The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

I don't have a building now that I trust to be secure, including my house. Other than the cellar, where I incubate, I have 9 housing units.

Trying to look on the positive side, I can do a complete overhaul of each building since I have space now. I can work on the automatic doors and trap nests. I think I'll put high security hasps on all the doors with padlocks.
It's hard because I've lost all my oldest breeders. The two breeding age cockerels are under a year old. Again, on the positive side, one was the largest male and the other is the best example of the breed.

my smell is on everything around here, even the places they pry.

I have a hav-a-hart live trap that only catches cubs and a dog proof leg trap that works well for adult coons. I think I'm going to invest in a couple more of those. Hell, I may even acquire a taste for raccoon. I know my chickens relish the flavor.
I'm using peanut butter in the hav-a-hart and canned mackerel in the leg trap. I'm going to make sure every building that still has chickens in fort knox today and make sure that all grain and feed are out of reach so the traps are the only food available. However, I have lots of fruits and vegetables ripening so they still have stuff to eat, not to mention all the neighbors' garbage cans.

I have a coon problem every year. I hadn't lost a bird in over a year to anything but the neighbor's dogs. I just have to be more diligent.

CC I am so sorry! How horrible.
Just a thought, what about putting some hardware cloth on the buildings as far as the coons can reach so they can't get back in the buildings?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

All openings have well secured hardware cloth. I didn't expect to (nor have I ever had to ) cover wooden walls with hardware cloth.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There's a plus side to ordinances. A 100 sq. ft. maximum before needing a permit has forced me to build many smaller breeder houses. It works well for broody apartments and quarantine areas as well. In this case, it saved a couple of my flocks. If they were all in one building it would have been even more devastating.

 

[bamadude]

All openings have well secured hardware cloth. I didn't expect to (nor have I ever had to ) cover wooden walls with hardware cloth.

sorry to hear about ur losses. Have u thought about electric fencing around the perimeter?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've thought about it but there isn't really a perimeter. I went out to close up one evening and there were 3 raccoons coming down the trees onto the roof of a coop. Almost the entire property has a tree canopy and virtually every coop is accessible from that canopy.
I really appreciate suggestions but this is my fault which is why I don't want sympathy. One gets complacent when they don't lose animals for a year or more. It doesn't mean predators aren't there. It's just hard to accept that I lose so many mature birds in 2 nights.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

OK. This is going to seem quite macabre to most of you. If you have a weak stomach, don't read further.

I'm cutting out mature fertile eggs from the carcasses and grilling the remains to kill the maggots/bacteria and feed the meat back to the chickens.

I'm not one to waste anything.

 

[bamadude]

May i sugges the H&R 12 guage single shot pardner shotgun. I got mine for $200 at gander mountain. 25 rounds of 2 3/4" game load shells cost $6. Also a good spotlight. It kicks like a mule but will dissolve a raccoon. I put the slip on limbsaver recoil pad on mine and it helps.

 

[ronott1]

May i sugges the H&R 12 guage single shot pardner shotgun. I got mine for $200 at gander mountain. 25 rounds of 2 3/4" game load shells cost $6. Also a good spotlight. It kicks like a mule but will dissolve a raccoon. I put the slip on limbsaver recoil pad on mine and it helps.

SCG mentioned some type of 22 that was silent and was for killing rats. I wonder if it would work for coons?

 

[bamadude]

A .22 lr or a .22magnum can take down deer with a perfect shot. The problem with .22 currently is finding ammo. U can pay $200 for a .22 and go on the waiting list for ammo, or get a 12 guage for the same price. 12 guage ammo is cheap and plentiful. And with a shotgun u never need a perfect shot unless using a slug.

 

[Pozees]

Pretty sure CC lives in town, so I imagine a shotgun would not be an option. I may be wrong, often am

I had no idea raccoons could pry off siding, I find that terrifying.I'd want to wrap the entire structure in hardware cloth and electrify it!