Raccoon ate my chicks

[ladykbug]

we found 5 baby coons in our yard tonight, I'm sure mom is not far away. very scared they will get our chickens. We have regular house windows & screen door in our coop. Do you guys think we should add chicken wire over the windows, or will the screens keep the coons out??

sorry to hear about everyone's losses. I would be sooo upset !!!

 

[bj taylor]

i added harware cloth over the screen on the screen door. from what i've read on byc, chicken wire will not stop a raccoon.

 

[leadwolf1]

Raccoons will go right through screen...to protect your chicks, cover all screen with hardware cloth immediately!!!

 

[real_redhead]

Raccoons will go right through screen...to protect your chicks, cover all screen with hardware cloth immediately!!!

DITTO!!! Almost anything that wants to eat your chickens will tear thru chicken wire HARDWIRE is a must!

 

[joan1708]

And you have to secure the hardware cloth to the wood with screws and washers, not staples (they can be pulled out). Latches have to be secure generally at the top and bottom of the doors and complicated enough a raccoon can't figure out (use carabiners).

 

[sben451]

Something got into our EE coup Fri. night. We think it was a racoon. We have 2 x 4 welded wire over chicken wire. Whatever got in killed one hen, ate 9 EE chicks, and damaged mama hen's right eye. It dug under a landscape timber and then under the fence which was buried a few inches. The place it dug under was right next to the NiteGuard (the little blinking red light that is supposed to deter predators. Set a trap last night--it was tripped but didn't catch anything. Baited trap again and beefed up security on the fence.

 

[Sass]

ELEC FENCE... I have fox and raccoons living right next to my barn, actually IN the barn, I put insulators on the whole thing, ran my charger to it-- its a 15 mile charger, and sat on my porch the first nite to see what would happen-- i heard a twannng, and snarl, and twang, and squeeeeeeeekkkkk, , it must have been a coon, but he got the snot zapped out of him, I have 15 horses that i use elec with -ive seen dogs hit it and run screaming, i guess it works on coons too so far... its easy and cheap to set up , and i like the idea that the more they try to get in it-- the more they get zapped.. we are building a coop and run now, and im going to set up the outside with elec chicken wire , i have a switch that turns the whole thing on and off from the house, I will let you know how it works, I just had a fox on the porch tonite, and a coyote as well.. i need something serious to keep them out..

 

[CherryChick]

I woke up to the sound of my ducks squaking outside this morning ran out to see what was going on and a raccoon got my ducks. The ducks were in a very big cage, I guess the one duck must of charged at the coon and that is how he got a hold of her, because somehow the raccoon was able to behead her. I chucked a solar light at its head to get it away and it ran off while I was running behind it with another projectile found it was digging a holed underneath my chicken coop....Took the only surviving duck inside. She is in the bath tube now and her two lil friends are gone. I'm going to get a live trap and try and catch it tonight. But if it has made a home underneath my chicken coop what is the best way to get it out if the trap doesn't work. I'm new to this predator thing we have had chickens for over a year and a half and have never lost any to a predator.....
Darn Raccoon I hope he has a serious migraine!!!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Also, make sure that the raccoon cannot get it's hands through the wire, because then they can terrorize the chickens that way.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[appletrails]

We are going to get chickens for the first time this spring. Our new farm has an very nice existing coop that previous owner had chickens in. He converted an old garage into a large chicken coop with very secure runs that are all done with chicken wire, NOT hardware cloth. There are 3 strands of electric fence along bottom about 1 ft apart and the wood on the runs is buired where it meets the ground and there is gravel along the edge. It seems secure but I am worried as we will not be there at night. This farm is out in the middle of nowhere and we do not live there, so chickens will be all alone exept for some barn cats and a cow. Previouse owner did not live on property either, but he had goats and lamas. We are totally new to raising chickens, does anyone think a coon or other animals will get into a secure coop & run made with chicken wire and electric fence? Anything more we can do extra to be sure they are kept safe? Is that Night Watch product with the blinking red lights something that works? Thanks!