Bruthabuz
Songster
Wow! That is some persistent, hard-core raccoon. I feel for you. I just have a 2-inch x 4-inch x 4-foot metal fence all around my coops. Everything above that is just nylon bird netting similar to what you have. And I've never had a predator try to enter that way.Culprit identified.
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And he got in, and out, last night and killed poor Sophie, one of my two buff orpingtons.
So he did not go through the fencing. He might have gotten through a gap in the gate last time, but definitely not this time.
This leaves only the netting.
I found this hole at the very top; it was not there last time. I figure he just keeps searching for angles and pulled on (can they chew through it) the netting to allow himself an opening.
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So while the ducks will no longer be in that pen until this problem is rectified, i must refortify now that I know who it is.
I might have to put them all back in the chicken coop until i rectify this, since both pens use the same netting up top. The new pen has more and thicker, but it seems this racoon has the ability to work that problem out.
- Ordering another roll of the good hardware cloth. Do i basically reinforce the netting the whole way with hardware cloth?
- going electric. Has to be solar or most likely battery (or both eventually). Never done this. There is pre-made electric netting but seems a little flimsy. Tractor supply has spools of wire and all the equipment. I figure ill wire the entire two pens with one at ground level and encircle them every few feet and go all the way up to the very top. I just have to make sure the wire isn't touching the hardware cloth i would think? Don't want to fry a duck.
- baiting the large havahart trap every night. Best thing would be to catch this perpetrator
- two nights ago, i put out a bunch of cayenne pepper & peppermint oil. The racoon was not caught on camera that night. But it rained some during the day yesterday. I wonder if that get had been effective but washed away?
- will randomly get up and spotlight the pen. The problem is the angle leaves some neighbors in my line of sight for taking a shot. I would have to somehow get behind it and have my property and most importantly the pond behind him to make sure a miss or ricochet wouldn't endanger anyone. Using a 9mm rifle
If I were you, I'd definitely go with metal 1/2-inch hardware cloth at the very least and hope he is not able to chew through that.
If all else fails, a 9mm ought to take care of it. When I go out at night, I carry my .22 semi-auto pistol. The only other problem I had was one night when I had to kill a skunk after I found eggs were being eaten (for obvious reasons, I didn't want to trap him).