So sick of this Help please

[horseyjess]

Ok HELP I do beleive we have a rotten Smart Coon on our hands!! It has been eating my kids 4-H chickens. This week we have lost 1 silkie 1 Showgirl 1 Braham 2 Dark Cornish and 1 EE also 1 beautiful Silver laced polish pullett. They found a loose place in the coop wire, fixed that set a trap then found a way to get into our "Chicken hospital" Cage UNDERNEATH MY BEDROOM WINDOW. Then Pulled the 2 pulletts (silkie and poish) through about 4 inch gaps in wood boards so we put wire over the boarded side of the coop. The trap has been set have used chicken (from the store) then we used the left over chickens from the night before and have used cat food. The sucker wont go in. It keeps trying to get them through the chicken wire and feathers are all over the barn hallway!!! HELP WHAT CAN I DO I AM GOING COON CRAZY HERE

My poor kids have lost 4 show chickens now this week alone.....

 

[Overeasyplz]

Can you take the birds elsewhere, put up all your cats, and then bait the catch-em-alive trap with wet cat food? That's how we used to do it in Oregon, rotten coon killed 17 hens in ONE NIGHT. Since there were no more birds to eat, he went for the cat food in the trap and then we dispatched him.

 

[KKatknap]

Probably wouldn't work in a freezing area, but I see you are in Florida...

I don't know if your feed store has any of these in the middle of winter, but when I had a raccoon problem in my fish pond, I bought a couple of "scarecrow" sprinklers. They are motion detector sprinklers. I actually watched them foil three raccoons at 2am. As soon as they enter the detection field, the rainbird sprinkler sets off a burst for @ 3 seconds. With 2 of them, they confused the raccoons and they eventually left.

I lived in town at the time, so shooting them was out of the question. With the "scarecrow" sprinklers, I didn't lose anymore koi the whole time I lived there. I have not tried them with my chickens, because they are in a secure tractor...but I plan on setting them up in the spring when they are in their new coop.

If you live in a rural area, the sprinkler, at the very least, would wake you (depending on how heavy a sleeper you are), and you could shoot the raccoon...assuming you are interested in doing that at this point.

 

[kman]

try baiting your traps with sardines or another type of fish, they love sardines pour the juice down behind the live trap trigger plate, then place the whole can lid off of course behind the trigger plate( try to place it as far from the sides as possible) this should do it for you.

 

[horseyjess]

Quote:
Yeah we are in a rural area and the barn is about 100 feet or more from the house so I am thinking I wouldnt hear sprinklers. Yeah the coon is as good as dead it has managed to get almost all of our "favorate" chickens.

Also moving everyone wouldnt work. I have two coops and no where to put everyone. I mean our numbers are lower but I still have 30 Chickens or so 3 Gunieas and peacock . I cant mix both coops as the second coop is younger and the kids show chickens and my egg layers seem to like to peck all of the butts on these guys

 

[horseyjess]

Quote:
Sounds like tomorrows bait if tonights cat food doesnt work!!

 

[KKatknap]

Hope the trap works!!

Guess I was thinking more about the coop under your window. You're right - probably wouldn't be as easy to hear that far away!

Can you hot wire your coops? That's the other thing I have around the new coop.

 

[spectrumranch]

Quote:
Sounds like someone relocated a trapped coon! Once they have been trapped and released it is hard to get them to enter a trap again. Usally they return home if relaeased within 10 miles, but it could be one that a neighbor caught and then let go- so now maybe hard to get in a livetrap again.

I talked with a person this summer that mixed Mt Dew or Coke with Golden Marlin fly bait in a saucer and that killed the coons raiding there sweet corn patch.

 

[JP33]

Quote:
I really like the aforementioned idea but you replied you can't move them. What about revising your coop so there is absolutely no way for the coon to get in. Then baiting should do the trick. Even if it means using other materials such as wood, sheetmetal, etc... at least temporarily until you catch the coon/coons?

Then, once the coast is clear you may need to revamp your set up to keep coons/other varments out on a permanent basis.

I believe your main problem is that they can get in, you will have to fix that.


...JP

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Yup. You won't be loosing chickens if you keep them in a SECURE coop. My first advice would be to fix the coop.

There should be NO holes less than 1/2" hardware cloth anywhere that a chicken could be pulled through (ground level, roost level, etc.). DO not use chicken wire anywhere as predator protection - it's too flimsy!!!!! Any other holes shouldn't be bigger than welded wire (2" x 4") or go smaller if you can afford it - they do sell 2"x2" fence. You need a skirt along the ground to keep the raccoons from digging in - mine is as simple as welded wire fence laid on the ground 2 feet around the coop.

If there's no other food (your chickens) then the raccoon is more likely to slip up and go in the trap. Use smelly treats, like sardines, tunafish, wet or dry cat food, bacon, etc. since it looks like you're dealing with a seasoned veteran.