will chickens be stressed or unhappy in a structure that used to have lots of raccoon activity?

[elmwoodchickens]

Hi,
I am thinking about converting an old play fort into our first coop. It has not been used for years, and has lots of chew marks around windows and on other wood. I am pretty sure that this is from raccoons. I have not seen any raccoons since we moved in, maybe because we have an energetic dog.

I am committed to fixing all the damage, and making it predator-proof, I am just worried that the old raccoon smells will stress out the birds.

Any advice?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Folly's place]

Not a problem that way, BUT make sure you clean it as well as possible, especially if there's raccoon poo. Wear gloves and a mask! Otherwise, should be great. Dispose of raccoon poo in the trash , don't spread it on your property. Ugh! Mary