Raccoon attack on the chicks/chickens

ElaynasChick

Songster
Sep 30, 2019
147
147
118
Washington
Hello! my chicks are 7 weeks old and i just let them out of there brooder into there outdoor coop about 2 weeks ago they are now comfortable with going outside and love spending time out in the run, the run is fully covered in chicken wire and a roof, they got so comfortable that they would stay outside when it was dark outside but there was still a light inside the coop that was making it so the chickens could still see, so of course i let the chickens stay outside when it was the prime time for predators, i walked into the run to put them in the coop when i saw all of the chickens had blood on there beaks and one had a bloody chest, we have a camera in the run and we did not capture footage of the animal but we saw it ran into the fence and then we heard a chick screaming super loud, we are guessing it is a raccoon because where we live we have 8 acres of forest that has tons of raccoons and raccoons are knows to get chickens, there was no damage to the chicken wire but i think the raccoon just stuck its are through the opening of the chicken wire, i brought the chick with the bloody chest inside to find that it had two circular punctures in it's chest, almost as if the raccoon grabed it buy it's chest with it's claws, i cleaned it with warm water then put Neosporin on both gashes and i am leaving it in the garage over night in a gaylord box with food water and pine shavings, we are going to cover the bottom 4 feet of the run in quarter inch hardware cloth so this does not happen again. is there anything else i should do for the injured chick or the run??
 
is there anything else i should do
Sorry to hear of the injury:hugs
Try to put chickens away into secure coop for the night. (meaning, at dusk)
1/2 inch hardware cloth is sufficient to keep raccoon paws from getting thru.
If raccoon keeps returning, can you install a HOT WIRE??? One zap from that, and raccoon learns to look elsewhere. Raccoons are smart, and will avoid such things. They are smart enough to avoid going into traps, once they experience it. I do know a way to outsmart them on the trap issue:thumbsup
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and:welcome
 
Sorry to hear of the injury:hugs
Try to put chickens away into secure coop for the night. (meaning, at dusk)
1/2 inch hardware cloth is sufficient to keep raccoon paws from getting thru.
If raccoon keeps returning, can you install a HOT WIRE??? One zap from that, and raccoon learns to look elsewhere. Raccoons are smart, and will avoid such things. They are smart enough to avoid going into traps, once they experience it. I do know a way to outsmart them on the trap issue:thumbsup
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and:welcome[/QUOTEi
I tottaly forgot about hot wire, i will totally do the hot wirle thing where on the run/fence would i put it??
 
i brought the chick with the bloody chest inside to find that it had two circular punctures in it's chest, almost as if the raccoon grabed it buy it's chest with it's claws, i cleaned it with warm water then put Neosporin on both gashes and i am leaving it in the garage over night

we are going to cover the bottom 4 feet of the run in quarter inch hardware cloth so this does not happen again. is there anything else i should do for the injured chick or the run??
How is the chick doing?

As for covering the bottom 4ft of the run with hardware cloth, that may prevent a raccoon from reaching through chicken wire, but it can still climb and possibly find a weak point in the wire covering.
Electric fencing may be helpful as well.
 
I tottaly forgot about hot wire, i will totally do the hot wirle thing where on the run/fence would i put it??
It would help if you posted some pix of your run. I will TAG @Howard E , here, since reading his posts, I know he is Extremely knowledgeable, and gives really precise instructions/information related to electric fencing.:thumbsup
 
Sorry to hear about that. How is the chick? I worry about raccoons too. I know we have 3 that like to patrol the property looking for birdseed or anything they can eat. I am so scared they will get in my coop. I hope I have locked up all the possibilities for entry. I hope you don't have this happen again.
 
Sorry to hear about that. How is the chick? I worry about raccoons too. I know we have 3 that like to patrol the property looking for birdseed or anything they can eat. I am so scared they will get in my coop. I hope I have locked up all the possibilities for entry. I hope you don't have this happen again.
Yeah the Chick is doing much better she never acted like she was in pain but i bet she was, the two gashes are closing up nicely and will probably scab over soon. i am so paranoid about raccoons now, and weasels because we have weasels and they can fit through very small places even a 1 inch gap so that scares for the top half of of my run which is chicken wire, all i have to say now is always over estimate what predators will do for there food (Like when we where stapling the hard wear cloth instead of using regular staples use heavy duty staples it may take more time and money but you gotta do what you gotta do).
 
Yeah the Chick is doing much better she never acted like she was in pain but i bet she was, the two gashes are closing up nicely and will probably scab over soon. i am so paranoid about raccoons now, and weasels because we have weasels and they can fit through very small places even a 1 inch gap so that scares for the top half of of my run which is chicken wire, all i have to say now is always over estimate what predators will do for there food (Like when we where stapling the hard wear cloth instead of using regular staples use heavy duty staples it may take more time and money but you gotta do what you gotta do).

My contractor was kind enough to use heavy duty staples on the hardware cloth and then he also tacked strips of wood on top to give it a finished look but also secured the cloth double good. Glad she's feeling better.
 

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