Raccoon visiting to steal feed

[pennyJo1960]

Agreed cover the chickens wire in hardware cloth or the coon will eventually grab your chickens if you do not have a gun please get one

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Checked the trap this morning and nothing else came by for a late night snack but that doesnt necessarily mean we're out of the woods. Im gonna set the trap up again tonight to be sure but im hoping he was the only one.

 

[fawnda]

You can trap and kill predators forever. There will always be more to fill in the void. Instead of wasting your time trapping and killing, put your efforts into making a predator proof pen. Also, trapping in the spring can be quite cruel if you catch either a mother or a baby. The babies are dependent on the mother until fall and will likely starve or get predated upon. Learn to live with your local wildlife rather than blowing it all away with a .22 or trapping it all because you left free food out for it. https://www.cwrescue.org/predatorproofhousing

 

[Grampy7]

I tolerate skunks and opossums because I can scare them away and they usually don't come back, at least that I see. I don't tolerate raccoons; they may start harmlessly enough, but for them, killing chickens is an inborn addiction they can't stop. I have lost hens to hawks and owls once in a great while, but raccoons have cost me multiple hens, multiple times, reaching through the fence or finding a way in. Shoot 'em or trap 'em and shoot 'em.
There are foxes and coyotes around here, but I've never seen any evidence around my run and coop.

 

[Sea Wolf]

We are prepared to deal with the threat. He was just too quick for me. Thats why we need to trap him

Trap or shoot. Either way, eventually the birds will be at risk. Can you move the food away from the wire? Out of reach? If not, cut a piece of hardware cloth 3 to 4 feet long and center it where the food source is. You can Zip tie it to the wire of the pen from the inside. Otherwise it will rip it off. That way the paws are blocked from reaching the food. Once the food source is blocked, it might leave but don't count on it. A strand of hot wire or two near the ground will also be a deterrent.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I don’t know enough about dogs and chickens. I’m very wary of any dog. One I have now killed a couple of my birds and we had a serious discussion!! She hasn’t done it since and the chickens can often be seen sleeping near her. I think the birds she killed were sick and that’s why she did it. I would never leave a dog alone with chickens until it proved itself and that would be more than 3 days.
The breed of yours is a herding dog..I believe, and one would hope it would be okay. The Great Pyrenees that recently killed my chickens should never have done that based on breed. Personally I’d take a chance on her and monitor her very closely. Hopefully you will have some sense of her responses and your birds very quickly.

We plan on supervision until she can prove herself. We just dont want a dog we have to take inside everytime we let them out. We want her to be able to tell us something is wrong. We haven't gotten a dog yet because we were worried about our birds. Now with this predator problem and the coincidence of a breed we were interested in showing up in the shelter at the same time...well it just feels serendipitous. She literally was just transfered there at the end of last month. We're still talking about it but I think we're sold on her for the trial period at least. Setting up the trap again tonight

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

It's nice that you have a 3 day trial, in case she's horrible right off the bat....but I've found it takes about 2-3 months for dog to get comfortable enough to show it's true nature.
Best Of Luck!

Absolutely. This shelter is very nice. They make sure the animal comes with everything you need to get started. They come with their shots, fixed, 1st months of heartworm medication and microchipped. They also ask personality questions like "what would you do if the dog had an 'accident' in the house?" They want to make sure they are doing what is best for the animal. It costs a lot more than the county shelter but its worth it for the benefits. I'm hoping she does well but time will tell when we "rent" her. As for now I'm more concerned with the coons. Last night when we set the trap we turned around and saw two babies on the tree 5 feet from us.

 

[aart]

They also ask personality questions like "what would you do if the dog had an 'accident' in the house?"

When I got my current dog at SPCA(~12 years ago) there was a 5 page questionnaire, many questions being asked several times in different ways(mostly about costs of keeping a dog). At first he wasn't working out with my other dog(the aussie), they had me talk to an 'adoption counselor' over the phone for some tips. They were thorough and very helpful. Have had other less savory adoption experiences.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

When I got my current dog at SPCA(~12 years ago) there was a 5 page questionnaire, many questions being asked several times in different ways(mostly about costs of keeping a dog). At first he wasn't working out with my other dog(the aussie), they had me talk to an 'adoption counselor' over the phone for some tips. They were thorough and very helpful. Have had other less savory adoption experiences.

Wow adoption counselor? Thats crazy! But im assuming it worked out since you still have him!

 

[blackandtan]

I know the opinions differ on trapping, dispatching, and flock protection- but I do want to say that if you see them around Winter/trapping season, always consider giving tanning a try like I mentioned. It brings use to the hide instead of just disposing of it. If you've never tanned before, it can be difficult to know how to properly flesh and clean (so alot of the time folks begin on squirrels, rabbits, etc). While protecting the flock, it also introduces you to a new skill. I am very fond of making little waste, so that's why I wanted to mention this in case you want to try and do the same.

Here is the last coon that messed with my girls: he was a big sucker with the softest, plushest fur you can imagine, permanently relocated to my couch