Raccoons are savage

[Redhead Rae]

paw trap is the best option. it look's like a small cylinder so nothing else will try to get in it but a coons paw. bait with anchovies or sardines(the oil keeps the smell even threw a rain storm). then.....well you can work out the rest

https://www.amazon.com/Duke-DUKE-DP...d=1529211739&sr=8-2&keywords=raccoon+paw+trap

cage traps do not work very well. compared to dog proofs.

i have caught 3 this year in a duke dog proof traps, and not one broken bone or ripped skin. far from unethical,

We've tried the Have-a-hart live traps and they do not work well. I caught one coon in a have-a-hart, but that was only after I put the remains of the chicken it killed the night before in the trap and covered the trap with a tarp. The only thing I've caught since is our mouser.

So we've started having a coon problem in the last 2 months we tried the live-trap again, and nothing. The bait would get stolen or we would catch our outdoor cat.

So we bought the Duke dog proof paw traps. These aren't like the serrated "jaw traps" that most people think of when they hear "paw traps". This is a tube with a smooth wire that snaps onto the coon's hand when it pulls the leaver inside the tube when it tries to get the bait out.

We have 8 traps that we've tied to fence posts. We baited with old dry dog food for a week without setting the traps to get the coons comfortable with them.

We first set the traps Friday night. Saturday morning, we had caught 2 coons. Yesterday morning, we had 2 more coons. We had one more coon this morning. We'll keep trapping there until we aren't catching any more coons and then move to another area of the property.

 

[zinia8]

I feel your pain. Raccoon are horrible. Lost 1 chicken and have 1 injured. I have set the live trap caught 1 raccoon and nothing since then even though the raccoons have been back. I am going to install electric fencing. So sorry for you.

 

[Howard E]

Here is some info on coons and how to trap them. Hint.....use the dog proofs!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coons-believe-it.1170361/

Beware, if you use a conibear, body grip type, it will kill a coon.....or anything else that wanders in. Live traps may work, but they don't catch as many and some have found that a really big coon can turn them over, tear them up, or otherwise find a way to get out of them. So less effective......and a whole lot more money to purchase.

For the "how to", go to the last two posts on page 2 of the thread. The other videos were very, very good, but youtube say fit to delete them as both featured a coon getting whacked in the end.

BTW, I have coons galore and do not trap or kill them. My houses are coon proof, so they can't get in no matter how hard they try. That is the easy way of dealing with them..........just saying.

 

[Stepnout]

This is my comments on another thread in BYC's. Raccoons will kill everything in the coop in one night! it's what they do. I hate them.
MY POST:
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

 

[Folly's place]

She might eat applesauce, good as water and sugar. Try her feed, or chicken feed, as a wet mash. Cantalope or watermelon? Scratch feed? Anything to add fluids and calories. Meat? Mealworms?
Good luck with her.
Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Buy yourself a couple of Dog Proof raccoon traps (the kind that fires when the coon tries to pull his foot or the bait out is best IMHO) bait this sucker up with a savory item (honey bun, dough nut, or marshmallows) and be sure to secure it in an area where the caught coon can't become tangled. Also remember that coons are gregarious animals and that they live in loose colonies but forage alone. So when you nab one there is a good chance that there are from 5 to a few dozen waiting in the wings.

The best defense against coons and other vermin is an integrated pest management system like those big-bad-evil-farmers use and in this instance an electric fence made with high-tinsel wire, a taller fence, a topping of netting, an array of differing trapping techniques, and perhaps a dog that can hopefully kill a raccoon only half the dog's size.

 

[Incubating4life]

Raccoons are savage. I have friends who have lost five chickens and three cats to a raccoon.

 

[bluecoop]

That's a tragedy! sorry to hear that. I hope you catch the coon ASAP

 

[ChickLOVESChicks]

So sorry to hear about your loss! I lost 2 the same way when I was more naive, and was using a store bought coop with no added protection... It was devastating. I'm still not over it, I cannot fathom losing 19!

As far as catching the raccoon... I hear cat food is best. But if you are going to capture it, you might as well let it loose far from your home, in the forest... Hurting it will not bring your babies back.

I have had to learn to live with nightly visits from at least one racoon, and it's babies. I live in such a old, developed neighborhood that is has many long established raccoon colonies. It would be like fighting the rain.

So, if that is your case as well, you might only bother focusing on protection. Beef up the coop and run so it matters not who tries to come at your chickens. Once that raccoon is gone, something else could show up next.

Use electric fencing, hard-cloth underneath, and whatever else you need to feel like your babies are safe. Don't forget that raccoons are smart enough to open simple locks and latches....

 

[ChickLOVESChicks]

I would also check other possibilities if you aren't sure it's a raccoon.... Not all raccoons bother with chickens, and the one that comes to my house nightly, is friendly with my cats and rabbits... even my free range rabbit. So it really could have been anything that I lost my chickens to. But with no other suspects, coons often get a bad rap. (I am fully aware that it is possible, and that some raccoons are very vicious...) So make sure there isn't another predator, in case you are preparing for the wrong type of predator and end up with another tragedy.