Raccoons-(serial killers) how have you resolved the problem?

NoelleBP

In the Brooder
6 Years
Apr 23, 2013
21
1
24
Georgia
I have had a raccoon harassing my girls for about a year now. After the first few encounters, it finally took out my favorite chicken. It pulled her leg out of the small gap from the coop and ate it off. I spent the day fixing the coop door. I put her under a milk crate piled stones on it. Later, that night it came back. My husband sneaked up on it and walloped it with a 2 x 4.He heard a crack as he hit it scurrying up the fence. It escaped, we didn't think it lived through that, but months later it returned and took another girl. Tried the same technique, but we never saw it again. Now, it had made it first spring visit, and I am determined to get rid of that SOB before it is time for my baby chicks to go outside.

What are your suggestion?
 
We have shot one raccoon, and now use a homemade predator repellent that burns their oh-so-sensitive noses. You can also put an electric fence about six inches outside your coop base and turn it on at night. They will tangle with it once or twice and then stay away. The friend I got my original batch of chickens from does this. She has a little battery powered fence setup she puts out if/when anything shows up, leaves it out a few nights, and that usually takes care of the problem. I hope you get this solved and I'm sorry your chickens are having a rough time!
 
My dogs keep them at bay :) I'm sure you are dealing with more than one though- they are very social and live in family groups. Traps, repellents & other methods are used. You can find helpful information in the learning center above. Good luck .
 
Can you wrap the lower part of your pen with small gage hadware cloth till you get the critter, at least it will not be able reach in and pull on your chickens.
Sorry for your loss.
I use chicken wire over chainlink with 24 inche high hadware cloth and i never loose a chick in there, and i brood all my chicks like this.






 
I've found coon hand hold traps are most effective if you don't want to catch cats as well. They are small and affordable compared to large, live box traps. There are a few different brands. They bury part way in the ground. You can use marshmallows for bait. When the coon sticks his hand in to pull out a marshmallow, the trap locks down on his wrist. It's a good idea to get 2 or 3 because when one gets caught, his buddies will hang around for a few hours and will likely also get caught. Search it on youtube, there's even a video of a coon that has both of his hands stuck in different traps, They should be available at most outdoor sporting goods stores. Good luck.
 
Excellent. All great ideas. I will look into the hand traps and repellents. The electric fence is a great idea too. The last owner had one for their dogs, it no longer works for the entire perimeter. I will just rewire it for the coop area. This should help with the occasional opossum too.
 
We were having a raccoon problem last year. They are so annoying! Once they find your chicken (an easy target) they will keep coming back, and they will bring their buddies. You need to get rid of him, if you live in an area where you can shoot them that would be best. We keep live traps set (we cannot use hand traps because we have cats), and we catch raccoon and possums all the time! We also keep the dogs out by the coop.
 
I use dogs to keep wild critters at bay, if they enter the safe zone they don't leave alive no matter what it is.
this is Gracie she is my critter getter.















These are my guns






 

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