Racoon: Now I am MAD!!!!Need help!!!

[Sunny Side Up]

A live trap will soon repay its purchase price by eliminating the predators to your flock. Either spend the $$$ on a trap, or even better, spend the $$$ to turn your coops into Fort Knox.

Someone posted a thread with many photos of a great home-made live trap that worked by gravity & the weight of the door. I can't find it now, but if you can, it might be cheaper than buying a Hav-a-Hart or other brand of trap.

 

[Country4ever]

You just need to reinforce your coop/run, because there will always be another monster.
I had 1 little loose area of netting on the top of my run....and a coon found it and killed 2 of my hens. He's been continuing to try to get into a window, but its too reinforced for him. But dang, he's ticking me off.
Sorry for your losses.

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

2 days ago my friend had her first racoon attack and she has had ducks for a long time one was killed the another got its wing tore off..She was going to put him dowm but I took him to see if I get him to make it..I broke down and took a $4 bird to a $100 vet and his wing is broke no feathers looks bad I got pain medication antibiotics and a wash stuff for him..He has to stay inside for 8 weeks..Vet cant say if he will ever fly again he is a mallard or if all the flight feathers will come back but the vet sounded VERY hopefully he will recover fully..Glad I took him...Im a sucker...She has live traps set and caught a baby oppusum the animal control came and got,,She is still waiting for that racoon...

 

[RosewoodFarms]

Do you have a dog? My (very nice) pitbull kills coons all the time or gets them up a tree and barks for us to come shoot them. Most of the time they don't even come around anymore because of her.

 

[Big Chicken Little]

Someone on here mentioned playing a radio 24/7 ...I tried it and it worked for me ...I put on AM talk radio and it keeps everyone away. I put the radio under the eve of the coop roof. I think it was a great idea !!

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm wondering if your chickens are outside in the run at night. I put mine in the coop after they all go in before dark and lock the pop hole door with a padlock, the door is made out of 3/4" plywood. The windows are covered with screening and 1/2" hardware cloth. I did have a coon climb up the side of the run and get in through the sofit, but that's been covered with hardware cloth.
If you don't tell how they are getting in how can I know what I might have missed? Just saying "a coon killed my chickens" isn't enough information.
Can a coon rip the door off?

 

[jqs birds]

Definately invest in a live trap, It's cheaper than replacing birds evry time they decide you are buying dinner!
Duke makes a nice sturdy 15x15 live trap way better than some of the more popular brands. Just be sure you go directly through them or you'll pay too much.

 

[Oosik]

A follow up to a raccoon massacre of last week Thursday.... Despite killing all but one of my chicks, the raccoon was not yet done with me. He returned and we had a nice discussion about his misconduct. While I did use a live trap - it wasn't of the box trap kind. I did, however, relocate him to a different area -- a nice wooded area about a couple hundred yards from the chickens he killed. I am quite certain that he now clearly understands what he did was wrong and he will not commit such deeds in the future. Actually, I am absolutely certain he will not return.

I am thinking of getting a few egg traps that will only catch raccoons (and perhaps a cat, but I can live with that).

http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies....S001&Product_Code=WCSET-1&Category_Code=WCSSS

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Only way he will not return, if you kill him...


Raccoon should not be relocate, Most state it is illegal to relocate them, here you must kill them, or release them on your land.

 

[caffesclan]

I know how awful you feel because I lost my first 5 chicks last night and I only had 5. They had feathers but were still young but big enough to not squeeze through the cage. I keep them inside in an old dog crate with tree branches for roosting at night but have a fenced in area outside with a roof where they hang out during the day. I worked hard to make sure it was predator proof but it wasn't. was a little after dark and had just checked on them but decided to do the dishes from dinner before I brought them in. Something got to them before I got back out there. I have read about the predators to try to figure out what could have happened. There were two in the cage that were missing their heads and the other three are missing with only feathers scattered around the yard. I have checked over that outside cage and cannot figure out how something could have gotten to them. There was some digging but not enough to go up underneath. Everything was still secure but my new babies were dead. I am new at this and I just feel horrible. They had become part of the family and each one had their own little personality. I researched chicken raising for eggs and thought I was well informed but I was wrong and just feel horrible.