raccoon or malicious spirit

[quaasi]

>>previous post for context<<

in short, all thirty of our birds were killed by something that got into our coop, except for one hen who managed to get away unscathed
a small update on that:
the fayoumi is doing great, a coworker hooked us up with some hens and the coop has been completely reinforced, new door, new hinges, new latch and padlock, the floor has been replaced and reinforced, the hatch door that led to their pen has been removed and sealed off with wood screwed over the entrance and soon they will have a temporary, roofed pen encased entirely in hardware cloth, then a new coop will be built in the spring when the ground thaws and their pen will get a complete overhaul with their current temp pen becoming temporary housing for any chicks we buy in the future
but!
in the meantime, the correspondence i’ve had with my roommates dealing with the problem has sounded like a horror movie plot
they’ve tried setting traps, baited with marshmallows, cheetos, liverwurst, chicken hearts, chicken feathers hanging from a string in the back, etc, with no luck, all that’s happened is it’s reached in from the back, pulled all the feathers out, tore them up, then tried to rip up the screwed in wood over the hatch door, failed at that because it’s screwed way in there you horrible little demon, then gave up and got in the trash bins instead
to my roommates it feels like they’re being haunted by something intentionally malicious like..... it’s been almost a month and this thing is still trying to finish the job
it also tore down the chickens old tire swing, like come on, why
at this point we’re pretty sure it’s a raccoon because it reached into the trap and grabbed the feathers and pulled them out and i dunno anything else around here with hands besides us and it
or it’s a cryptid lmao
i don’t know, is this normal raccoon behavior? has anyone else had this issue with a predator just going out of its way to maliciously wreck everything? i know it’s just an animal but it’s kinda scary how aggressively persistent it’s been
also, i cannot stress this enough, i’d love to hear any other baiting strategies, the more options the better i think
i just want them to be able to catch this thing and be done with it, i want to be able to rest easy at night knowing that there isn’t an incredibly dedicated little serial killer after the birds

 

[sourland]

Hopefully you have a large enough trap. Wrap the trap in hardware cloth and anchor it in place. Bait with sardines or tuna fish. You are probably dealing with a trap smart raccoon that has been caught and relocated/released. Do a Google search on 'dog proof raccoon traps'. You may have to resort to this procedure.

 

[50-45-1]

This is the best trap to use for racoon as it gets only the racoon and not dogs or other critters.
Racoon dog proof foot trap. You put something onside, dog food mini marshmallow....they reach in for it... bam! you got them.
What is your plan if you catch him?

 

[quaasi]

Hopefully you have a large enough trap. Wrap the trap in hardware cloth and anchor it in place. Bait with sardines or tuna fish. You are probably dealing with a trap smart raccoon that has been caught and relocated/released. Do a Google search on 'dog proof raccoon traps'. You may have to resort to this procedure.

thank you! i will definitely suggest the hardware cloth and sardines/tuna, and i know we have some lawn staples that they can use to anchor the traps

This is the best trap to use for racoon as it gets only the racoon and not dogs or other critters.
Racoon dog proof foot trap. You put something onside, dog food mini marshmallow....they reach in for it... bam! you got them.
What is your plan if you catch him?

this trap looks like it would be the best option, i will definitely let them know
i’d never ever want to trap a raccoon and then release it somewhere else to be someone else’s problem, especially since they learn how to not be trapped after that happens, so we will probably shoot it when it is caught

 

[cmom]

Apparently you have know idea what the predator is. Have you put up a camera/cameras. I have several up on my property. As of late I haven't been seeing much but in the past I was seeing predators nightly on at least one of the cameras and often times more than one camera. That is the only way you're going to truly know what you are dealing with. All of the other measures you have taken are good. I love my cameras. Here most of the predators roam at night. I collect the memory cards in the mornings and switch out the cards and then check them on my computer. This is a bobcat outside the chick/grow-out coop a couple of weeks ago. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I do have electric wires around my coops and pens and nothing messes with the wires.

 

[cmom]

thank you! i will definitely suggest the hardware cloth and sardines/tuna, and i know we have some lawn staples that they can use to anchor the traps

this trap looks like it would be the best option, i will definitely let them know
i’d never ever want to trap a raccoon and then release it somewhere else to be someone else’s problem, especially since they learn how to not be trapped after that happens, so we will probably shoot it when it is caught

You may want to use something a little more substantial than lawn staples, a good stake would be good. Also should you catch something check to see if there is a wildlife rescue in your area. I had an issue with an owl and caught it. I called a wildlife rescue and they came and got it. They said they had a release area so it shouldn't be back. I have seen owls since but they haven't made any attempts to get to my birds. Good luck...
This fox killed several of my birds. I used leg traps at the time now I just use live traps.

The Owl.

 

[svh]

I had trouble with coons trying to get into my coop, and feed storage area. I set 3 dog proof traps baited with corn, and in very short order, just a few nights, I caught and dispatched 6 and 1/4 coons !

I know there are still coons frequenting the area, as my dogs run them off nightly, but I have had no more problems.

Dog proof traps are extremely effective.

 

[roosterhavoc]

thank you! i will definitely suggest the hardware cloth and sardines/tuna, and i know we have some lawn staples that they can use to anchor the traps



this trap looks like it would be the best option, i will definitely let them know
i’d never ever want to trap a raccoon and then release it somewhere else to be someone else’s problem, especially since they learn how to not be trapped after that happens, so we will probably shoot it when it is caught

Find some other way to anchor the traps if you use them. Lawn staples aren’t going to cut it. You do that and you’ll catch the raccoon but he’ll be gone with your trap. If people are going to recommend using certain traps they should also recommend how to use them properly.

 

[ackie]

Maybe the double ended trap where the bait is in the middle? though I guess it could reach in the side... so maybe reinforce that somehow. And I always use sardines (or the dead chicken but sounds like you're out of those).

Have you considered an exorcist?

You have great roommates doing all this for you!