Should I be worried about raccoons?

[happyfeet456]

My chickens free range in my yard during the daytime, can I let them free range at night as well? My chickens put themselves to bed in their cage at night, and all I have to do is lock it up after they go in, but lately I’ve been wondering if it is ok for me to leave the cage unlocked, as I wake up pretty late nowadays (not early enough to release them after the wake up). I live in the sub urb, so nothing too wild like hawks or foxes, but people I know do say they have a problem with raccoons. I personally have not seen raccoons, nor have I seen signs of them (garbage bin intact, crops intact). I don’t know if these signs (or lack of signs rather) are enough evidence for me to say that I don’t have raccoons in the area. What do you guys think?

 

[TheOddOneOut]

My chickens free range in my yard during the daytime, can I let them free range at night as well? My chickens put themselves to bed in their cage at night, and all I have to do is lock it up after they go in, but lately I’ve been wondering if it is ok for me to leave the cage unlocked, as I wake up pretty late nowadays (not early enough to release them after the wake up). I live in the sub urb, so nothing too wild like hawks or foxes, but people I know do say they have a problem with raccoons. I personally have not seen raccoons, nor have I seen signs of them (garbage bin intact, crops intact). I don’t know if these signs (or lack of signs rather) are enough evidence for me to say that I don’t have raccoons in the area. What do you guys think?

NO. Lock up the coop, or you’re gonna wake up to dead birds.

 

[50-45-1]

Chickens dont "free range" at night.
They go to roost and are unmoving until morning light.
Leaving the door unlocked puts your birds at great risk, and has no benifit side EXCEPT you get to sleep in longer.
Maybe look into an auto door. Some folks like them.
Chickens are defenseless at night. And to be honest there only defence during the day is run and hide.
Remember, everything eats chicken.

 

[BonNuit]

I live in the suburbs -- nice middle income area. I am literally 1/4 mile from the mall, major shopping districts and the hospital -- just to give you an idea. Never thought I had anything other than squirrels, birds and a "few raccoons" --

Since having cameras up, and being vigilant since I have chickens, I've learnt that we have coyotes (huge eastern coyotes), fox, skunks, weasels, opossums, red-tailed hawks, eagles, owls, rat snakes, a feral dog pack that wanders, and raccoons that are huge in large numbers -- they ALL WANT TO EAT MY FLUFFY BUTTS.

I know you already saw proof of raccoons -- but I also would encourage you to put aside any thought that other predators aren't a worry because you are in an urban/suburban setting. I was shocked at how much was going on that I had no idea of just because I didn't "see them."

 

[keesmom]

My chickens free range in my yard during the daytime, can I let them free range at night as well? My chickens put themselves to bed in their cage at night, and all I have to do is lock it up after they go in, but lately I’ve been wondering if it is ok for me to leave the cage unlocked, as I wake up pretty late nowadays (not early enough to release them after the wake up). I live in the sub urb, so nothing too wild like hawks or foxes, but people I know do say they have a problem with raccoons. I personally have not seen raccoons, nor have I seen signs of them (garbage bin intact, crops intact). I don’t know if these signs (or lack of signs rather) are enough evidence for me to say that I don’t have raccoons in the area. What do you guys think?

Raccoons, skunks, opossums, hawks, owls, foxes and coyotes can all be found in suburban areas, and even urban areas. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there.

What kind of cage are they in at night? A wire cage, or a sturdy coop? A wire cage will not protect them from predators. Raccoons will just reach through the cage and kill them.

 

[mscallisto]

They love the sewers, under sheds, in dense brush, in your attic, just about anywhere they can fit. And you can bet there's at least 5 more to the 1 you see.

 

[jreardon1918]

Just saw this bugger lurking last night. It was just probing. Did not get through the apron into the run. First time we have seen raccoons in years. Knew they were around, just have the cameras in the right place.

Check your defenses regularly, just like the predators.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

My chickens free range in my yard during the daytime, can I let them free range at night as well? My chickens put themselves to bed in their cage at night, and all I have to do is lock it up after they go in, but lately I’ve been wondering if it is ok for me to leave the cage unlocked, as I wake up pretty late nowadays (not early enough to release them after the wake up). I live in the sub urb, so nothing too wild like hawks or foxes, but people I know do say they have a problem with raccoons. I personally have not seen raccoons, nor have I seen signs of them (garbage bin intact, crops intact). I don’t know if these signs (or lack of signs rather) are enough evidence for me to say that I don’t have raccoons in the area. What do you guys think?

Always lock them up at night and worry about predators. Raccoons are there. More coons populate the suburbs and cities than rural areas now. That is a fact. Dogs are another predator to be aware of. This is dogs that are both friendly and stray that you know about and don’t know about but they are there whether you have seen them or not. Cats both wild and stray are another problem. I can go on and on. Then there are possums, and they are there for sure and they kill and eat chickens. Chickens are on everyone’s menus. Then there are the two legged predators that you know and don’t know who will steal your chickens out of spite and out of desperation. It is getting closer and closer to winter time. Winter time means lean times. We have had a very hard lean year for many people whether the ones you know and don’t know so well around you have expressed it to you or not. The closer it gets to Christmas time and the end of the year the more desperate people become. Lock up and put up your chickens. People will steal your chickens. If you value your chickens at all lock them up. I live in a rural town and in town four houses down from the police station and fire department. My hens are inside a fenced in chain link fence and they are in a locked run during the day and at night that run is locked the fence they are in is locked and the coop inside the locked run is also locked. I have three Swedish Flower Hens that were a nice chunk of change, three Creme Legbars, and three Black: Lavender Orpingtons, the nine in all were around $180 from Meyer Hatchery in May of this year. That’s a lot for nine chicks a day old. They have been healthy but I do not want them stolen or hurt. I keep them locked up for their safety and to keep my investment safe and healthy. My girls are 18 weeks old and not at POL yet so I have not gotten a return on my investment yet either. My girls mean a great deal to me anyway. I raised them in my house for 12 weeks due to the excessive heat we had in MS. They know my two little dogs by name and that they won’t hurt them. They will peck the crap out of them if they tried but they don’t. These predators and I left out one really significant one that is there for sure - COYOTES. I had three come to the gate of my nice chain link fence to see if their was any doggie food before I had chickens. The coon came up on my screened in porch and tried to open my laundry room door to get to my chicks when they were about six weeks old. He could smell them and hear them. The coons were living in a tree in my backyard and I had the chicks sunning in my back porch for a few hours that afternoon while I cleaned their brooder setup. So he came to try to get some of them that night. He knocked over a pot and my dog heard him and smelled him and alerted me to his presence. We chased him all over our yard with a 22. Rifle but my husband couldn’t take a safe shot so he lived to see other days. My dear please protect your birds and never let them free range in the city at night. Also remember. Cars and traffic is also the worst danger indeed. We also live where peregrine falcons have never flown and habituated this far South from the MS River. However, our town has a family of them. There are six of them. Times are changing. Weather patterns are different. The continent(s) in several parts of the world not usually on fire are burning and having flooding, earthquakes, and landslides. There are hurricanes and tropical storms one right after another. In our area we have stopped having Tornadic weather like we usually have in the higher percentages in the past for tornado alley where I live and have lived all my life and this is causing wildlife to move around to different regions to find homes not only from where man has populated and caused them to have to shift around but the weather that’s affecting the environment. If all this information will not cause you to lock up your chickens I do not know what will.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

They love the sewers, under sheds, in dense brush, in your attic, just about anywhere they can fit. And you can bet there's at least 5 more to the 1 you see.

They follow the town drain pipes in our town. One night earlier this year when our chicks were about 7 or 8 weeks old I had them outside on our screened in porch off of our laundry room for the afternoon while I cleaned their brooder pen in the house inside the laundry room. Well that night not long after we had gone to bed maybe an hour we hear a clang and our door knob being messed with but our security alarm did not go off because the lock was not completely disengaged. However my husband had heard the ruckus sooner than I for once as well as my dog. I was exhausted from the heat that day and had passed out. It turns out the culprit was a boar coon larger than our two dogs out together trying to get inside and get to my chicks. Now that is ballsy. My husband grabbed his 22. Rifle and I grabbed my 38. I didn’t know what or who was trying to break in but he chased him around our backyard but couldn’t get a safe shot in our neighborhood. It is rural but not that rural for a small town. They are obnoxious and not scared of anything. I have had three huge coyotes that came to our back gate which weren’t that brave to come I. And climb up the 12 stairs over our in ground pool and up to our porch door.

 

[happyfeet456]

Nvm, got my answer, this huge ass raccoon tried to eat my chickens. Good thing I saw it in times.