Racoon Trouble--Please Help!

[sparkklegirl]

Hi! I found this site when I was looking for solutions to what to do with a raccoon. We have nine hens, mostly Silkies, a Auracana, Orpinton, Frizzle, and a Sexlink. Now it hasn't done anything to my run and I have chicken wire covering every nook and cranny, including the top, since we lost a silkie to a bird of prey two weeks ago. I don't want to lose any more, and I caught the little stinker actually EATING the head off my pond fish, and it looks like he got one other fish as well last night. After I scared him from the pond, I was worried sick about him coming back for the fish or worse yet our girls. I stayed up until dawn and found him right on my back patio about 25 feet from the coop. He didn't see me as his back was to the window so I banged real hard on the glass doors, and he high tailed it out of there. I don't think I did much to really scare him off permanently, so I was wondering if anyone had suggestions to getting rid of him. Do the ultrasonic devices work to scare them off? If I trap him, where do I get a trap and what do I do with him? I really hate the idea of having to take it in my car. (they make me nervous)

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[arlee453]

At this point I'd say you will need to trap or shoot to kill. He's already learned that YOUR HOUSE = FREE EASY MEAL and a little banging is not going to keep him away permanently.

Coons can be very crafty and smart. They can easily reach through regular chicken wire and will grab your chickens and kill them through the wire. They are excellent climbers too and can open latches with their little hands.

I'd recommend that you also cover the chicken wire (if you have the traditional chicken wire with the octagonal holes) with hardware cloth - the wire grid that has 1/2" square holes. Chicken wire is good for keeping chickens in, but not so good at keeping predators out.

If you are squeamish about the shooting route, then get a hav-a-heart trap and bait it with tuna fish. You can buy one at any farm supply store or even places like Lowes/homedepot/ace hardware often have them.

Alternately you can call your animal control and ask if they provide traps for you. Some will let you borrow traps for a deposit fee, some will even bring them to you and come pick up the critter.

Last but not least, there are pest control services that will do the dirty work for you as far as coming to get the coon once you get him trapped.

Good luck!

 

[rooster-red]

Some here will probably want to scold me for this, thats OK, I can take it.

I've found in the past that if you trap the coon in a havaheart trap overnight and let him stay in there for several hours then release him, he won't come back. They remember being trapped and most won't take the chance again of coming around a baited area. This works on cats too by the way.

If you choose to do this, wear gloves when realeasing, be very careful, and have someone help you by standing by with a shovel to steer him away from you.

If you trap it a couple of times and it comes back, then you'll have to deal with it permanately.

 

[panner123]

Onle way of deal with a coon is by using the three S rule. They are good roasted with plenty of veggies. If you don't know the tree S rule it is,
shoot, shovel and sshhhh. Myself it is shoot and roast, then bury the bones if you don't have a dog to feed them to.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I hate coons! They've made a mess of our attic and have killed our chickens.

When the animal control guy came to get a skunk from our yard I asked about coons. He said if they are in your house or attacking your livestock that they are just like any other pest (rats, mice, etc.) and that you're allowed to dispose of them.

I'm not guaranteeing that this is the case all over, but that's what the guy told us.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Killing it is not the only way.

There are other ways, and as I said it may come down to having to, but other ways do exist.

If someone is going to eat it, then I'd have no problem at all with that.

But that is why questions are asked, so we can gather others opinions and ultimately decied for ourselves, and I respect your opinion too.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
We all have to do what we have to do to protect our home/family/livestock/pets from preditors, and I had to dispatch 3 coyotes last year myself.

I just wanted to point out that ther is no hard and fast rule that applies to all situations, and sometimes you don't have to kill to solve a problem.

My SIL has a family of coons that have been coming up to steal her dogs food for a couple of years now, because they've taken no action to solve the problem. My SIL lives 600ft from us, and the coons never come up here to try to get at my chickens since I trapped and released a couple of them which at least for the last 2 years has solved the problem.

Of course the coons know they can get a free meal at SIL's house, so I guess why bother trying to breach my chicken run.

 

[wynedot55]

coons love to kill chickens.an thats a fact.the best thing toso is trapp an kill them.or you can trapp emm an haul them off.but you better haul them a few miles fore you turn emm loose.

 

[panner123]

You can trap and haul them, but it better be well over twenty miles, or they will be back. Best to have them for dinner. If anyone has ever had a fresh pork roast, coon taste similar. It is roasted the same way. There is only one thing that has been killed on
my property that I haven't eaten, a mountian lion. It didn't go to waste, for a person that works with my wife took it. Her family feasted on it.

 

[rooster-red]

Coon sounds tasty.