Raccoon Attack - How Fast?

[HandLoad]

I am curious if anyone has seen a Raccoon attack on a Chicken in Free Range.

Also, How fast can they Dig Under a Fence that is Buried at lower edge Two to Six Inches.

Anybody witnessed any of these? Do I have Time from Chicken Alarms to Get dressed and grab the Gun, or do I need to BE THERE?

 

[barnyard pimp]

Coons are pretty quick! Although he wont outrun a gun!! I have seen them run from a plenty of dog and they can get up and go! If they are diggin to get in the pen, they have already decided to get in at that time. It has gotten past the point of caring. I have seen them stand their ground and would not recommend to go after it without a gun. They are rank little guys if they get in a jamb! I have seen them in a trap and they will act all shy until you go up to the cage. Then it will scare the crap out of you if you are not expecting them to get nasty.

 

[theoldchick]

Dressed? The hubby doesn't dress up to shoot a raccoon. He's been known to burn rubber in his underwear when he hears a poultry commotion at night. Me? The night gown is good enough for me.

Just make sure the slip-on shoes are within reach.

 

[centrarchid]

I am curious if anyone has seen a Raccoon attack on a Chicken in Free Range.

Also, How fast can they Dig Under a Fence that is Buried at lower edge Two to Six Inches.

Anybody witnessed any of these? Do I have Time from Chicken Alarms to Get dressed and grab the Gun, or do I need to BE THERE?

I can help with this in part from having raccoons as pets when a kid. We also had gamechickens. Coons were free range (not confined) and sometimes followed us about during day but most of foraging when they became independent was after dark.

During day a coon might chase a chicken but effort was not serious. Chickens can run almost as fast a racoon but turn faster and could fly up and to other locations faster than coon could follow. Chickens during these interactions would make bawking sound like done for any diurnal ground predator and they would do it for quite a while. Coons where threat only to brooding hens and eggs and chicks less than about 3 weeks old and they would go after such chicks even while flogged by hen. Despite this, coons I have encountered not a threat to chickens during day. Raccoons in Costa Rica may be different story since they are much more diurnal.

After dark raccoons are much more serious and chickens less capable. Chickens are not as able to evade even when under a somesort of light since after dark the chickens seem sort of dazed. When raccoon pursues chicken under low light levels the chicken runs only in short bursts, usually not far enough to loose coon tracking it. Chicken usually squawks when contacted by coon. After dark my raccoons would climb to get to roosting chickens and used sight determine where chicken was located. They did not seem to have the ability of a monkey (human) or cat to figure out an indirect route before starting ascent. Coons also could not climb just any surface but could climb ropes pretty good. Coons can not jump more than twice their hight so anything more than 4 feet is above jumping reach.

When attacking they used a combination of hands and mouth. Roosting birds were grabbed at by feet and tail feathers, usually with bird bailing from roost where raccoon climbed down to continue effort unless another bird was close by which was also assaulted. On ground raccoon would target back and neck but either way would concentrate on neck and head to make kill. It was not a rapid process like done by a dog or cat. Raccoons seem to have a problem properly restraining victim. Despite this they can pull 20 lb piglets from pens and kill those after dragging them a ways.

With respect to speed, I can out sprint and out distance a raccoon but they can turn pretty quick and can put up a good bluff and will fight hard if cornered. Good boots and jeans a must. They can bite through most clothing and are inclined to bite more than once. Claws are used to more effect than you might think possible by looking at them. They also like to scrape you with hind legs while biting.

 

[aprophet]

I am curious if anyone has seen a Raccoon attack on a Chicken in Free Range.

Also, How fast can they Dig Under a Fence that is Buried at lower edge Two to Six Inches.

Anybody witnessed any of these? Do I have Time from Chicken Alarms to Get dressed and grab the Gun, or do I need to BE THERE?

if they discover they cannot dig under they just climb over I always though t they were fairly slow the ones I have released anyways are they kina just waddle off

 

[HandLoad]

@Centrarchid: WOW! That was really Informative, and Right on Topic! Thanks so much! I'm gonna keep that reply!

Thanks again!

Big Ugly Guy

 

[chickengeorgeto]

.... I always though t they were fairly slow the ones I have released anyways.... kina just waddle off

Turn a pack of coon hounds loose behind him and you may have trouble keeping up with Ricky Raccoon if you were on horse back. However they do run out of wind rather quickly. A really big Midwest boar coon fed out on yellar corn can top out at over 40 pounds, the record is over 62 pounds. If he finds himself a good stronghold where he can protect his flanks a big boar coon can whoop a pack of hounds and in the process force them to like it. In deep water only a determined alligator can take him down.

A child hood friend was drafted and sent to Viet Nam the Republic of. He had a pet coon so when he left for basic he gave his coon to a friend to keep until he got back. Well things went on for 2 years and when he was discharged he went to his friend's house to retrieve his pet coon. When he got there, his friend was nowhere to be seen, but coon was still in his friends backyard raccoon pen just like when my friend left for Nam. However when my friend entered the raccoon pen to catch up on old times, the coon treated my friend like the coon was a VC Power Ranger.

While friend inventoried his wounds the coon sitter drove up. When asked why his pet coon was so vicious now, coon sitter replied, "Your coon learned how to open the door and escaped, I only trapped this coon last week when I learned that you were coming home."

 

[centrarchid]

A single mature and experienced coonhound can deal with a raccoon or at least keep it holed-up. A pack of pups are what gets hurt and does not take a large coon to do it. When riding to keep up with dogs, then use a mule. Horses are difficult in dark woods, especially when fences and creeks involved. I live closer to the corn-fed coon populations and yes they are bigger and have really nice hides. My brother likes to make a trek from southern Indiana to Iowa every season to go after bigger and often easier to bag coons.

Alligators are a major predator of raccoons but have been supplanted by snakes in the Florida Everglades.

 

[Folly's place]

Back to the poster's coop; fencing dug in two to six inches is not adequate. Either a solid buried foundation, or an apron of fencing out over a foot, then covered in something. Some predator will get in to your chickens otherwise. Mary