Raccoons - Warning: Graphic Photos

[Birdsong 82]

It wasn’t trapped or cornered in the shed it was standing right at the doorway in the open and wouldn’t even let me set foot in the shed once I open the door. Maybe it Didn’t have rabies. I just assumed because I’ve never had one act aggressively just from opening the shed door. And I know he could’ve felt cornered because He was standing center in front of the doorway about 5 foot from the doorway in a 12x15 shed. He was in there when I got home and open the shed door and there he was. When my mother-in-law got to the house and we open the shed door he was in the exact same spot and had not moved in inch

 

[aart]

It wasn’t trapped or cornered in the shed it was standing right at the doorway in the open and wouldn’t even let me set foot in the shed once I open the door. Maybe it Didn’t have rabies. I just assumed because I’ve never had one act aggressively just from opening the shed door. And I know he could’ve felt cornered because He was standing center in front of the doorway about 5 foot from the doorway in a 12x15 shed. He was in there when I got home and open the shed door and there he was. When my mother-in-law got to the house and we open the shed door he was in the exact same spot and had not moved in inch

He knew that was the only way out?
Was it a young one?
Glad you got 'em!

 

[Birdsong 82]

No and he was a good size. He didn’t get in through the front door I found the hole he ended up getting in. The shed door is never left open because the goats will break in. So when we use it the door gets closed and locked right behind us. The goats are so sneaky that we don’t even feed them and come back and close the shed. We close it right behind us with the feed still in hand. So we had a way out he just didn’t want to leave. But I think everybody can agree that relocating really doesn’t do anybody any good and no matter how much you love animals we need to protect the ones we have and not to move the problem to endanger others

 

[aart]

But I think everybody can agree that relocating really doesn’t do anybody any good and no matter how much you love animals we need to protect the ones we have and not to move the problem to endanger others

Not everyone would agree, but I sure do.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I think some people don’t agree because they don’t have chickens that need to be protected. Plus when they’re living on your property they are probably going to start to breed and the next thing you know you’ve got their droppings in your shed and around your yard. It takes a lot out of me too Have to kill an animal but if it’s for the good of other animals and other people we all have to do what we have to do

 

[techbsmith]

Yep, I use staples. I will add a skirt before I leave and get some better latches. I have another opening to the run we just built but its screwed shut right now... My coop in our side yard which is not closed off by a fence. It's also is up against a chainlink fence that my neighbor and I share. I
I'm now seeing so many issues

I've used staples on the connector that goes from my run to my coop - I built the connector out of old pallets and then put chicken wire across the top, stapled, and used extra boards from pallets to screw down over the top of the staples.

On my actual runs - one is an old dog kennel 10X10X6 with chain-link fencing and chicken wire - that's where I keep extra cockerel's that will be processed, or any quarantine birds if it's not in use otherwise. The other run is my main one - it's 10X20X6 and the framework of it is made out of PVC. I had originally planned it to be mobile, so I could move it through the yard...but um..yeah, right. So anyway - it's stationary

I used zip ties to fasten the chicken wire and hardware cloth to it - zip ties are about every 2 inches...it took a lot of zip ties. Here's a photo for an idea, and you can also see my improvised door lock I made out of some chain link fencing supplies, a threaded metal rod and a couple of nuts. It secures the door rather well - but to be honest, had I researched a bit more prior, I would have just built the run out of wood.

On the top of my runs, I only have chicken wire - I used hog rings to secure the seams of the wire. Then I have shade tarps over the main run, and the dog kennel has a tarp frame/cover over it. My main concern here is hawks, with of course the occasional raccoon. I've seen dozens of snakes in my yard this year, but none near the chickens. We have enough field mice, frogs, birds, and moles ... the snakes don't care at all about my chickens or eggs fortunately.

I think really - we all obsess at some point on security of our babies, but ultimately we do what we can with the resources we have until we can do better. I'm always looking for ways to tweak what I've got and improve on it. I can't tell you how many good ideas I've found on this site just by reading through the forums.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I’m so obsessive over it that on their entire run I used fencing nails to put in the fence but then screwed two by four over top of that to sandwich the fence and the nail between the 4 x 4 post and a 2 x 4. I think no matter how secure and good to have it we’re always looking to improve it just that much more. I read through here all the time that’s where I got some of my ideas too! Love this site. Helped me with there security and health so much!

 

[Birdsong 82]

I've used staples on the connector that goes from my run to my coop - I built the connector out of old pallets and then put chicken wire across the top, stapled, and used extra boards from pallets to screw down over the top of the staples.

View attachment 1453949
Oh yeah


On my actual runs - one is an old dog kennel 10X10X6 with chain-link fencing and chicken wire - that's where I keep extra cockerel's that will be processed, or any quarantine birds if it's not in use otherwise. The other run is my main one - it's 10X20X6 and the framework of it is made out of PVC. I had originally planned it to be mobile, so I could move it through the yard...but um..yeah, right. So anyway - it's stationary

I used zip ties to fasten the chicken wire and hardware cloth to it - zip ties are about every 2 inches...it took a lot of zip ties. Here's a photo for an idea, and you can also see my improvised door lock I made out of some chain link fencing supplies, a threaded metal rod and a couple of nuts. It secures the door rather well - but to be honest, had I researched a bit more prior, I would have just built the run out of wood.

On the top of my runs, I only have chicken wire - I used hog rings to secure the seams of the wire. Then I have shade tarps over the main run, and the dog kennel has a tarp frame/cover over it. My main concern here is hawks, with of course the occasional raccoon. I've seen dozens of snakes in my yard this year, but none near the chickens. We have enough field mice, frogs, birds, and moles ... the snakes don't care at all about my chickens or eggs fortunately.

View attachment 1453948

I think really - we all obsess at some point on security of our babies, but ultimately we do what we can with the resources we have until we can do better. I'm always looking for ways to tweak what I've got and improve on it. I can't tell you how many good ideas I've found on this site just by reading through the forums.

That’s a nice set up it got there

 

[Carolrich]

We live in the woods. Our coop and run are like Fort Knox with electrified wire running around the top of the run. There is netting over the top and hardware cloth over all sides and the windows of the coop. The hardware cloth extends like an apron through the soil all around the bottom of the run. But the tangible security one provides is only as good as the person remembering to close the coop hatch at dusk. Unfortunately one evening (prior to electrifying the top of the run) my sweet husband became sidetracked with the dog and forgot to close the hatch. Raccoons chewed through the top netting and killed two of our girls. We were devastated.
I totally understand that folks want to protect their livestock. I also think that the wild animals who live around us are doing what they do in order to survive. They have the right to feed themselves and their young.
We need to do all we can to safeguard our domesticated animals.

 

[Birdsong 82]

We live in the woods. Our coop and run are like Fort Knox with electrified wire running around the top of the run. There is netting over the top and hardware cloth over all sides and the windows of the coop. The hardware cloth extends like an apron through the soil all around the bottom of the run. But the tangible security one provides is only as good as the person remembering to close the coop hatch at dusk. Unfortunately one evening (prior to electrifying the top of the run) my sweet husband became sidetracked with the dog and forgot to close the hatch. Raccoons chewed through the top netting and killed two of our girls. We were devastated. I totally understand that folks want to protect their livestock. I also think that the wild animals who live around us are doing what they do in order to survive.

Maybe that’s why I feel so bad when I have to kill a raccoon Because I know he’s just trying to get his food to survive. But like I said before I guess what we have to do with what we have to do to keep ourselves and our animals safe along with others. It is sad though. I’m sorry about you losing your two girls. It really is devastating. Years ago I lost two of mind to a raccoon. He pulled them out from underneath the fencing and found a pile of bones near the run and found one of my chickens missing an entire leg and thigh. I guess the raccoon couldn’t get her to fit and ended up ripping off her leg. We tried but the injury was too bad and she was too young and see came to her injuries at the end of the night. That’s when we went crazy on that part of their protection.