Raccoon trying to get in

[Padorna23]

Hey guys I had a raccoon recently kill one of my chickens. It was my fault because the coop door was not locked. Tonight I found two raccoons trying to break into the coop so I was able to get a clean shot off on one but the other got away. Do you think the other will be back or will a gun shot scare him out of coming back. I already have plans on securing the run better but I don’t want the critters prying at every inch of my coop and run. Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

Live trap and shoot!
These raccoons won't give up easily, because they succeeded once.
Fortify your coop and run! Make it impossible to get in, and things will be so much better. Also, don't toss feed of any sort outside of your coop and run, because the raccoons, opossums, and skunks at least, will be glad to visit for those goodies too.
If you post pictures in the coop section we can help. Many of us started with chickens and underestimated security issues, and lost birds. It's a tough learning curve, and the birds pay for our mistakes. I've been there...
Mary

 

[Padorna23]

Live trap and shoot!
These raccoons won't give up easily, because they succeeded once.
Fortify your coop and run! Make it impossible to get in, and things will be so much better. Also, don't toss feed of any sort outside of your coop and run, because the raccoons, opossums, and skunks at least, will be glad to visit for those goodies too.
If you post pictures in the coop section we can help. Many of us started with chickens and underestimated security issues, and lost birds. It's a tough learning curve, and the birds pay for our mistakes. I've been there...
Mary

So they got in on the roof portion of the run where I did not have any hardware cloth. I was only using a piece of lattice as the roof, everything else is predator proof besides one corner where the lattice was slightly raised. I plan on running hardware cloth across the entire roof this weekend

 

[Folly's place]

Hardware cloth is good, but it will hold snow, and your framing needs to be up to the snow load. Don't skimp on fasteners either!
Our coop/ run combination is as secure as we can make it, at least until bears arrive.

It's a concrete foundation, old concrete floor, shingle roof, and the hardware cloth is stapled to the framing, then 2"x 4" woven wire over it, all screwed into the framing.
Mary

 

[McChooky]

Hey guys I had a raccoon recently kill one of my chickens. It was my fault because the coop door was not locked. Tonight I found two raccoons trying to break into the coop so I was able to get a clean shot off on one but the other got away. Do you think the other will be back or will a gun shot scare him out of coming back. I already have plans on securing the run better but I don’t want the critters prying at every inch of my coop and run. Thanks

My suggestion is put an electric fence around it to stop the digging and prying on the coop and run (even if you put up hardware cloth)That'll prevent damage to the coop and stress on the flock from #1) fear caused by coons and #2) fear caused by gunfire

 

[cmom]

Hardware cloth is good, but it will hold snow, and your framing needs to be up to the snow load. Don't skimp on fasteners either!
Our coop/ run combination is as secure as we can make it, at least until bears arrive.
View attachment 2834822

It's a concrete foundation, old concrete floor, shingle roof, and the hardware cloth is stapled to the framing, then 2"x 4" woven wire over it, all screwed into the framing.
Mary

It appears Mary does have electric netting on the outside. I have electric wires around my coops and pens and I grounded my fence so if a coon should try to climb my fence it will likely touch the hot wires which are about a foot away from my fence and when it touches them it will hurt. I have seen them on my cameras but they haven't tried to ge to my birds yet. I think they may have tested the hot wires. Good luck...

 

[Sally PB]

Our coop/ run combination is as secure as we can make it, at least until bears arrive.

You're not far from me. No bears, please... no bears...

Except teddy bears.

 

[Padorna23]

I caught another in a trap I had set last night. Hopefully more don’t come but I set the trap again just in case.

 

[bruceha2000]

Hardware cloth is good, but it will hold snow, and your framing needs to be up to the snow load.

That is for sure! I had chicken wire over an arch of cattle panels to keep the birds out of the blueberries. What was once an inverted U became an M. And the holes in chicken wire are a lot bigger than 1/2".

Glad you got the second coon, they may be more so good plan to keep the trap out. But don't rely on the varmints to keep going in the trap, beef up the security as planned.