Raccoons.......and it begins

[SpeckledSussex2005]

This is exactly what I have! I don't really want to kill them but........[/QUOTE] It sounds like you have a bb and pellet gun. Invest in a good 177. Or 22. Caliber pellet gun. (Not a bb gun that shoots pellets too)

 

[Stepnout]

I will be investing in a 1200 FPS pellet rifle. Over the years I have lost pigeons and quail to raccoons. They are very strong and work in groups. They will pry anything and everything, they will chew through wood, dig under fences pull hardware cloth and in the end they will kill everything you have. It is amazing what they can get into. Yes we have to do everything we can to keep them out and when you think you have done enough look again. Be proactive after a few years if the wood on your coop or doors gets a little weak Change it out ASAP.
I hate them
Stepnout

 

[moniquem]

I have a Gamo Silent Cat velocity 1250 FPS. Shot some targets this afternoon and I was shooting in the kill zone. Warned my neighbor that we had an issue, he was fine with the outcome.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Based on my experience with coons you are going to need more power than a BB gun can deliver. Go to your local pawn shop or Walmart and buy a 22 rifle. Get some subsonic or 22 shorts ammunition. Just be careful of your shots. Electric fence will do a good job of keeping your chickens safe when you can`t watch them.

It has to be a well placed shot. She lives in a neighborhood, plus a .22 is small enough that if it not a good shot, there will be a wounded animal and not a dead one.
@moniquem Bb guns should not be used as a deterrent either as BBs can be dangerous if not used properly as well. I think your intentions are good - especially when it comes to your flock.
Can you live trap and dispose? What are the laws in your area?

 

[Howard E]

It has to be a well placed shot. She lives in a neighborhood, plus a .22 is small enough that if it not a good shot, there will be a wounded animal and not a dead one.
@moniquem Bb guns should not be used as a deterrent either as BBs can be dangerous if not used properly as well. I think your intentions are good - especially when it comes to your flock.
Can you live trap and dispose? What are the laws in your area?

I'm going to agree with this sentiment. I have no quarrel with anyone doing battle with coons, but no reason to be futile about it. Be effective instead. While an air rifle will certainly dispatch a coon, best way is from a distance of about 2 feet with coon trapped and waiting to be popped....right between the eyes. It would not be an effective weapon of choice on fast moving varmint at a distance. You need a shotgun for that.

I have coons galore, and yet have never lost any birds to them. The birds are housed in a Woods coop that nothing can get in......so they can try (and they have tried.....) but the coons always come up with an empty sack. So they quickly give up. That should be your #1 goal......house birds in bomb proof housing nothing......absolutely nothing.....can breach. Do that and you (and the birds) can sleep soundly with no worries.

 

[cmom]

Awhile back I talked to our local Fish and Wildlife because some people were catching and releasing in my area. I relocated 12 skunks in a week using live traps. One night I got 2 skunks in one trap. The officer said they weren't endangered or threatened so I could permanently relocate them. At my chick coop a skunk was attempting to dig under the gate. Somehow the pop door was shut enough the chicks couldn't get in their coop and the skunk was looking for supper. I went out with gun in hand and attempted to scare it off but it wouldn't go instead it stood facing me stomping it's feet. (boom) I have several game cameras around our property and most every night I see fox, coyote, coons, possums, cats, sometimes some dogs and once in a rare while a bobcat. Everything wants a chicken dinner. I do have electric around my pens and coops and the pens are covered. I have cement now under all of the gates.

 

[Zinjifrah]

A BB gun is fully capable of injuring a human or animal. Similarly, a .22 is more likely to injure an animal than to kill it, unless the animal is hit in a vital organ, and is fully capable of killing a human. If you are a good enough shot, a .22 will kill large game, but it's dangerous for the shooter and the animal. A .22 is fully capable of penetrating and exiting an animal's body and going on to strike whatever is beyond it. Be that a tree, a house, another animal, or a person. If a neighbor's shed is that close to the coop, it is NOT SAFE to discharge a firearm of ANY kind, particularly toward a tree, where there is no guarantee of a backdrop capable of stopping the bullet. If this is within city limits, discharging a firearm is generally highly illegal. Please be very aware of what is beyond your target, before you pull the trigger, whether you are using a BB gun, an air gun, or a hunting rifle, and be aware that a bullet striking a solid surface is very likely to ricochet in any direction, including straight back at you. I've personally seen someone struck by the bullet they fired, after it hit a piece of metal and ricocheted back at them.

Firearm safety is vital. Nobody wants to shoot something they didn't mean to hit.

 

[Howard E]

Awhile back I talked to our local Fish and Wildlife because some people were catching and releasing in my area. I relocated 12 skunks in a week using live traps. One night I got 2 skunks in one trap. The officer said they weren't endangered or threatened so I could permanently relocate them. At my chick coop a skunk was attempting to dig under the gate. Somehow the pop door was shut enough the chicks couldn't get in their coop and the skunk was looking for supper. I went out with gun in hand and attempted to scare it off but it wouldn't go instead it stood facing me stomping it's feet. (boom) I have several game cameras around our property and most every night I see fox, coyote, coons, possums, cats, sometimes some dogs and once in a rare while a bobcat. Everything wants a chicken dinner. I do have electric around my pens and coops and the pens are covered. I have cement now under all of the gates.

And that's how it's done.

 

[True Patriot]

I think humane dispatch is the best option for predator issues. Personally I live in an area that gunshots and hunting are common. So no problem when unwanted hungry pests drop in. If I had to be concerned about noise or bullet travel I'd probably go with a trap and dispatch method. Even though it's an unwanted predator I still believe it should have a quick and clean end.

 

[IamRainey]

I'm never going to kill an animal. Just not in me. Our efforts went unto predator proofing. Aside from my tender heart, the predator proofing is on 24/7 duty and far more reliable than a weapon which will only deter one predator at a time.

We used strong hardware cloth embedded into the ground and covering the run. Also over even the 3" ventilation holes and screwed down with washers. Carabiner clips on all the latches -- even clever raccoons can't manage a carabiner. I've seen raccoons in action both in Vancouver and my home in LA and I have no small respect for their intelligence, abilities and determination!

So far (and it's been a year) no poultry losses despite large and active populations of raccoons, coyotes and hawks. And nothing has gotten into the small shed with the feed either. One day -- when we've absorbed the coop construction costs -- I'm going to add a load of small (football size) rocks 10"-12" deep around the perimeter of the run as well. Just for insurance.