Raccoon Eating Chickens Inside the Coop - Ideas?

[bubba1358]

Just lost chickens #9 and #10 this morning since last Tuesday. 10 chickens, 9 days. I know it's a raccoon because:

- Each morning, there's 1 or 2 dead, half-eaten hens inside my locked coop
- The necks are being completely eaten
- The heads are usually gone
- The body cavity is split open
- The coop is locked up tight and secure (not enough, obviously), and i have no idea where or how it's getting in
- It pooped in the coop the other day after snacking on my broody hen and ALL her eggs, and it was the size of a small to medium dog turd - definitely not chicken poop. Something was in there.
- It ate the marshmallows out of the trap I set up, but didn't trigger it

So, needless to say, I am beyond frustrated. I've spent tons of money buying extra reinforcing hardware, latches, locks, you name it, as well as traps. Short of staying up all night with a gun, what are my options here? I've considered:

- Getting a dog to put in the run at night and patrol the yard during the day (currently the favorite idea)
- Electrifying a perimeter fence
- Abandoning it all and taking up basket weaving

Opinions and experiences welcome. Thanks.

 

[DaveOmak]

Take pictures of your coop and run so we can determine the best way for you to secure it...... Could be as simple as "add hardware cloth"....

As a side note, a raccoon can kill a dog.......

 

[bubba1358]

Thanks. The coop is built on wheels, so it sits off the round. It's constructed with roofing metal on all 4 walls and the roof, with a 1/2" hardware cloth floor. There are 2 doors to the nest boxes on 1 side, and a folding down ramp on the other. Both doors are locked tight. The hardware cloth is all intact.
There are good pics here:
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.com/2013/06/diy-movable-chicken-coop-part-2-its-done.html - first one, so you can see the build of it
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.com/2013/11/chicken-coop-modifications.html - more detailed shots of it in action
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.com/2014/05/and-so-it-begins.html - this is how it looks now, with the chicken run
My best guess is that it's shimmying up the nest box doors and sliding through the 5" opening on the top.

 

[DaveOmak]

Sooooo.... you can't find where the critter is getting in the coop ????? and 10 chickens are dead.......

 

[bubba1358]

Yup. Pretty much sums it up.

 

[DaveOmak]

Yup. Pretty much sums it up.

Maybe it's the 2 legged kind of predator...... making it look like a raccoon....

 

[horsesandboots]

Take pictures of your coop and run so we can determine the best way for you to secure it......    Could be as simple as "add hardware cloth"....

As a side note, a raccoon can kill a dog.......

Is this coop off the ground?

I would go with the option of a large dog that is good with livestock!! You don't want your new found guardian killing your chickens too!

Regarding raccoons killing dogs I could understand killing a small dog. But a large dog?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

[bubba1358]

Maybe it's the 2 legged kind of predator...... making it look like a raccoon....

So...you're suggesting a human is coming in at night, without me noticing, unlocking my coop, cutting off chickens' necks, leaving the bodies, and adding miscellaneous feces in the coop to cover his/her tracks?

Quote: Yes, it is set off the ground by about 12". The bottom of the coop is all hardware cloth. There are no holes or tears.

By "large dog," would a Red Heeler qualify at 40-50 lbs.? I have an English mastiff in the house, so my perception of "large dog" may be skewed slightly..

 

[horsesandboots]

Yes, it is set off the ground by about 12". The bottom of the coop is all hardware cloth. There are no holes or tears.

By "large dog," would a Red Heeler qualify at 40-50 lbs.? I have an English mastiff in the house, so my perception of "large dog" may be skewed slightly..  

I don't think this is a human doing this. I think it's an animal.
Large dog to me is anything over 75 pounds.
I have 6 pitbulls and I don't get coons ever!!!
Oh wait!! I got one once but one of my dogs eliminated that problem quickly!!!!

 

[horsesandboots]

Yes, it is set off the ground by about 12". The bottom of the coop is all hardware cloth. There are no holes or tears.

By "large dog," would a Red Heeler qualify at 40-50 lbs.? I have an English mastiff in the house, so my perception of "large dog" may be skewed slightly..  

12 inches off the ground is a pretty decent height. Now I am wondering myself how a coon could have made its way in and up. Hmmmmmm.