Raccoons!

[Australorpfamily]

We had a massacre on Monday night. Something killed 3 of my chickens. It was awful! We live in a horse community in southern California. 23 years of keeping chickens and I have never had to lock up my chickens at night. We immediately put up a camera and figured a way to lock everyone up. Last night I finally saw the culprits. Raccoons! I've never seen one here, others have, but I guess I've been lucky. I saw two in my videos.
Should I trap and release? I read they can travel 10 miles in a night and come back. Should I leave them and just continue to lock the girls up (I will continue to lock them up anyway in case more show up).
What would you do?

Security lights? Motion sensored? Maybe with a noice alert? Although even with our porch lights there are times we see coons on our porch lol one night our kids happen to wake each other up and sit and take pictures of the racoon family on the porch at 2am, so noice may and may not work lol although the kids were awfully quiet lol

Secured coop and locking them up-chickens that is.

We have seen coons, fox, bobcat/lynx(yes they are different and yes to both in our area), coyote(even on our porch, same with the fox). We try to make our presence known, and as of one year of having a Fort Knox style predator proof run and coop, knock on wood, haven't had any incidents. And the local cats and dogs just pass by without a care of the chicks

I hope you are able to figure something out. Paneling with hardware cloth is a good fence and top. Good luck

 

[killmak]

I live with woods all around me. I would feel pretty crappy killing wildlife because it is doing wildlife things. We have not had any dead chickens yet. But if we ever do I will be sad but the only thing I will do is make my chicken area more secure.

 

[mowin]

I live with woods all around me. I would feel pretty crappy killing wildlife because it is doing wildlife things. We have not had any dead chickens yet. But if we ever do I will be sad but the only thing I will do is make my chicken area more secure.

I don't consider wildlife doing wildlife things when they are actively trying to get into my coops, stressing my birds out. There's no way a coon, mink or anything but a bear is getting to my flock. But stressing them out isn't ok. I've had a pair of fox running around the coop trying to figure out how to get in. The birds were bouncing off the sides of the run. Guess they were just doing wildlife things huh.. they never had the chance to do wildlife things again.

 

[killmak]

I don't consider wildlife doing wildlife things when they are actively trying to get into my coops, stressing my birds out. There's no way a coon, mink or anything but a bear is getting to my flock. But stressing them out isn't ok. I've had a pair of fox running around the coop trying to figure out how to get in. The birds were bouncing off the sides of the run. Guess they were just doing wildlife things huh.. they never had the chance to do wildlife things again.

I mean that is wildlife doing wildlife things. Foxes eat prey, chickens fall into their prey category. Maybe my opinion will change if I get extremely active predators, however I have 4 large loud dogs who have the job of keeping predators away and do a great job of it.

And your opinion is fine, I don't blame you or anything, I would just personally feel crappy killing wildlife just because I am in their habitat with prey animals they like to eat.

 

[allenw]

These are actually super beneficial! Just one eats about 5,000 ticks a year and they can't contract or carry Lyme disease, they also eat insects, snails, small rodents and dead stuff. Plus 95% of them are immune to Rabies. I've never had a tick problem and the mice that used to be around my house are non-existent since the coons and possums moved in.
This guy was just a baby when I found him in my feed, he's a big boy nowView attachment 3787717View attachment 3787719

I have never seen a possum yet that didn't have ticks on them in tick weather. I think someone got that myth turned around and it's really ticks eat possums.

 

[Everose]

I have never seen a possum yet that didn't have ticks on them in tick weather. I think someone got that myth turned around and it's really ticks eat possums.

Perhaps they're just saving them for later

 

[AmazingMaze]

OP here -
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and opinions!! I very much appreciate it!
Yes, I live in California, southern California about an hour outside of Los Angeles. The town I live in is one of the few that allow horses on our properties. It may sound crazy to most of you but the average property size is only @ 1/2 an acre.
We have opossums, rats, mice, squirrels, coyote, and prey birds to worry about. I can add raccoons to the list!
Since I first posted I have been locking my birds up at night. I am also working on rebuilding and predator proofing my coop and run.
This site is a fount of information!
I have been setting a trap to see if I can trap the raccoons. Nothing yet. We are not supposed to kill the raccoons but we are not completely opposed to it if we finally catch them.

 

[TOR]

I have never seen a possum yet that didn't have ticks on them in tick weather. I think someone got that myth turned around and it's really ticks eat possums.

from what I have read the ticks get on the possums and the possums clean themselves and eat the ticks. Like I said i do not know as a fact I dont have any pet possums.

 

[Lelilamom]

We had a family of racoons slaughter 14 of our birds in one night, with a 15th dying a week later from her wounds.
This particular group squeezed through a 2 inch space in between the run and the coop roof - 16 ft in the air.
Racoons kill for sport.
Racoons return to the food source until it's gone.
Secure your run and coop.
Trap and dispatch.

 

[AmazingMaze]

ooof that's terrible!