Raccoon coming at dusk

[metcarl]

I have a young raccoon that’s been coming around the past several nights. He came in the middle of the night the first time and got in the coop because my daughter accidentally blocked the automatic door with the ramp after it fell down. Fortunately, i woke up to the sound of distressed chickens and only 2 of the 11 were barely injured (heads were a little bloody, one hash a squinty eye). The next few nights, he keeps coming earlier, right at dusk before the door has shut. I have been home to chase him off but I’m afraid he’s going to be successful one of these times. I can set the coop door to close earlier but I’m afraid all the chickens won’t go in to roost by the time it closes and they’ll be locked out.

I know one solution is trapping him but I’m afraid I won’t have time before I leave to go out of town on Tuesday. Then if I do trap him, what do I do with him? Ultimately, I’m sure another raccoon will take his place, so I guess I want to figure out how to make all the chickens roost earlier. The one that was attacked a second time in the coop, is understandably wary of going in the coop now and seems to be the last to roost.

 

[azygous]

The raccoon will eventually get your chickens. They are smart problem solvers. You need a secure run. You probably also need hot wire around the run to teach a lesson so predators will choose not to return.

Short term solution is to put your chickens away early until you have time to look into putting up hot wire, which isn't nearly as difficult as you might think. The secret to success is baiting the hot wire with something the predator can't resist.

I usually use peanut butter directly on the hot wire to invite the animal to take a taste of pain. But for more clever predators, I fashion a scrap of chicken wire into a "burrito" placing mackerel or even fried chicken in the fold. Then I wire it onto the hot wire where it then becomes "hot" by its direct contact with the hot wire. This is guaranteed to work every time. The predator will not return after getting a mouthful of electricity.

By the way, hot wire using a fence charger is safe and no one will suffer injury from it, just a shock.

 

[metcarl]

Yeah, the hot wire sounds like the best long-term solution. However, I’ve had chickens for 5-6 years and the only time I’ve had a problem with raccoons is before I had a automatic door and forgot the close up the coop. I chased two raccoons away and never had another problem. My coop is pretty secure (knock on wood). There are 3 different latches to a big double door that also has a lock. The nest box lid is too heavy for them to lift and the small coop door is metal (pullet shut door). Windows are hardware cloth which could probably use some reinforcing though (only stapled right now). The short term problem is that we need a new wood fence along our property which is two sides of the chicken run. There are rotting planks and several broken boards and ways for them to get in. That’s a bigger endeavor than we can get done right now. We live in a residential area and I have never seen raccoons out in the daytime, so that’s good.

I went out and bought a live trap and baited it with canned cat food. I now have a trapped raccoon. Boom, first try and in less than 3 hours! Now I need to figure out what to do with him. I’ll probably just call a Critter Ridder person. I’m not opposed to killing it in theory, just don’t want to do it myself. I’m a vet and could euthanize it but can’t get close enough to inject it safely I'm sure.

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Yeah, the hot wire sounds like the best long-term solution. However, I’ve had chickens for 5-6 years and the only time I’ve had a problem with raccoons is before I had a automatic door and forgot the close up the coop. I chased two raccoons away and never had another problem. My coop is pretty secure (knock on wood). There are 3 different latches to a big double door that also has a lock. The nest box lid is too heavy for them to lift and the small coop door is metal (pullet shut door). Windows are hardware cloth which could probably use some reinforcing though (only stapled right now). The short term problem is that we need a new wood fence along our property which is two sides of the chicken run. There are rotting planks and several broken boards and ways for them to get in. That’s a bigger endeavor than we can get done right now. We live in a residential area and I have never seen raccoons out in the daytime, so that’s good.

I went out and bought a live trap and baited it with canned cat food. I now have a trapped raccoon. Boom, first try and in less than 3 hours! Now I need to figure out what to do with him. I’ll probably just call a Critter Ridder person. I’m not opposed to killing it in theory, just don’t want to do it myself. I’m a vet and could euthanize it but can’t get close enough to inject it safely I'm sure.

I know this is an unpopular tactic, but the last time we trapped a raccoon, we drove it out to a 280-acre nature preserve about five miles outside the city limits. I know relocated raccoons have a chance of dying anyway, but they also have a chance of making it. I wish I could find a better solution, killing them doesn’t sit right with me.

 

[metcarl]

Yeah that’s the other option. I can’t decide if a quick death is better than a possible slow death, but then again, it also has a chance of surviving.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Well placed shot will end him quick and humanely.

Relocating it makes it rough IF it makes it.

 

[metcarl]

I don’t have a gun of any sort

 

[Peas4Ducks]

This study tracked relocated raccoons over several months and found they had about a 75-80% survival rate, which was similar to the control group of resident raccoons. A number of the raccoons that died were hit by cars or killed by homeowners, rather than starving to death.

 

[McChooky]

The sensible thing to do is make a predator proof run for emergencies before you have another one. Glad you trapped it before it killed any!

 

[cmom]

I would not relocate it and in some places it is illegal. I would look for a wildlife rescue if your unable to eliminate it. They have release areas. I caught an owl which had killed some of my birds and since it's illegal to kill a bird of prey I located a wildlife rescue and they came and got it. Good luck...