Very Stubborn / Persistent Raccoons... Need new Ideas

[smedly9921]

Ok So i am not new to this chicken thing but over the last two weeks i have lots almost 10 chickens to raccoons. Before that i was a good year with out a raccoon loss. I have three large coops with three separate runs. The middle coop and run is the oldest of my coops and that is were the problems are. They are making a new way in every night. I spent 6 hours last Saturday reinforcing the existing fence rebuilding most of the structure and tightening up the ship as they say. In addition i have 3 traps set. I have got nothing in the traps. They are getting smart. Over the years i have killed well over 200 raccoons. Now i get one a week before this month i would get one a day. So i would like to know what you all do to keep these animals away.

I have tried tying down the food in the trap so that they have to struggle to get to the food to make them trip the trap since that no raccoons. With out tying down the food they get in and get out with out tripping the trap. Would love some ideas here.

Have any of you used the solar power electric fencing. Is it worth the money.

If i am going to invest in automatic doors what should i look for in the door. Right now to keep them from getting my chickens I go out around 9 pm and block the door with wood and cinder blocks, then at 6 am I remove the blockage. That is getting old quick. At least I am not losing any more chickens.

Again i am not new to this but i have never had raccoon problem like this. My guess is it is just one really smart raccoon. If i kill it my problems are over. Who knows. This is getting bad. I plan on sitting out tonight with my gun and a flash light and killing first hand but obviously i cannot do this every night.

Lay it on me people. I need good ideas. Stuff i have not thought about or read about. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The duke dogproof leg traps work much better than cage traps for coons. In fact, they're specifically designed for coons.
http://www.flemingtraps.com/dp-coon-traps.html

A large conibear trap may work too.

http://www.flemingtraps.com/duke-220-body-t.html

They're both very hard to set so I recommend getting a set tool as well.

You also don't know what time of night they'll show up. Sometimes it's at dusk, sometimes midnight, sometimes close to dawn. The hit me just before dawn this morning. Mink have been really bad here too.

 

[Sylviaanne]

This has not been a very good day for me, although it has had it's high spots.

This morning I found our cats and kittens eating one of my Cornish Cross hens. Where they were eating her was where I saw her sleeping last night in the run.

My husband picked her up and her neck was all bloody. I don't know what did this and I'm hoping someone can tell me. BTW, it wasn't the cats and kittens, they don't bother anything too big to get through the chain link fence and I don't put them out or let them run free until they are too big to get through the chain link. Whatever it was, also got one of my 2 month old chicks.

I am assuming from what I have been reading that it was probably a raccoon? Reached through the fence and broke her neck?

The next thing that happened along this line was that I have a tall free standing dog pen that I was using to block the door to the coop as I was working and it fell over, killing one of the 2 month old chicks.

If it weren't for the excitement of eggs hatching and having to go pick up some Silkie eggs, I'd just go back to bed and hide.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Are you sure it's not a fox? Raccoons are relatively easy to catch in cages. Like you said you have caught a bunch. Once they commit to the bait they are usually caught. A fox will go in and even if the door shuts on it's back the animal is able to back out and lift the door back up. They make cages with washers as a locking mechanism that slide down. Once the door is tripped it isn't going back up and will force the animal to turn around and try something else to get out usually resulting in a catch. Check out a trapping supply place. Please do not set a conibear ( body gripping trap) on land unless you absolutely know what you are doing. Whatever gets into it will be dead. Although foxes aren't easy to catch in cages

 

[thomasboyle]

My tried and true raccoon bait is 5-6 large marshmallows stuffed in an empty tuna can that is zip tied to the bottom of the cage trap. The coons can't resist them and get caught all day long.



I also have an electric net fence setup around the chicken yard, and a motion sensor camera. Before the fence I had coons every night coming around the coop. After the fence I have yet to see anything inside the chicken yard except chickens. My fence is plugged in, using an extension cord so I can't comment about solar chargers.

 

[welasharon]

I build my pens either out of all hardware cloth or I use 2x4 fencing with hardware cloth on the bottom two feet and put hardware cloth aprons around the ground around all the pens. I have not lost any to predators nor do I trap. In fact I have an occasional possum that comes on the porch to eat leftover cat food. I find preventing access to the birds is easier than trying to eliminate predators. I live in a rural area and there is no end to the wildlife.

 

[RonP]

I build my pens either out of all hardware cloth or I use 2x4 fencing with hardware cloth on the bottom two feet and put hardware cloth aprons around the ground around all the pens. I have not lost any to predators nor do I trap. In fact I have an occasional possum that comes on the porch to eat leftover cat food. I find preventing access to the birds is easier than trying to eliminate predators. I live in a rural area and there is no end to the wildlife.

Same here, except for the opossum, I do not like opossum, they like my birds...

Build a structure strong enough to withstand your worst predator, and sleep soundly...

 

[johnderosa1]

Ok So i am not new to this chicken thing but over the last two weeks i have lots almost 10 chickens to raccoons. Before that i was a good year with out a raccoon loss. I have three large coops with three separate runs. The middle coop and run is the oldest of my coops and that is were the problems are. They are making a new way in every night. I spent 6 hours last Saturday reinforcing the existing fence rebuilding most of the structure and tightening up the ship as they say. In addition i have 3 traps set. I have got nothing in the traps. They are getting smart. Over the years i have killed well over 200 raccoons. Now i get one a week before this month i would get one a day.  So i would like to know what you all do to keep these animals away. 

I have tried tying down the food in the trap so that they have to struggle to get to the food to make them trip the trap since that no raccoons. With out tying down the food they get in and get out with out tripping the trap. Would love some ideas here.

Have any of you used the solar power electric fencing. Is it worth the money. 

If i am going to invest in automatic doors what should i look for in the door. Right now to keep them from getting my chickens I go out around 9 pm and block the door with wood and cinder blocks, then at 6 am I remove the blockage. That is getting old quick. At least I am not losing any more chickens. 

Again i am not new to this but i have never had raccoon problem like this. My guess is it is just one really smart raccoon. If i kill it my problems are over. Who knows. This is getting bad. I plan on sitting out tonight with my gun and a flash light and killing first hand but obviously i cannot do this every night.

Lay it on me people. I need good ideas. Stuff i have not thought about or read about. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  

Wow thats alot of raccoons! We have plenty here and i had some losses early on. We also have weasels, mink, possums, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bears.... I started out by putting up a metal hex deer fence around my orchard area and chicken area and while it stopped most of the critters, raccoons climbed over and dug under it in several places. The bears were also "probing" the fence and it was just a matter of time before one of them tore down a section. After thinking about my options i went to TS and purchased the strongest solar powered charger available and added two strands of wire around the perimeter. Its been a year and as far as I can tell its been 100% effective without a single breach. I dont even get squirrels in the protected area. This two layered barrier is definitely a great way to keep your area predator free but pretty pricey. I think you can build a very effective barrier with just the electric strands by adding several additional wires. I would consider getting a plug in charger to avoid having to worry if your batteries are charged. I have a small solar charger separate from my fence system (battery) that keeps it charged for a few weeks but have to charge the batteries inside every once in a while. I am not sure that you could avoid this with a system that incorporates the charger upfront. I went with the DC only system because it was much more powerful than the dedicated solar units available. There is a bit of maintenance with an electric fence - checking for grounds, keeping vegetation clear, etc but for me it has been the perfect solution. One added benefit is that a have a safe zone for my 3 year old to play in. It was always a concern since she loves going outside. Not only is she safe from the larger critters but I dont have too worry about things like raccoon roundworm, etc. now if I could find a way to keep mice, voles and chipmunks out, maybe i wouldnt have to worry about deer ticks... Go with the electric fence. If installed and maintained properly, you wont be disappointed.

 

[DivinRush]

Raccoons are getting smarter and they are finding way out of the traps and way in to our garbage and any other possible food sources. I tried so many methods and few traps too but no use, they just keep coming back. Finally I've taken assistance of Hawkeye Birds & Animals Control Specialists to get rid of these dacoits from our locality.

 

[tcstoehr]

I build my pens either out of all hardware cloth or I use 2x4 fencing with hardware cloth on the bottom two feet and put hardware cloth aprons around the ground around all the pens. I have not lost any to predators nor do I trap. In fact I have an occasional possum that comes on the porch to eat leftover cat food. I find preventing access to the birds is easier than trying to eliminate predators. I live in a rural area and there is no end to the wildlife.

Agreed!