Raccoon visiting to steal feed

[tuffy]

For us, only way to rid our yard of Raccoon is to dispatch. We tried for weeks to trap a huge coon and finally got him by using marshmallows as bait in the back of a "have a heart" trap. We had him on trail cam and he couldn't resist the marshmallows. easy, cheap bait!(cat food, tuna, chix leg..didnt work) 22 did the job after that.. Good luck. Very dangerous to your chickens!

 

[aart]

From time to time we trap a raccoon and he goes to our relocation expert, my Hubby. I hope they like Mississippi!! And yes, you CAN catch a big coon in a regular cage.

Not cool!

 

[Thomas70]

Got a raccoon coming by. Saw him 2 nights ago around 4 am hanging around. Caught him again last night around 11pm. I scared him off but I know he'll be back. He's not trying to get in the run but he is reaching through the wire and grabbing handfuls of chicken feed. I know this because he leaves a mess of feed just outside the wire. We have a live trap and I'd like to catch him. I'm not sure if the trap is big enough...hes a big coon. Very fat. He might have been doing this a while now and we just caught him. Need some advice on dealing with this pest. I worry he'll get sick of the feed and seek out my girls. He'd have to dig into the run (the wire is about 6 inches out in the ground so he'd have to be very diligent) and then lift the weighted coop door to get in. Since they're more likely to go for easy opportunities I doubt he'd try.

You have to get a big trap that I call a coon trap. They are so strong they bent wire in my trap but could not get out so make sure your trap is strong. Once I caught him I gave it to coon hunters who will use it to train their dogs.

 

[2eggheads]

I worry he'll get sick of the feed and seek out my girls. He'd have to dig into the run (the wire is about 6 inches out in the ground so he'd have to be very diligent) and then lift the weighted coop door to get in. Since they're more likely to go for easy opportunities I doubt he'd try.

Your problem is very near and dear to my heart, we caught a small raccoon eating feed also and over the next 6-8 months losing chickens and not always at night. Caught a big raccoon climbing over our 8’ deer fencing to get to them. (Not at night) We only have 2 ladies left after all this. We put 3’ hardware cloth around this big pen and around the coop and even up the side stairs to the roost. We even enclosed the whole chick yard top with chicken wire 12’x30’, it’s now the Chicken Fortress but we haven’t lost any more and haven’t had to kill anyone (my biggest nightmare). We also put a carabiner through the gate latch because those critters have opposable thumbs and can get into anything. Your big guy is probably not a loner. Best of luck with this!

 

[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.

 

[8CityChicks]

Got a raccoon coming by. Saw him 2 nights ago around 4 am hanging around. Caught him again last night around 11pm. I scared him off but I know he'll be back. He's not trying to get in the run but he is reaching through the wire and grabbing handfuls of chicken feed. I know this because he leaves a mess of feed just outside the wire. We have a live trap and I'd like to catch him. I'm not sure if the trap is big enough...hes a big coon. Very fat. He might have been doing this a while now and we just caught him. Need some advice on dealing with this pest. I worry he'll get sick of the feed and seek out my girls. He'd have to dig into the run (the wire is about 6 inches out in the ground so he'd have to be very diligent) and then lift the weighted coop door to get in. Since they're more likely to go for easy opportunities I doubt he'd try.

 

[8CityChicks]

Every raccoon situation is different, but I've learned to feed them in the woods (they love dry dogfood) before they get to my pen (I know, you're not supposed to feed wildlife but conclude if I don't they're more likely to go after a bird). They also come during the day for feed while the birds are out of the house or free-ranging, but have never shown an interest in a chicken if there's other food available. I'm meticulous about personally counting & locking the birds up at night as opossums are worse than raccoons. So far, of 10 birds I have never lost one to a raccoon, but have lost 5 to hawks. I know of no cure for raccoons since when one is taken care of more move in, so rather than fight them I've found it easier to co-exist by giving them what they want. Important, however, to know when one is rabid & to avoid, or dispose, of those, but in 7 years of chickens I've never had a rabid raccoon.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Just got home from a trip. Didnt want to go but had to for family reasons. I worried about my birds the whole time but we left them with our very capable neighbor. We didnt reset the trap because we didnt want that to be his responsibility especially since he was nice enough to watch them for us. We checked the game camera as soon as we got back today. We saw a coon. A young one. Definately not as fat as the one caught previously. He was on top of the run because he couldnt reach the food. We only caught a few pics of him because the camera ran out of batteries. Setting the trap again tonight. Wish us luck!

 

[roosterhavoc]

Every raccoon situation is different, but I've learned to feed them in the woods (they love dry dogfood) before they get to my pen (I know, you're not supposed to feed wildlife but conclude if I don't they're more likely to go after a bird). They also come during the day for feed while the birds are out of the house or free-ranging, but have never shown an interest in a chicken if there's other food available. I'm meticulous about personally counting & locking the birds up at night as opossums are worse than raccoons. So far, of 10 birds I have never lost one to a raccoon, but have lost 5 to hawks. I know of no cure for raccoons since when one is taken care of more move in, so rather than fight them I've found it easier to co-exist by giving them what they want. Important, however, to know when one is rabid & to avoid, or dispose, of those, but in 7 years of chickens I've never had a rabid raccoon.

Great idea!! I wish I would have thought of this.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

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.