Tragedy in the coop

[cmom]

Only relocate to a grave underground.

Relocation is illegal in most cases... and also inhumane to to drop them off in unknown territory..

Don't trap if you aren't prepared to dispatch.

Sorry for your loss!

E-wire is highly effective and recommended.

I agree. I put a coyote live trap and a smaller one where I had seen the coyote and fox before. Sometimes they will go into a live trap and sometimes they won't. I left mine in the same spot and I think they got used to seeing them there.

 

[Joe1962]

Does this look OK for an electric setup?

 

[cmom]

Touch it. I did mine. It should feel like a bee sting. You will have to see how it works for you. If your coop and run are small for a backyard flock, it should be ok. The solar chargers tolerate little to no weeds touching the wire. The AC chargers can tolerate more. I do use roundup under my wires to keep them grass and weed free. My pens are over a quarter acre (12,000 sq ft). I run 3 wires on one side and the back of my pens. Around the coop side behind the coops I have a single and double wire in spots.

 

[Eggscaping]

I have 4 surviving hens from last year and had 7 new 8 week old chicks in their own area in the coop. I let the adult girls out during the day and leave the little door open for them to come and go. I walked out around 6:30 and my boss hen came running across to yard to me squawking her head off. I when to the coop and seen one chick dead in the run and heard two hens going crazy inside the coop. I closed the door and went back to the house to get the appropriate tools. When I cam back there was a huge she coon in the run. Lets just say I will have no more problems from her. She had gotten into the chick run and killed three. Wounded two others, not sure if they will make it yet. I keep the door open so the can get food and water and lay there eggs. I could only find three of the older hens. I kept whistling for the fourth but she was not to be seen. Finally at about 7:30 she showed up at the coop. I don't want to lock them up.

I want them to be able to forage. I also want to collect their eggs. If I close the door they will lay their eggs outside. I guess keep live traps baited and relocate them when I catch them?

Do not relocate. If you do, here is what you get: 1. A raccoon who is now in a strange, new area that some other raccoon or raccoons have claimed as their territory. Ever hear raccoons fight?
2. A chicken-eating raccoon who is now someone else's problem. Does someone nearby have chickens? Well, now they have a brand new chicken eater.
3. Calling animal control may or may not get results - depending on where you are and your local laws. In our area, animal control is for domestic animals only. They refer you to ODFW - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - who will tell you that you are allowed to trap a raccoon if it's attacking your livestock or pets, but you can only legally release it on state land. In other words, a national or state park. See number one, above. They will say (in our case) that you are allowed to humanely euthanize said raccoon, but you can't discharge a firearm in the city limits and drowning is not considered humane. (note: I tried talking one to death once but it wasn't very effective, hence giving lie to the accusations I've had in the past that I could literally talk someone to death.) I ended up shooting it, and hiding inside the house for an hour hoping no one called the police about a gunshot. Fortunately, the police were busy doing something else that day. Most people if they hear only one gunshot, assume it's a backfire or a firework. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT ANYONE DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL! But I did coughcoughshootthelittlebuggercoughcough.
A raccoon killed our little, elderly, deaf dog in his own back yard one night when he went outside to pee. Since then it's been a 'take no prisoners' policy for us. They're cute out in the woods. In your yard, killing something you love, there is no cuteness there. YMMV.

 

[cmom]

A similar situation happened to us a few years ago. Someone was catching skunks and releasing them in our area. I had a live trap out and in a two week period I caught a skunk nightly in my trap and one night 2 skunks in one trap. A friend of ours who frequented the local doughnut shop overheard some people talking about it. Last year our neighbor behind us let her little dog out one evening to pee and a coyote got a hold of it. It died the next day.

 

[Joe1962]

I did touch it. I even took off my shoos. It gave me a pretty good jolt.

 

[Joe1962]

I am not releasing them. If I catch them they win a free .22 to the head.

 

[cmom]

One thing to remember is that we have 2 legs and most predators have 4 legs/feet on the ground. Years ago when I first put my electric wire up, especially in the spring, I have heard critters test the fence. I think here it is mostly young coyotes that aren't wise to it yet.

 

[cmom]

I have talked to a local wildlife and game officer. He told me I can shoot just about anything on my property because they are not endangered. Even coyotes, who were endangered in the past, now are becoming a problem. Nothing prays on them here. There are people who hunt them but they don't want to deal with less than major acreages in the 1000's. And my neighbor who lost her small dog to a coyote. Here the coyotes are at the top of the predator list followed by fox and bobcats. We do have coons, possums, skunks, hawks, eagles and owls that will prey. Several years ago I lost several birds to an owl. I put up a game camera and caught it in action. I had my first losses in years this past winter and spring, 3 birds. I believe a fox or coyote was responsible. I had seen both on camera.
This is a chick-grow-out coop. I think the coyote was well aware of the electric wire.

 

[Joe1962]

The count is up to 4 Coons dispatched in 4 days. And all big mature animals.