Raccoon Decimating Flock - Help

Bubba1358 · #1 06/05/14, 08:50 AM

Just lost chickens #9 and #10 this morning since last Tuesday. 10 chickens, 9 days. I know it's a raccoon because:

- Each morning, there's 1 or 2 dead, half-eaten hens inside my locked coop
- The necks are being completely eaten
- The heads are usually gone
- The body cavity is split open
- The coop is locked up tight and secure (not enough, obviously), and i have no idea where or how it's getting in
- It pooped in the coop the other day after snacking on my broody hen and ALL her eggs, and it was the size of a small to medium dog turd - definitely not chicken poop. Something was in there.
- It ate the marshmallows out of the trap I set up, but didn't trigger it

I am beyond frustrated with this. I've installed extra reinforcing hardware, latches, locks, you name it, as well as set up traps in the run. Short of staying up all night with a gun, what are my options here? I've considered:

- Getting a dog to put in the run at night and patrol the yard during the day (currently the favorite idea)
- Electrifying a perimeter fence
- Abandoning it all and taking up basket weaving

Opinions and experiences welcome. Thanks.

notwyse · #2 06/05/14, 08:56 AM

Yikes. Had this happen once....lopped a couple heads off each night. Happened the coon was a pet of sorts. We relocated him to the river bottem.

**ladycat** · #3 06/05/14, 09:23 AM

I had that problem. Raccoons killed almost everything.

I had to cover everything with hardware cloth (cost a FORTUNE), and I got a dog to patrol the chicken area at night.

If none of that had worked, I might have taken up basket weaving.

Bubba1358 · #4 06/05/14, 09:48 AM

Thanks. The coop is built on wheels, so it sits off the round. It's constructed with roofing metal on all 4 walls and the roof, with a 1/2" hardware cloth floor. There are 2 doors to the nest boxes on 1 side, and a folding down ramp on the other. Both doors are locked tight. The hardware cloth is all intact.

There are good pics here:
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.co...-its-done.html - first one, so you can see the build of it
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.co...ions.html#more - more detailed shots of it in action
http://homesteadcatholic.blogspot.co...gins.html#more - this is how it looks now, with the chicken run

My best guess is that it's shimmying up the nest box doors and sliding through the 5" opening on the top.

DryHeat · #5 06/05/14, 10:10 AM

I would suggest trying a medium-size HavaHart trap, maybe baiting with a big gop of wet cat or dog food stuck to the trigger lever. Back many years ago, I had a summer job trapping various animals for blood testing for diseases; raccoons were quite easy to catch that way.

Bubba1358 · #6 06/05/14, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DryHeat

I would suggest trying a medium-size HavaHart trap, maybe baiting with a big gop of wet cat or dog food stuck to the trigger lever. Back many years ago, I had a summer job trapping various animals for blood testing for diseases; raccoons were quite easy to catch that way.

Thanks. I set out a catch and release trap last night with marshmallows. It ate the mallows, didn't trigger the trap, and then ate 2 chickens. Maybe the marshmallows were just dessert.....

I'll be setting it out again. Dog food sounds like a good idea. Thanks for that.

Muleman · #7 06/05/14, 11:27 AM

Duke,
makes a "Dog proof" foot hold trap. May could put that in a place where the coon things he is reaching in to get a chicken? But with the issue you are having time is more important. I doubt he will stop coming back to the nightly buffet until there is nothing left. Any chance he is simply reaching them through the wire??

Bubba1358 · #8 06/05/14, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muleman

Duke,
makes a "Dog proof" foot hold trap. May could put that in a place where the coon things he is reaching in to get a chicken? But with the issue you are having time is more important. I doubt he will stop coming back to the nightly buffet until there is nothing left. Any chance he is simply reaching them through the wire??

No chance of reaching through. The hardware cloth (the floor, raised 12" from the ground) is only 1/2" openings. The entire rest of the coop is all sheet metal. And the poo I found was inside the coop on the coop floor - suspended on hardware cloth, 12" from the ground.

Where does one get these foot hold traps from?

Muleman · #9 06/05/14, 12:12 PM

Here is a source for the traps. I gotta say though, this is a coon, not a snake. If he is definitely getting inside, there must be an opening. It is possible for them to open hatches and such, but they would not close it on their way out, so you would see that (unless gravity closes it??). There must be an opening somewhere that he can squeeze through?

http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Dog+...e+DP+Coon+Trap

Muleman · #10 06/05/14, 12:19 PM

I had a coon problem a few years back. The coon got a few chickens a night for a few days, so I started locking them up at night. The first night had a heck of a time getting the last few chickens and the rooster in the chicken house, but finally got them all in. Stupid chickens why would they not want to go into the safety of the chicken house at night??? I went in and a few hours later stepped out on the back porch. i could hear a bit if mulling around in the chicken house, so I decided to check on them one more time before bed. I looked in the screen and there on the floor was a dead chicken?? How could that happen?? There was no way a coon could have gotten in?? Concrete floors and wooden sides? I got my flashlight and finally looked up on the shelf near the roof!!!! There sat my coon, looking down at me. I got the .22 and finally understood why my Rooster did not want to go in the house. I had locked the chickens up, WITH the coon. Any chance you are doing this?? The coon is hiding, sleeping in the house in the evening, coming out and eating a chicken at night, then going back to sleep in a hidden area, until you are not around?? Just an idea??

Bubba1358 · #11 06/05/14, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muleman

I had locked the chickens up, WITH the coon. Any chance you are doing this?? The coon is hiding, sleeping in the house in the evening, coming out and eating a chicken at night, then going back to sleep in a hidden area, until you are not around?? Just an idea??

Wow. I actually thought that same thing. I searched every inch of it (it's only 10'x6'), with no signs of a lurker. It must be getting in through an opening SOMEWHERE.

SouthGAMan · #12 06/05/14, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubba1358

My best guess is that it's shimmying up the nest box doors and sliding through the 5" opening on the top.

If you are talking about a 5" hole of any sorta then yeah most likely that is how he is getting in. I'd thoroughly inspect every inch, top and bottom to make sure nothing is loose at all. If you can get your hand in it then most likely he is finding a way to shimmy through. Someway he thinks you have laid out a buffet for him and will keep coming back until you kill him. I think even if you THINK you have found some solution to keep him out he already has a taste and will keep coming back to test your defenses and have fun. He may end up tearing up a lot of stuff too. IMHO the only way to end it would be to end him permanently.

Bubba1358 · #13 06/05/14, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthGAMan

If you are talking about a 5" hole of any sorta then yeah most likely that is how he is getting in. I'd thoroughly inspect every inch, top and bottom to make sure nothing is loose at all. If you can get your hand in it then most likely he is finding a way to shimmy through. Someway he thinks you have laid out a buffet for him and will keep coming back until you kill him. I think even if you THINK you have found some solution to keep him out he already has a taste and will keep coming back to test your defenses and have fun. He may end up tearing up a lot of stuff too. IMHO the only way to end it would be to end him permanently.

The top of the door lays flush, but can be pulled to a max of 5". It's a 3' section of roofing metal bolstered with slightly pliable wood cross-beams. He must be figuring out how to climb the 3' metal surface, balance himself enough to separate the door from the frame, slip in, then escape the same way after mealtime. Ugh.

**ladycat** · #14 06/05/14, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubba1358

He must be figuring out how to climb the 3' metal surface, balance himself enough to separate the door from the frame, slip in, then escape the same way after mealtime. Ugh.

That would be my guess. Raccoons are determined, clever, and resourceful. Find some way to secure that section of door, and the problem may stop.

Allen W · #15 06/05/14, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubba1358

Thanks. I set out a catch and release trap last night with marshmallows. It ate the mallows, didn't trigger the trap, and then ate 2 chickens. Maybe the marshmallows were just dessert.....

I'll be setting it out again. Dog food sounds like a good idea. Thanks for that.

Make a small hole under where the tredle or pan will be when the trap is set and put a little dog food in it. Set your box trap over it so the coon will have to work at getting the bait and trip the trap.

secuono · #16 06/05/14, 01:50 PM

That door looks awfully weak.
Metal bends and they can squeeze through it.

CAjerseychick · #17 06/05/14, 02:03 PM

If you are a dog person (really this does help) get a dog. A trained jack russel and put it in the coop(ideally), something that little and scrappy will do wonders for your coon problem at the very least tie the dog next to it a night and his alarm will give your time to get out there and shoot it, if not keep it away...
Also even if you get a friendly dog from the pound and have him free range (assuming you have a fenced pasture area around the coop) at night that will work too--

we have an open coop full of chicks and chickens with 10 noisy ducks that sleep outside it unprotected, and our free range homestead dogs guard and ward off the many, many predators we have up here....

Muleman · #18 06/05/14, 03:27 PM

I agree with the statement above. At this point you will have to kill it or you will have a never ending problem. I have had luck with sardines and live traps. Dump the sardines on the ground and set the trap over them (with the trigger over the sardines) The coon will spend some time trying to grab the sardines which will be under the wire bottom and usually messes around long enough to get the trigger for sure. Just make sure the trap is secure or he can simply push it off the bait.
I also agree if he can get a 5" gap!!! There is your most likely door. Should probably see some scratch marks if you look close.
These chickens more than likely are not going down quietly. might pull one all nighter if he is coming every night, would be worth it to save lots of issues from here on out??

Danaus29 · #19 06/05/14, 07:05 PM

Use some sandpaper and clean the catch and the spot on the cage where the catch holds the door open. Also don't slide the catch all the way under the spot where it holds the door open. I catch coons all the time with empty unbaited traps. Their curiosity gets the better of them.

motdaugrnds · #20 06/06/14, 08:00 AM

I had problems with coons until I closed up the open areas between the rafters and the roof as that was where they were getting in.

Then I had problems with black rat snakes until I got some hardware cloth and encircled my chicken pen (adjacent to their house) with it. My house is not movable so I poured concrete all along the foundation so nothing digs under either.