RIP My favorite 2 chickens :(

[mtnhomechick]

RACCOON

 

[JennsPeeps]

You're going to have to set traps and kill the raccoons. That's the only way to get rid of them.

 

[BigBen]

Instead of killing the racoon or should I say on top of killing the racoon you need to predetor proof your coop.

 

[hdvision]

NOT to troll.

Those 2 chickens lost were like a dog to a person. Not all of you will understand, it felt like losing a friend!

I am considering killing the raccoon...because I read that when raccoons get a taste, they won't stop coming back. That raccoon got 2 of my hens! And it came back the next night, didn't find any chickens (we moved them in the garage temporarily). And if you release the raccoon, they don't have a hard time coming back to where they were taken from...


OR

Get brutal.. Cut off 1 leg. Scar the raccoon for life, but keep it alive.

I probably won't do the last one, that's just cruel, but I've heard of it.

 

[firedove]

I can totally understand getting very attached to any kind of animal, I've had more than my fair share of connections with animals.

You really should put a ceiling on your coop. Without a top the racoons are only one worry, owls, hawks, and eagles come in from the top too, those last two will do it in broad daylight. It has to be something sturdy like heavy gauge wire fencing or a solid roof. The hawks around here just use their beaks to clip through chicken wire like a can opener. We have 2"x4" wire fencing for the top of our pen. The walls of the pen are made out of the same wire with the bottom 2' covered by corrugated roofing. I still will not leave the coop open to the pen at night because around here we have many small weasel-family creatures that will go right through the 2"x4" wire. We are still trying to come up with a solution to better reinforce the wire and still be able to afford it. I'd much rather have to go out every morning to open the coop than find that something got my chickens in the night.

 

[Grant6411]

buy a gun.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Agreed - just cruel. So let's not put it out there, okay?

Predator-proof your coop.

JJ

 

[ChickenCat]

A few things to consider when you have racoons around...
1. Coons can carry rabies, there have been several in this part of VA.
2. By VA law you cannot relocate wildlife. Diseases are spread that way. I don't know about laws in other states.
3. They are intelligent. Once they find a meal, they will return and return. They have very good skill at puzzles, which your chickens are being kept in. It's a game for them.
Trap it and kill it.

 

[Chauntecleer's Keeper]

racoons cleaned out my entire coop untill I put up a hot wire. Once I did this, it solved my problems. Find a good farm store, and the people there can help you with your electric fence layout. Good luck.

 

[hdvision]

Okay so this is what happened.

My dad remade a chicken coop that is only 5 feet away from our house, the other was like 30 feet away. It is decent size, temporary.

The back is wood (I doubt raccoons can get through solid wood). And the side is slightly sharp chicken wire. And the front is just regular chicken wire.

And the door has a 2 locks that go 2 separate ways (just to make sure the door doesn't flap open randomly).

Can raccoons get through this? I'm sure it could, but could it in 1 night?

Thanks!