Whole new racoon issue

[pixiechick]

I'm farm-sitting for my mom, and noticed that our donkeys' water trough inexplicably nasty. From what I can tell racoons are getting in there and using it for their own personally toilet. Tonight, I've got a radio blasting out there to try to scare'em off. Any suggestions for how to keep them out?

 

[CritterHill]

I have no idea... I just sat 2 feet from 2 raccoons on my porch with only the screen door between us. My DH and I sat, literally, 2 FEET from 2 raccoons as they finished off the leftover cat food. We sat and had a conversation and apart from the occasional glance, they did not care.

Good luck, I have no advice. Only pessimism.

 

[prariechiken]

Be careful all...raccoons can carry diseases that can infect your pets. We have disposed of some with distemper before, they were so sick they came up to our house in broad daylight, snarling and sick. We "remove" all raccoons from our area whenever we get a chance...sad, but had a couple decimate our flock a few years back. Went from about 40 birds to 7 in three weeks. They were chewing through 1/2 inch plywood, tearing through poultry wire and 2x4 wire, and digging under pens. Wasn't until we trapped a huge boar that the raids stopped. Most destruction I have ever seen varmits do.....

 

[LynneP]

Raccoons use water to dunk their food, even dismembered chicken, so poor donkeys! (Salmonella)

Sorry it's difficult, and I think this particular predator problem is going to require removal of the beasts or (ugh) something more final...

 

[Wraith]

Anything from a .22 on up should suffice...just don't miss.

 

[lovemychicks9]

I second that idea. I believe the only good wild coon is a dead one.

 

[RockyRooster]

I have a six foot high fence around my flight area. One night my chickens started giving their warning call and I looked outside just in time to see a huge raccoon flip over the top of the fence and jump inside. I watched it gorge itself on corn for twenty minutes, climb back over the fence, and take off. The next day My son and I installed an electric fence on top of the original fence. The charged wire stands on insulators about six inches above the top of the fence. Didn't hear anything that night. The following evening all the hens started screaming again. There he was again, climbing to the top. He tried to squeeze between the top of the fence and the "hot" wire and took one hell of a hit. He shook the whole fence, screamed, fell into the bushes, and climbed right back up again. This time he went over the top and pulled the hot wire down, causing a heck of a spark flash as it grounded itself to the steel posts. By the time I got dressed and ran outside it must have gone over once more, because it was gone. Talk about stressed out chickens. They carried on all night. They weren't really in danger. They were locked in the pens within the fenced area. Have not seen the raccoon in two weeks. Good!

 

[CritterHill]

*Mental note* start pricing electric fencing...

 

[mmajw]

How good is your aim and what type of bullets do you have????

 

[morelcabin]

We had a coon after our chickens once...our dog chased it up a tree and my neighbor came and shot it for us.