence. Who knows? I play a radio with talk shows near the coop. I have my husband and dogs pee around the coop, and when I clip the dogs, I spread the fur around the outside of the coop. Good luck! Once they get the taste of chicken, it is really hard to repel them.

 

[birdlady11]

I have to agree with Howard E. No matter how many raccoons you remove it is just a temporary fix. All you're really doing each time is opening up the dead raccoon's territory to a new coon to move into. It will be a never ending parade of new coons moving in for the feast. I know exactly how you feel though - I live in a raccoon-rich environment and have learned the hard way over the years that the only way to prevent coons from taking your chickens is to 1) Make sure your flock is locked securely in the coop BEFORE the coons wake up and start looking for dinner and 2) Make sure your coop is coon proof. That means putting some type of barrier on top of or into the ground so that they can't dig through it or under it to gain entrance to the pen or coop. It also means that the roof of your pen needs to be securely and tightly attached all the way around that three trunk so that no matter how the coons get to that tree they can't access the pen by climbing down the tree trunk into it. Removing coon after coon will not stop others from coming around for chicken dinner but making your chickens completely inaccessible at night will prevent any loss. Close the restaurant doors and the coons will have to look elsewhere for chicken dinner. Good luck!