Raccoon Attacks in the middle of the day!

[Dez]

I know I live in a coon infested area. I see them at night, I hear them chatter in the woods, I see their footprints down by the stream.

But I was always under the impression that as long as the chickens where locked up at dusk they would be safe from these. I thought that IF I left something out at night - be it a bag of bird seed, a open trash can or a forgotten chicken coop door , that it would be fair game for the raccoons

But the coons are breaking the rules!

MONDAY - Some pullets where missing from an outdoor cage. They dissapeared between 12:30pm and 5:30 pm. Sun still up. I came home to find an empty cage.

TUESDAY - I found our beloved EE hen torn to bits inside her pen. She has a 6ft tall chinlink dog kennel with a top that I kept her in while I was not home to supervise free range. It had a top to keep the hawks and owls out but the corner was breached and something slipped in and killed her.. This also happened between Noon and 5:30 PM

WEDNESDAY I was afraid to put the ducklings outside in their pen. I figured they where next on the menu.. So instead I set up the Game Camera facing the screened area I was keeping the ducks in . I put the ducks in the guest bathroom for the day safe inside the house.

When I returned at 5:30 I checked the camera and saw this photo. Note the time is 1:23pm (the date is wrong but the time is right)




This coon has some nerve! walking right up on to our porch in the middle of the day!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Its not really common to see coons out in the day time, but also not unheard of. It looks pretty plump, and its fur is in beautiful condition, so I wouldn't think its ill. What I do think: its spring time. And spring time is when all of the critters have their baby critters. Having to feed tiny mouths means they have to find more food then usual, hence setting up shop next to your buffet. I would trap it, and dispatch it. Then I would keep trapping and dispatching until I didn't catch anymore. Those coons wont stop until you have nothing left to offer them. Good luck, sorry about your birds!

 

[Dez]

*sigh*

Yes that was my thoughts too, spring time. I have been setting the trap.

We are planning on installing an electric fence around our yard this weekend. I hope it helps

 

[Mattemma]

I was thinking more mouths to feed too. I have caught so many coons and possums in such a small area.I have no idea how they fed themselves without taking my chickens.Sorry for your loss.Speaking of babies I got a momma possum the other day.I know killers to be,but babies are just so cute.

 

[hearts34]

This is a huge problem for so many folks with chickens. Coons are really good at adaptation. In an area where the population is reaching it peak carrying capacity, they will go daytime, since it increases their forage base.
Also, they, along with possums,foxes and coyotes have successfully urbanized, so it's not just a rural problem.

I have a friend who reinforced his pens with chainlink fence, and placed electric fence, 1 wire at top, 1 wire at bottom. This cured it for the most part, however, they still manage a kill occasionally.
The best cure that I have found is a good dog that will chase them tirelessly. I came in Monday night and my dog had a 20 pound coon treed right by the driveway. I had the family with me, so I couldn't dispose of him, but he got terrorized by the pooch!

If you can manage a dog, they say Great Pyraneese is the breed for this. Mine is a stray that appears to be a Black Lab/hound dog mix. An excellent varmit dog!
Folks also set live catch traps and relocate the varmits. Nothing wrong with that, if you have the time and patience to do it.

 

[scottfarm]

trap them take them to a pl;ace where they are no animals for them to kill. the mothers are just trying to feed there young .i hate to kill a mother trying to feed her babies . i kknow sometimes it has to be . my first choice is to try relocate them.

 

[Dez]

I thought about a guardian dog.. I HAVE a small dog now..chihuahua/corgi mix maybe. He thinks he is tough stuff and I have seen him take off after coons before.. but if they stand their ground and hiss at him he turns into a wimp and runs away yelping. I don't blame him the raccoons are bigger than him.

I thought about a Great Pyerenese but I live in Florida and it is ungodly hot in the summer. The poor dogs have such a thick coat I don't think it would do well here.

I read the laws on trapping coons. It said you are allowed to trap them and either release them on the same property (whats the point?) or Destroy them. Only a licensed trapper can transport a raccoon and release it in another location. (Trappers charge $200 to come out) and he can only release it in the same county and on prvate property where he has permission to release animals there. It also said that since Raccoons are known carriers of rabies that it is best to destroy them once caught.


Set the trap last night but on reviewing the camera photos I think I may need a bigger trap.



This one came at early morning.. ate the bait out of the trap without setting it off... Also saw evidence they where once again in the run which is now empty but I see they squeezed in again and left food prints all around . fixing it up this weekend..

What bothers me the most is them coming in the day.

 

[The Lazy L]

trap them take them to a pl;ace where they are no animals for them to kill. the mothers are just trying to feed there young .i hate to kill a mother trying to feed her babies . i kknow sometimes it has to be . my first choice is to try relocate them.

Taking them where there are no animals for them to kill, wouldn't that be a slow painfully way of starving them to death?

By relocating them isn't that moving the problem to someone Else's property?

 

[hearts34]

Coons are probably the most prolific carriers of rabies, along with red foxes. These are varmits, that are opportunity feeders and there is no danger of them going extinct!

If I had a daytime coon, he would automatically be gone! Period! You just cannot take the chance on rabies. It should bother you greatly that they are coming around in the daytime. If you don't want to deal with it, I am sure there are some critter gitters close by Kissimee that would handle them for you, for a small fee of course.

 

[hearts34]

Just had a thought................... go to a coon hunting/coon dog forum and see if you have any locals into coon hunting. I had a brief association with coon hunting in my early years, and coon hunters would pay $20 back then for a coon to train their pups with. This will save you the $200 charge, someone should be ashamed of themselves, and may even help you with chicken feed.
Or, if you can bring yourself to it, you can do it yourself for about .25 cents.