Stupid Raccoons!

[teach1rusl]

Oh...speaking of cayenne pepper - there's a product called Critter Ridder that's heavily pepper based, in granular and spray form. It's supposed to work w/critters like coons. I know it works well for dogs/cats - they really avoid it.
I've had a chicken shut out when I waited too long in the season to adjust the timer (days were getting longer). But I always check on my birds each evening anyhow just to make sure everything's secure, so no harm.

 

[muslw4]

Zaxby's2 :

Oh boy. I'm getting rid of my two labs because they started killing our chickens and the neighbor's but I'm thinking that as soon as the dogs are gone the raccoons will strike. Although they were a threat to the chickens, they kept away other predators, and now that they'll be gone soon I'm getting worried. Will raccoons be a constant threat? I live in the country so I know they're probably around. How do I stop them? As just a temporary thing, will a fake owl scare a raccoon away? My chicken run is under trees so a raccoon could get into the run but I'm hoping I can secure the coop. Do raccoons attack during the day? Will they be an every night pest or just every now and then I get one that we have to kill? Thanks!

I'm sorry you need to get rid of your dogs.
If I might suggest, that is if you really want a dog, an english shepherd is one of the best dogs to have around livestock. They are an older breed, some say traces back to Roman times. They were used as foundation stock for border collies and australian shepherds. The English Shep club does not want AKC to recconize them so they are a dieing breed. Our ES have been great around livestock, ie. baby goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, etc. They are bred to herd and guard mostly. We'be had five over the years and never had a problem with them killing livestock. A couple have even helped with chickens. They would help catch them by putting their paw on them and holding them to the ground until we could scoop them up. Never hurting them. My parents ES helps my mother round up her ducks at night and gets them back into their pen. Great dogs although a warning. Some unaltered males can get too protective and aggressive with strangers. If you live in the country this might not be a bad thing. We've never had a problem with people breaking into our buildings but several neighbors have. And some ES like to herd small children so really need to watch them for that. Otherwise, they are great dogs. Always alert to predators. Although a large coon has really challenged our 80 lbs ES. Darn coons.

I have trouble with coons every now and then but sometimes if a coon is really looking for food, like winter, they can be a pest every night. My neighbors across the road have nice large trees the coons live in. The neighbor thinks they are cute so won't let her boyfriend shoot them. So, I know they are always close.

ES have nice thick hair, so in the winter as long as it's not too cold they are ok outside with a dog house. SO i'm leaving my ES in the enclosure where the rabbits and soon to be chickens are kept. I haven't had coon trouble since I've been doing that. THe dogs will start barking and by the time I get outside all is quiet again. So not sure if it's coons they are riled about or what, but they take care of whatever it is.

Good luck.​

 

[patricium]

I like the motion sensing light idea. Even if it doesn't scare the coon off, it would alert me to it's presence. There is actually an electrical box a few yards from the coop (for backyard landscaping lights) so it would be an easy install. Again, it's not a complete solution but perhaps another tool in my arsenal.

We found a wireless motion sensing alarm/switch recently at Home Depot. The sensor is outside at the coop, and inside there's a box that plugs into an outlet. When the sensor is tripped, the box beeps and turn on whatever's plugged in to it (presumably a light). The range is not great - it works for about 30 feet through one wall in our case. But it's useful for those 3am visits where you might not notice the backyard light coming on. We've had it for 3 days, so no opinions on the durability yet.​

 

[EncinoMan]

Quote:
Thanks for the suggestion. I installed a motion sensor light on the coop itself, but I like your idea as well. Maybe plug a radio into it, tuned to a talk station so the coon hears some voices. I also tried liberally dusting the area with cayenne.

I've been watching like a hawk all week, pellet gun at the ready, until 1:00 or so in the morning and haven't seen any "visitors." Still, I just found I have to work late tonight and probably won't make it home in time to shut the pop door by sunset. Hopefully I can reach a friend or neighbor. Not that the run isn't secure...just not as secure as the coop.

 

[patricium]

Our wireless motion detector switch is still working. (Since a couple of the motion detector lights I bought died after 2-3 days, that's worth mentioning. ;-) I can confirm that it will detect a bantam hen at 8 feet. We have it set up under the eaves of the run, pointing out so it catches the perimeter. We've discovered a stray cat that seem to make rounds once or twice a week at midnight. Last night it went off at 3am and I went out and chased off a raccoon. It does seem to get some false alarms when it's hot and breezy, but I have it set to maximum sensitivity.

I just discovered motion-activated sprinklers on Amazon. The reviewers are happy with them, mentioning that they are effective for raccoons, cats, deer, etc. I wish it would work for my setup, but we have no outdoor faucets. It seems like a really good idea - not dangerous, just a deterrent, so suitable for residential areas too.

 

[Tylt33]

Encinoman,

We had a similar situation. Middle of the city, no sightings of raccoons in three years of chicken ownership. One night we had a miscommunication (chickens got locked out) and a raccoon got one of our chickens- I caught it in the act. Our plan was:

1. Live traps.
2. Locks on all doors.
3. Niteguard night lights.

Since then (6 weeks) there have been no signs of raccoons. I think owner error is the number one cause of chicken loss.

If an electric fence doesn't work for you, look up the "Scarecrow" sprinkler. I've heard that it does the trick.