raccoon help

heather112588

Songster
9 Years
Nov 12, 2010
438
10
111
Baltimore, MD
I live in 38 acres of woods. I have had a few problems with raccoons but nothing huge (they came in a cat door to eat cat food and got into a freezer in our garage...caught red handed) nothing that couldn't be "taken care of " as problems came up. The last 6 months that i've have owned chickens has been crazy. I've had to "take care of" at least 4 per month. To make a long story short, we got our first frost last night. I went out to the coop today and saw the paw prints all over...they haven't gotten in yet but i know its only a matter of time. Is there anything i can do to keep them away? yes, i have a dog but he's a pug and quite a wimp. I'm being paranoid now and am re-emforcing the coop, setting a live trap but any other advice?
 
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Electric fence works for me. I use electrified poultry netting set on a solar charger. It's worth it's weight in gold.

Good luck.
 
We live in a woods that's over thirty acres, too. I've always just used sturdy construction materials and sturdy construction techniques, rather than trying to constantly kill every raccoon for miles around. In the long run, it's just easier. Nothing has ever broken into the coop. I can see where you would want to trap, also, since you're having other problems.

On a coop I like strong wood, strong wire, heavy 1/2" hardware cloth over all coop openings and everything attached with wood screws, so things can't be pulled apart or wire pulled off. Good latches or locks, too, that raccoons can't open. Also attached with wood screws. I designed my pop hole door to open to the inside, so that was one less fussy latch to mess with in the frigid part of winter here, although now we have an automatic door, also mounted on the inside. We need chickens safely locked up for the night in a timely manner, whether it's being done manually or automatically. We have more than just raccoons to worry about at night. We also keep all food locked up. Wildlife tends to not waste a lot of time here, since it doesn't get them any food. I see prints sometimes, too.

A good coop is a sure thing and will always be there to protect. If we had bears a little closer, I'd have electric fencing around it, too.
 
This works in an unsecured vegetable garden, boiled garlic water with castor oil added, we have a pretty big garden, it is poured around the perimeter from time to time. I don't know if it will work for chickens but no animals come near the garden and it is near the woods.
 
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I have about 6" of 2x4 chicken wire burried underground all around my coop and run. I do not have a real problem with raccoons but possums and coyotes are terrible here. They try to dig under the walls but never make it through. When i see a attempted break-in i put a rock in the hole and fill it back in with dirt!
 

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