Poultry massacre (coon) how safe are our goats?

[LFRJ]

The title about says it all. Funny thing is, the goats didn't want to go into their shed last night. The doorway has a cattle panel to keep them in, but a raccoon could easily slip over the top. Naturally, the predator went after the low hanging fruit - that being momma duck and her ducklings in an adjacent pen. It (or they) will inevitably return, and when it does, I've got something for it!...but until I can dispatch of the problem, would a raccon take on a full grown/half grown goat?




The perimeter of this area is fenced with cattle panels. Won't stop a coon though. Given the mess, all evidence points to that particular predator, and we've had problems with them before. (I've become a pretty good shot because of em).

Thanks

[Minelson]

I'm so sorry for your loss

[FunnyRiverFarm]

In my experience--and I have a lot of it in this area--NO, the goats are not in danger.

I do take extra precautions when I separate young kids from the adults at night...but if they are with their mommas no coon in its right mind will bother them.

[Kye022984]

This is crazy! We live in a county neighborhood of San Diego and my friend just called me this morning telling me that she thinks a racoon got one of her roosters. She just walked out this morning and he was gone. The top of the brooder was off and everything! He's still in that stage where he still needs brooding. I wondered the same thing about my goats since I am right down the street from her! Eeek!

[HappyFarmer]

I would not be concerned about racoons as I would be larger predators.

If that were my shed, I would put goat panel on the inside of the window (so the wood windows can still be closed, chicken wire under the eaves, and close up the doorway (top and bottom of the existing gate). Probably change the gate completely for full coverage or strap goat panel against the existing gate to cover the holes.

If I were keeping chickens inside with the goats, the goat panel would be wrapped in chicken wire also, for strength & small holes.

Winters coming, If I had to lock up my animals for the night, I'd want the knowledge they were safe from all predators.

Just sayin..

I'm sorry for your loss.

HF

[motdaugrnds]

Sorry for your loss.

We have large dogs that keep predators away; but if we didn't, I would build a hinged door above your wired one that I could shut at night & build the entrance up at the bottom so nothing of any size could get under your gate. I would also wire that window. However, I know coons crawl through rafters that sit up on top plates the way yours do; so I would fix that as well. To keep them out of our chicken house, we closed those areas off with "utility" wire (keeping out black snakes too).

[LFRJ]

Thanks All. Tonight we discussed modifying the doorway just out of G.P. I'm a heavy sleeper, so would appreciate the security it would bring. Our dogs are pretty good, if they can get into the enclosure to protect. In this particular case, this clutch was being kept separate from all the other birds, and from the dogs...hence the vulnerability. The goats are new to us. For now, they too are confined from the dogs. They can bark, but can't really stop anything.

I can accept some loss where our birds are concerned. Believe me, this hen has been pretty high maintenance from the beginning - but wasn't sure if a raccoon would attempt anything where our goats are concerned.

[PotBellyPigs]

Well, coons certainly have not bothered my little goats(born in June) that I left w/ the mother......however, others that I know, said that they took their kids away from the mother to bottle feed, and coons got them.

Greg Zeigler
Alger, Ohio