*&@#% Raccoon

[dichotomymom]

Woke up to the girls carrying on and a dead hen with entrails exposed inside the coop. The thing is, I would immediately get on top of making it raccoon proof if I could figure out how it got in there. I've got field fence on the run and chicken wire up the sides with no gaps that I can see. Any ideas of what I should look for. I tried to follow the trail of feathers but they don't go anywhere.

 

[KenLamWV]

How big is the gaps in the wire fencing? A raccoon will reach in through the fencing and grab a chicken. I don't know if the coon actually got inside but you might also want to check this also. Hope you find out where your problem is.

 

[dichotomymom]

The coon got inside because the chicken was in the coop away from the fencing. The field fence is 2x3 approx. There were also eggs strewn about which means they were in the dog house (it's built into the coop and it's where they lay.

 

[dichotomymom]

bump

 

[dot n'dave]

Can you post a picture of your run and coop so we can give opinions on what went wrong?
Raccoons are incredibly smart. They can bend wire, stick their arm through and reach, climb, crawl under, open latches and will work on getting in for hours! Chicken wire is useless against raccoons!
If you don't solve this today, you will lose your flock tonight! It will be back!

 

[dichotomymom]

I'll get some up in a bit. It's amazing that it's been without incident for 4 years and now all of a sudden it's an issue. We're going to wait with gun in hand tonight because I know you're right, that he'll be back.

 

[Ceilismom]

Are you absolutely certain it was a raccoon? Could it have been a smaller predator?

 

[dichotomymom]

I saw him eyeing the coop earlier in the evening and didn't get my shotgun fast enough so I just assumed he came back but yes, it could be a different animal altogether. I just went back out to re investigate and none of my wire is disturbed so it very well could've been a weasel.

 

[theFox]

If it was a weasel you'd likely have more than one dead chicken in the coop.

Could a raccoon climb over that fence by going up a fence post?

 

[dichotomymom]

I don't have the digital camera up and going so I'll just have to describe it. It's a lean-to attached to our garage that had a dog kennel run. I've got field fence on top of the run that has a supporting beam and is fastened to the lean-to with bolts (no gaps there). I have chicken wire wired to the kennel sides about 3/4 of the way up. The only place I'm thinking is the space between the roof the lean to and the garage. Either way, whatever animal could've used that space would've had to have fallen to get in.