War on raccoons !

[chickendude]

Sorry about your loss. I just declared war on my local coon family. I haven't lost any birds and I don't plan on it either. Here is a picture of one that was captured tried and sentenced to death just this morning.

good luck with the war!

 

[Buster52]

I'm sorry for your loss, and understand how you must feel. Go after the critters, but if you really want to go to war...

Get a good dog.

 

[berkeleysprings]

i had trouble with racoons ..... i used a steel jaw trap and fixed the coop better so the only thing that could break in is a bear. but id like to recomend putting the steel jaw trap on the roof of the coop or like i did on the top of the run (cattle fence roof / run ) because u might get a cat .... they dont walk in the wire roof as much so i put it there . also i use night vision"game camera" thie for deer hunters .they are trigered by motion..
its a good way to see whats walking around your pen in the dark because it takes infa red pics... sorry about my spelling ! that way you know what animal your hunting i used salmon and traped his but and also tie the trap to the fenc or something becaust the coon will walk right off with it

 

[berkeleysprings]

darn coons!

 

[sponytales]

Lost my Rooster, yesterday evening, a little before dark. When he didn't come to his roost in the horse barn last night, and his hens were there, I knew something must have got him. Found him this am, dead down by the pond near a huge dead brush pile and some downed trees from a storm last year. He was partly eaten, guts ripped out, his head was still attached but all the meat gone to the bones. He must have been protecting his 2 hens.
Would a coon do this, in the daylight? Or could it be a red tailed hawk, there are lots of them around here?

 

[stethomps]

Sorry about your loss...I know how you feel. I was loosing a few birds here and there from predators with coons being the prime suspect. But, I got a sheepdog last summer, and now that he is mature he keeps everything away.

Are you sure it is coons? When I was having my coon trouble; I had a near total loss with my OEG. I thought (and still think it might have been???) coons. But then, I shot a coyote 2 days later digging under my Serama Coop; fortunately, they have a concrete block floor. So I did like you; I went to war. I put a solar powered hot wire around my coops, and I set live traps & snares. I bait the live traps with peanutbutter and jelly; The coons think this is delicious, and I even caught a fox in a big live trap with PB&J. But, I kept catching em. Tons of coons, opossiums, 2 skunks, a fox, a small long tailed mink, and coyotes. Since my dog figured it out, I havent lost a bird. Heck, my walnut and hickory trees are even squirell free. Nothing beats a good dog!

 

[stethomps]

Quote:
It could have easily been a hawk. I usually only see hawks after my neighbor cuts hay, then they are all over. I if I see one, I watch them pretty closely. I saw an owl take one of my birds before, but I usually dont find my missing birds, maybe some feathers if I am lucky.

 

[thecochincoop]

get lots of live traps and set them with old chicken breast bones or the dead chickens. I have been using them here and killed a lot of coons. I catch a few cats and an occasional possum but use the live trap because somethimes I get someone's pet and dont want to hurt it. War here started after they got my son's two silkie babies.

 

[deerman]

I use live trap, bait are egg from incubator. only catch coons,skunks,and possum. Have use leg hold trap also. layed out for leg hold traps.



trap



stake & eggs



trap trap

 

[bigdawg]

war has begun. lost another hen last night. two live traps and lots of bait. i am ready for war. i always keep a trap baited, but last night my brother borrowed mine. thats ok he caught is problem coon and i bought another trap today. two is always better than one.