Screaming raccooons

[zengrrl]

Dh and I worked all weekend to try to get our coop finished up. Everything seems secure, we put up welded wire fence acrross the top where it would be open rafters and it butts up against a drop ceiling type of material. When I got up in the rafters to staple this welded fencing down, I saw large piles of poo on top of this drop ceiling.... Dh said like bat poop, no like dog poop. I'm guessing that when the rotting walls were in tact, raccoons nested up in the rafters of this building. Eeeeeeek! I didn't have enough sand so I knew they weren't staying in last night but this totally freaked me out. The walls are replaced and there should be no way for coons to scale sheer walls but what if?

Then it gets worse...
in the middle of the night I'm awaken by the worst shrieking, screaming, growling blood curling noises I've ever heard. Dh and I are standing on the deck trying to figure out what it could be. It sounds like something that eats chickens. I'm taking it as a warning. Omg - my poor birds are never leaving my garage at this rate. I've come all this way with babies up to 4 months and how can I bring myself to walk every morning not knowing what I'm going to find? I'll need daily xanax!~

So needless to say, before I can even consider putting my birds in there the welded wire fencing will cover the entire ceiling. Can a raccoon get though. that? Dh said I could always test it out and put my rooster in there to see if he survives ~~~

I'll get some pics hopefully tomorrow?

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Could have been a Screech Owl..coons squallering or a baby rabbit being killed. Thats a nightly sound around here.

 

[benjoycei]

Sasquatch!

 

[Kikiriki]

Raccoons make a kind of trilling sound, even when they are fighting. High pitched and hissing. Cats are more screechy and yowling. You can do a search for sounds to listen to and compare, including owls.

 

[zengrrl]

I have to admit, I checked youtube and vicious raccoon fight is exactly what I was hearing. They truly are vivious beasts! Maybe they were eating the groundhogs? I didn't notice the 2 around the yard that live under the shed?

 

[WillieBoy]

Double, even triple staple that welded wire with 3/4-1 inch staples....! Raccoons are determined, nasty,smart and pretty strong critters.IMO , when it comes to coons or dogs/coyotes you can never over do it, when securing your poultry...! On top of that i place live traps near my coops.If i catch one that close to my coop, bye bye, rocky raccoon.I don't give them a break at all,they will kill everyone of my hens if they can, so i give them the same treatment, if i catch them messing around near my coops...Good luck...

 

[CoyoteMagic]

You haven't seen vicious until you seen a momma coon going for something that is messing with her babies!!! Those things will gut a dog with their hindlegs and drown one if it's foolish enough to follow it into pond. Line your welded wire with hardware cloth any place a raccoon can reach into. They'll pull your birds through the wire if they can reach them.

 

[aprophet]

when they are fighting over deer ofal they sound like demons fighting , coons growling that is

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Oops I see you found your answer already!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
They also hiss, bark, snarl and growl.