Raccoon attacks

[L.A.M]

So for the past two months I’ve been having problems with raccoons I’ve tried multiple traps because I did not want to kill them and nothing works there just too smart and take the food in this process I have Captured multiple neighbors cats on my property in the traps and in my coop I returned them all and ask them nicely To please keep a handle on their pets because they’re trying to attack my birds so in the past two months the raccoons have killed five chickens and wiped out my entire Quail flock So last week I come home at 11 o’clock and my neighbors are in their backyard partying and hear a commotion around my coop So I run to the backand see two raccoons jump off the top of My coop and run up a tree So I pull my gun out and shoot one he falls the other one runs through the tree and I shoot 2 more rounds at it That one and it falls My wife runs in the backyard and the first raccoon that fell from the tree Tries to run at me so I tell my wife to get the F in the house and I shot two more rounds and killed that one I bagged up the raccoons and remove them from my property an hour later the cops knock on my door because my neighbor said I was outside shooting raccoons for fun and said they were scared that There pets might be next so I explain the situation to the cops and I explained that I have Captured their pets multiple times and always return them respect And then my neighbors were mad because the cops could not do anything because I was protecting my livestock and I told him it was pretty messed up because I’ve never been rude to them about their animals I’ve always return them so why would I kill them and they said they were just following the law So this morning when I woke up both of their cats were in my trap so because of the incident I did with animal control told me to do and took the animals to them and now my neighbors are extremely mad because they have to pay to get their cats back sorry for the long post but am I wrong

 

[Pigpie]

I don't think your "wrong " per say, you followed what animal control said to do. . . As your neighbors followed laws regarding your raccoon incident. You may be adding fuel to the fire but I don't think your wrong. I personally would have probably done the same thing... But maybe they will keep their cats out of your yard, on the bright side, since they obviously didn't want to pay for their pets back!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi welcome to BYC!

Sounds to me like you did the right thing!

Use marshmallows to catch raccoon and not cats. The cat won't likely attack full size chickens but chicks and quail are another story.

I'm not sure what you were going to do with the raccoon if you caught them alive?? Relocation is usually illegal as well as inhumane. Dispatch is the ONLY way to make sure they don't come back for another meal. And as you've noted, where there is one there are more.

Very sorry about your losses and living next to neighbors who are ignorant of your intentions and too stupid to manage their pets.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Please note... controversial subject!

Your neighbors are lucky their animals weren't dispatched as predators! On their property it's a pet. On yours it's a pest and predator that is trespassing.

You tried dealing politely with them and they refuse to cooperate. Animal control... Dispatching another's animal would never be an easy choice. At least this way they have the opportunity to be responsible adults and get their animals back instead of burying them. And now they get to comply with licensing and vaccination laws! Maybe not idea for those on a fixed income... but they had funds to party.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The loss of your birds is tragic. I am sorry you lost them.

Cats in my yard get the cab ride to the pound too.

I am wondering how they are getting IN your coop. Tighten up those defences.

Marshmallows work well for coons.

We cannot shoot here due to being in town. Coons just cannot get in my coops or runs.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I am wondering how they are getting IN your coop. Tighten up those defences.

Half inch hardware cloth on ALL openings is how we do it.

 

[Howard E]

OP.....you were not wrong, but there is a better way of dealing with your coon problem.

First, make sure you chicken house is predator proof and that nothing can get in. Of course they will try, but they will also fail. Right? That solves the problem with them killing your birds. Coons come around here nightly......but not for chicken. They never get chicken.......they only come around to steal cat food.

Next, if you want to go one step further to kill them all......you do a better job of trapping them. You use Dog Proof coon traps. Follow this and it will tell you all about it, including videos on how to bait em, set em and why DP's vs. the live traps.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coons-believe-it.1170361/

To avoid catching your neighbor's cats, use the Dukes or similar with the pull only trigger. Videos explain it all.

Lastly, if you want to avoid any "Imperial entanglements" due to the sound of gunshots, know that one of the el cheapo .22 air rifles they sell in WalMart is plenty strong medicine for terminating your caught coons. Kills em quiet.

Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms.

 

[kwebb]

I just hope the neighbors don't come after your chickens.

 

[drewskimac]

I know that there are many ways and opinions on taking care of coons - I have tried them all. In my experience, I have found that the most effective way of taking care of them (after you have tried upping your coop defenses) involves a duke dogproof trap, a marshmellow, and a .22 rifle. Around here coons are way too smart to go in a cage trap, the duke's catch them every night - sometimes 2-3 in one night if I wake up throughout the night to dispatch and reset. I know, it is grim, but at my house they are overpopulated, malnourished, and constantly trying to come through the doggydoor into my house, which I will not tolerate after having to send a skull to Little Rock in order to determine if I will need the 3 1000+$ shots.

 

[L.A.M]

I have cameras in the backyard so that would be a bad idea lol