raccoon hunting tonight..I am so hart broken at the moment

[featherbaby]

I use stinky canned catfood to bait the trap. The first year I was in my house I trapped 67 raccoons! Yes, I counted them. No, I never trapped the same one twice. They are dangerous, destructive animals and they work together to kill the slowest moving chickens, silkies. I am a true animal lover, but I have no love for these disease-carrying, nasty tempered, property destroying, murderers.

I am so sorry you lost your babies. I don't know how I would feel if it happened to my precious silkies, but I bet it would end with a bang.

 

[shellybean40]

I am so sorry-I HATE raccoons!! We have trapped many here. I have yet to lose one of my chickens to one, but every single night i think about the possibility.

 

[zoo2u]

I'm always conflicted on this site because while we have raised chickens for 6 years and love them, i am also the director of a wildlife rescue and outreach program. We are permanent home to many "predators". Yes, it is frustrating when they take our chickens. i've had fox, raccoon and hawk kill some of mine over the years. A raccoon took my favorite chicken ever and i think i cried for days, so i completely get it and i always feel for someone when it happens to them as well. But please be careful with the hate and kill predators kind of attitude. Please don't forget it was these attitudes years ago that eradicated the wolf from the east coast. And interestingly enough, because humans chose to kill all the wolves on the east coast, we opened the doors for the coyotes which is why they moved east.
Raccoons can carry some diseases like all animals- chickens carry tons of diseases! But they are actually intelligent and useful. We care for one permanently here who is 13 years old and is completely bonded to me, cuddles, grooms me, etc. So i feel everyone's pain, i do, but we have to work our best and hardest to be sure our chicken pens are predator proof. Thats the best prevention instead of deciding to kill and trap every predator we see when they are just doing what is natural AND they were here first. Anyhow, i know a lot of you will disagree with me but as a wildlife educator i couldn't sit quiet.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I see your point. I had 19 wood duck box's on Lake Houston & surrounding wetlands I monitored these box's for 19 years. I bet in those years I saw a few thousand eggs & ducklings. I carried a 4-10 snake charmer & would kill the snakes in the houses.Yes, I had predator guards but a few snakes would still get in. Then progress came meaning bulldozer etc & took it all away.Point is ,It might be natural for predators to want our chickens but its also natural for humans to protect their chickens, livestock,family from these predators.I guarantee you that if I see something messing with the above mentioned Katy bar the door cause I will do whatever is necessary to protect them. Sorry, I'm human & its my instinct.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
most coyotes that have been tested in recent years have wolf DNA they have so interbred it is not funny red wolf looks more and more like the offspring of a coyote and a grey wolf so one replacing the other is kina a moot point

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

 

[zoo2u]

Absolutely its someone's perogative to kill something harming your livestock, i am not arguing that at all. There just needs to be a balance and in my opinion a respect for nature as well. I can understand being angry and mad that a raccoon killed something but to "hate" it and all of them and think of them as "murderers" is a little beyond me. They are animals, just like the family dog that kills its own chickens ( and most people dont' kill the family dog when this tragedy occurs). Instinct but not murderers, thats giving them a human "quality" they don't possess. Best of luck with the chickens, hope they stay safe.