Raccoon On the ROOF!!!!!!

[MagsC]

Unbelievable.
I have my birds in brooders right now upstairs until I can move them outside. This was a real wakeup call.
I was napping and heard something chittering right outside my bedroom window(porch roof is there.) I looked out and saw a raccoon!!!!! He is already waiting and anxious for chicken dinner!! He scurried off but wow....
Its amazing how he could figure out where the baby birds were.Ugh.
We are building Fort Knox....and now I have even more incentive if reading "Predators and Pests" wasnt enough!!!

 

[monathequeen]

darn Racoons. I hate them critters.
and they're so oblivious to us Humans. I throw huge rocks at them almost everynight when they scurry around the chicken coop at night and they just stare at me...............
I check on my kid's before I go to bed EVERYNIGHT ! To make sure everyone is behaving and all the doors are locked and what do I see ?
2-3 huge racoons every single night. I dont know what to do anymore. I trapped 12 racoons last summer with a live-trap. Relocated them 20 miles away and I'll be darn if they didn't return.
I'm just worried that if I kill them, I will go to hell.
I cant do it. I will continue to chase them away with rocks and shoes I suppose.
They can't get in the coop, it's very well built. We knew that we needed to bury the hardware cloth 1 foot under ground. They will smell food a mile away and will do almost anything to get to it as you can see.
Keep a good eye on those babies.

I wish my hens would give me babies.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Do you have a dog? I think having a large dog helps with raccoons, although I will say that my current Golden Retriever is a little afraid of the raccoons even though she will dutifully chase them up a tree.

 

[andrea98]

Quote:
lol i had 2 chuckle at that ( not at u, just when i came across it )
arnt we already here?
you know they will kill your babies the second they get a chance!!!
i hope you can remove them some how & keep your babies safe!!
good luck

 

[mediazeal]

Quote:
Run an electric wire around your coop. It is the only thing to stop them when you do not want to kill them.

 

[monathequeen]

Does anyone know how much it cost for electric wiring ?
and- how to install it?
My electric bill is insane as it is right now. about 400.00 a month.
How costly is it to have it on and should I only turn it on ay night?...Thanks Feathered Friends. PS- I didn't mean to take over MagC'S post.....LOL

 

[The Chicken People]

22 shells are cheaper and the gun costs like 107 at walmart ..do some target practicing first if you need to even mount a scope on it! I promise you wont go to hell..and the coons will get the point!!

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

My fence is hot all the time, except when we are working around it. Just never know when the cat or the neighbor's dog will get curious.

Fencers can cost as low as $25 here, a roll or wire and insulators to keep the electric wire from being grounded where you do not want it to be are not expensive. most fencers come with pretty good instructions for setting them up.

 

[MagsC]

We are definitely going to have an electric fence once they are ready to be outside on a permanent basis. Right now when I take them out in the chicken tractor, its right by me in the fenced back yard, if its nice I sit out there and read or work in the garden while they are out.
Yep, we have dogs, so far they are pretty good at listening to me about the chickens but I wouldnt trust one alone with them any further than I could throw them! They do keep most things away though, thats why the coon showing up where it did surprised me!

 

[CityChook]

Just add chickens and the predators aren't far behind. Glad you are building a strong coop for them.