Unknown Predator.

[McChooky]

Good investigation. The raccoon won't stop until access is removed (run fixed/secured), the food runs out, or it's forcibly stopped. Even if the run is fixed, it'll come testing for additional weaknesses for a while.

Freaking raccoons. The answer is always freaking raccoons.

This coon will teach its kits to hunt at there and those kits will teach their kits to hunt there as well. It won't get better over time, it'll get worse every year.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good job, jerod, well done! Keep us posted as you get a handle on the situation!

 

[McChooky]

View attachment 3193232

Keeping a game camera on it helps identify predators but doesn't prevent them dying

 

[McChooky]

First got a find out how it was getting in. The trail camera didn’t show.

How many has it killed now?

 

[ashcons]

How many has it killed now?

From OP's math, friend started with 15, lost 10, then after OP found the hole, apparently friend didn't fix it. OP put up game cam that night and caught a picture of the raccoon with another dead chicken, so it appears that friend has lost 11 to this raccoon so far.

I'm excited to hear @jnicholes' account of how camping out to ambush the bandit went last night. Camping out in this heat during mosquito sounds pretty miserable, but hopefully they fixed the weakness in the run fencing last night and prevented more chicken deaths and ended the bandit.

 

[jnicholes]

I did get a shot off, and I scared it off last night, but I don’t think it’s permanent.

I missed.

 

[ashcons]

Well that's too bad. Did your friend fix the run? You're right about the raccoon not being scared off permanently. Even if you had shot it, it would be replaced at your friend's free chicken buffet.

 

[jnicholes]

Well that's too bad. Did your friend fix the run? You're right about the raccoon not being scared off permanently. Even if you had shot it, it would be replaced at your friend's free chicken buffet.

I believe she’s fixing the run as we speak.

 

[jnicholes]

Now that I am less busy, here’s what happened last night.

I was sitting down outside the coop, with a lantern set up in the chicken coop to spot intruders. One of the skunks showed up around 10:00-10:30. I fired a shot at it, and missed. The skunk ran off.

At 11:30, I realized I needed to find a way to see my gun sight in the dark. I was getting tired, and no raccoon was showing up, so I went home.

Bad idea. They lost another hen.

I feel bad. Even though they are responsible for keeping their coop secure from predators, I feel bad that I didn’t stop the raccoon.

Anyway, I did fix my gun sight problem, so I can try again tonight. All I needed was my muzzleloader, a flashlight with high power, and the handyman’s secret weapon, duck tape.

I’m going to see if I can try again tonight. My friends husband may join me.

As soon as we figure out how this raccoon is getting in, we will eliminate the raccoon, then fix it.

Jared

 

[McChooky]

From OP's math, friend started with 15, lost 10, then after OP found the hole, apparently friend didn't fix it. OP put up game cam that night and caught a picture of the raccoon with another dead chicken, so it appears that friend has lost 11 to this raccoon so far.

I'm excited to hear @jnicholes' account of how camping out to ambush the bandit went last night. Camping out in this heat during mosquito sounds pretty miserable, but hopefully they fixed the weakness in the run fencing last night and prevented more chicken deaths and ended the bandit.

Thanks!