Relentless raccoon

[Sequel]

Electric fencing is your best bet long term, but for today you can try hot chili peppers. Raccoons were using a corner of my veggie garden as a latrine several years ago and I got a Costco sized container of the crushed red pepper and sprinkled it liberally near the hole in the fence they were coming through. They never came back, however there was nothing really tempting in there like chickens either. It will not bother birds in the least but mammals sniff everything. It’s worth a shot.

 

[Ewehnes]

We trapped one that killed our gosling about a week or 2 ago. My husband has trapped and hunted for awhile. What we did is we took a can of tuna and put some in two traps. One where we suspect the racoon climbed into our run and another by the trees on the side of the coop. It only took one night as racoons are VERY curious! Smart, but the curiosity gets them every time. The traps we used caught the racoon's hand and then we shot it (sorry for those looking for a more humane way) other than that my husband said an electric wire about 6 and 12 inches on the side of the run that racoon is nearest to will deter them, but only if the racoon has been attempting to enter where the electric part is.

Below is a good picture of her in the trap.

 

[BigECart]

I would leave it - I would think it will eventually give up on trying to break into your coop, and it’s better to have one around that doesn’t try than to have to deal with them every time a new one moves into your area.

My raccoon steals eggs - it’s a constant race to see who checks for eggs first. It’s been a couple of months now - I’ve seen it walk right past my hens. Leaving it alone for now - same philosophy. Better to have a raccoon that doesn’t kill chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
IMO, all raccoons will kill chickens sometime, they are never safe with your chickens!!!
Mary

 

[Sequel]

Welcome!
IMO, all raccoons will kill chickens sometime, they are never safe with your chickens!!!
Mary

And they can carry horrible parasites, rabies etc.. I know that because you said so Mary!

 

[Folly's place]

Raccoons cease to be cute when you have chickens!
Mary

 

[Eggscaping]

We trapped one that killed our gosling about a week or 2 ago. My husband has trapped and hunted for awhile. What we did is we took a can of tuna and put some in two traps. One where we suspect the raccoon climbed into our run and another by the trees on the side of the coop. It only took one night as raccoons are VERY curious! Smart, but the curiosity gets them every time. The traps we used caught the raccoon's hand and then we shot it (sorry for those looking for a more humane way) other than that my husband said an electric wire about 6 and 12 inches on the side of the run that raccoon is nearest to will deter them, but only if the raccoon has been attempting to enter where the electric part is.

We used the "pipe-reach down inside the trigger's on the bottom"- kind of trap up in Portland and caught one of the ones destroying our pond and killed it - but we used tiny little marshmallows because while a dog won't reach a paw down inside to fish out bait, a cat can and will, and would be badly injured when the trap clamped down on its foot. Cats will go after tuna but aren't interested in marshmallows.
We killed the raccoon. After losing a dog and the neighbors losing a cat to the little bastages, we are a "take no prisoners" house when it comes to raccoons. Chickens are bad enough, but once you have to speed across town at 3am to the emergency vet with your little, elderly dog in shock from being mauled by one of them, you never think that raccoons are cute again.

 

[Svaness]

Find someone in your area who's a trapper. They'll set up a live trap for you & remove it from the property.

 

[aart]

"pipe-reach down inside the trigger's on the bottom"- kind of trap

'Dukes Dog Proof' is a good search term for those looking to buy.