What to do about the raccoons?

[thomasj]

I just got my new flock of Buff Orpingtons moved into their coop that I built. (not quite finished yet) I live 20 minutes west of Lebanon, Missouri in the wooded area with all sorts of predators out here and I can't find it in me to cage up my birds.

I have a family of 6 raccoons living on my property, underneath an old out building. I have 4 guineas left and they have been around for quite a while. The raccoons seem not to be interested in them and the guineas don't seem to pay any attention to the raccoons. When the evening comes, and lately in the daytime also, they have been raiding the guineas crumble. I figure the raccoons are smart enough to know that as long as they don't eat the birds, the supply of crumble will continue. It's something I believe they learned 3 seasons ago when the killed my last chicken and then there was no food.

Last night at about 1AM, I had an incident of a squawking commotion coming from the chicken coop. When I got out there, 2 hens were wandering in a daze outside of the coop and the door was unlatched. This morning when I went out to open the coop for them, I found that I had lost 2 birds, one of my bird's skin is missing from behind the left eye to the top of her head, and another hen seems to have her tail feathers missing. The bolt latch I have on the coop was unlatched. I really don't think that I forgot to latch the door last night but I am now 74 and am prone to do stupid things like that. From previous experiences with raising foul, I am aware of how smart and dexterous raccoons are. I had one unlatch a cage to reach inside and take my prize pheasant. I don't know what type of critter it was that caused the mayhem last night, but I looked all around on the ground for any paw prints and for any indication that a raccoon might have scaled the coop wall to reach the latch but found nothing. I still can't say for certain that it was a racoon but they are the obvious suspect. (There are possums too.) I know raccoons are not the cute cuddly things that they pretend to be but still, to eradicate their threat, it would mean killing a whole family of them. I was thinking about perhaps I could appease them by filling their bellies with cheap cat food every day so that they wouldn't think about my chickens. But then, they are omnivores just like us and like variety, but then why are they leaving my last 4 guineas alone?

I have guns and can do what has to be done but shooting them would be my very last resort. I am hoping to get feedback from others that also respect the God given fundamental right to life, no mater what creature it is. Is there a more practicle solution then killing them? If killing them is the bottom line is ther a more humane way of doing it then shooting them. I killed one 3 years ago with my 9mm. and they do not dye easily. I had to put 4 rounds in him. Before I fired the last round, he turned his head to look straight up at me in pain, anger, anxiety, and fear, That vision will stick with me forever.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Please don't feed them. I had raccoons killing full grown turkey hens last year, and quite a few of my chickens and ducks.

Raccoons can carry all kinds of diseases including rabies. They belong out in the woods, not under your shed.

Shooting them is the most humane way to dispatch them if your aim is true. Head or heart.

We have gotten 3 very large ones this year right up in our yard at night. I hate to think what would happen if my dogs got tangled up with one.

 

[Folly's place]

Fix your coop issues, and trap and shoot your raccoon family, who are happy with your food upgrade, not only grains, also live chicken!
Having feed available to them is bad policy anywhere, and then having your birds so available is worse. In a live trap it's easy to hit that brain and it's humane. If you need one tested for rabies, do NOT shoot it in the head, then hit the heart instead.
Mary

 

[Eggscaping]

No, feeding them will do only one thing: More raccoons. You will be breeding them and giving them every reason to live there. As their population grows, you also face the danger of diseases raccoons can carry - rabies, distemper, and so on. If the raccoons have a 'god given right to live', what about the chickens? You have brought them there and you are their keeper...it's up to you to protect them. Raccoons are opportunists - if there's food they're going to eat it. But you can be sure no raccoon is thinking, "Well if we don't eat these guinea fowl there will be guinea fowl food we can eat. A human might think that way, but a raccoon just eats what it can find. Or kill.
Why don't they eat the guineas? It's my understanding that they can fly and can roost in a tree at night. Chickens don't fly well and obviously are depending on the coop to keep them safe.
I'm about your age - I'm 73. When a raccoon killed our little, elderly, deaf dog in his own fenced backyard, we got traps. Raccoons are very hard to get to go into traps, but we got one. I shot him through the wires and didn't feel a twinge of guilt. If raccoons come into our yard where we are now, I will kill them with extreme prejudice.
Please, please do not try to buy them off with food. The chickens you have under your care will be the ones that end up paying the price. I'm a bleeding-heart type of person who has rescued many small critters to try to help them and loves all animals BUT in their right place. Raccoons are predators and belong out in the woods, eating crawfish, frogs, things like that. Not in my yard, and once they attack my animals they are an enemy that has to be dealt with.

 

[Farmer Brian]

A fed coon is a dead coon. Handouts make them bold. They will always want more. Then when food is taken away, they break into your coop, your home, the neighbors house. Envision an X from left ear to right eye, and right ear to left eye. Put your bullet at center of X.

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, and then aim for the spine, Hits the brain every time.
Or pay a pest control company to take care of them for you.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I have no problem eliminating any predator if they mess with my birds. They are not endangered. Now that you have been feeding them they will keep coming back and they will enjoy a chicken dinner. Good luck...

 

[thomasj]

Well, after this morning, I realize that I have lost control.

I closed up the coop last night and didn't look in to take a head count. This morning when I opened it up again, only a few birds staggered out. There were only about 8 birds left. I stood there, dumbfounded, for a few minutes trying to figure out what happened. Then I looked up and saw the other half of the flock running across from the foreboding side of the property where the guineas are fed and the raccoons live. I took a head count and I am down another 2 or 3 birds. The #2 rooster was one of the lost. Apparently, rooster #2 took half the flock over to the guinea's side and didn't bring the girls back at nightfall.

The Alpha Rooster is quite beautiful with his bright red comb, broad breast, and massive thighs, but he's totally useless. He prances around crowing and acting like he's the one in charge but when it comes to facing a scrap, he squawks and runs. He knows that he is the one that is supposed to protect the flock from intruders but he's just to chicken. (pardon the pun) I don't think I'll get many fertile eggs from him. Other roosters I've watched are willing to battle to the death to protect their girls. I have even watched him run from an angry hen. The loss of rooster #2 was a great one. I would have been better off loosing the Alpha Rooster. I hope I can get some new hatch roosters out of him before he disappears.

After all this, I looked around again and reassessed the whole bigger picture. Where I located the coop I built seemed to be the perfect spot with the idea of letting my chickens free range. Now that I am facing the possibility of having to confine them to a critter impregnable chicken run, I couldn't have picked a more problematic location. The coop is not a small 8 bird coop, it's an 8 ft. by 8 ft. walk-in building where I can also brood the new-hatch so I no longer have to raise chickens in the house. (I can't believe how much dander dust they generate.) This 8ft x 8ft coop weighs at least 3/4 of a ton and I am not going to move it with my Kubota.

So then, open range is still the plan and I now have to get my battle attitude in place. I grabbed the 22 riffle with scope and loaded up the clip. I am now ready for the battle to take back my property from the enamy, those terrorist raccoons. I have met my 9/11.

p.s. I bought a bag of cat food from MFA. My male cat was sniffing at it and seems to like it. So, that will be the cat's replenishment when their current bag is used up and the raccoons will be gone one way or another.

 

[birdlover2]

Well, after this morning, I realize that I have lost control.

I closed up the coop last night and didn't look in to take a head count. This morning when I opened it up again, only a few birds staggered out. There were only about 8 birds left. I stood there, dumbfounded, for a few minutes trying to figure out what happened. Then I looked up and saw the other half of the flock running across from the foreboding side of the property where the guineas are fed and the raccoons live. I took a head count and I am down another 2 or 3 birds. The #2 rooster was one of the lost. Apparently, rooster #2 took half the flock over to the guinea's side and didn't bring the girls back at nightfall.

The Alpha Rooster is quite beautiful with his bright red comb, broad breast, and massive thighs, but he's totally useless. He prances around crowing and acting like he's the one in charge but when it comes to facing a scrap, he squawks and runs. He knows that he is the one that is supposed to protect the flock from intruders but he's just to chicken. (pardon the pun) I don't think I'll get many fertile eggs from him. Other roosters I've watched are willing to battle to the death to protect their girls. I have even watched him run from an angry hen. The loss of rooster #2 was a great one. I would have been better off loosing the Alpha Rooster. I hope I can get some new hatch roosters out of him before he disappears.

After all this, I looked around again and reassessed the whole bigger picture. Where I located the coop I built seemed to be the perfect spot with the idea of letting my chickens free range. Now that I am facing the possibility of having to confine them to a critter impregnable chicken run, I couldn't have picked a more problematic location. The coop is not a small 8 bird coop, it's an 8 ft. by 8 ft. walk-in building where I can also brood the new-hatch so I no longer have to raise chickens in the house. (I can't believe how much dander dust they generate.) This 8ft x 8ft coop weighs at least 3/4 of a ton and I am not going to move it with my Kubota.

So then, open range is still the plan and I now have to get my battle attitude in place. I grabbed the 22 riffle with scope and loaded up the clip. I am now ready for the battle to take back my property from the enamy, those terrorist raccoons. I have met my 9/11.

p.s. I bought a bag of cat food from MFA. My male cat was sniffing at it and seems to like it. So, that will be the cat's replenishment when their current bag is used up and the raccoons will be gone one way or another.

Good for you, racoons are probably the greatest threat to chickens there is. I don't have a heart to shoot them, but we always trapped ours and let someone take them away and relocate them, don't let them stick around, and certainly don't feed them or they'll be on your property forever!

 

[thomasj]

Relocation for me is an act of futility where I live. I have a forrest full of them. All I can do is stand my ground.

I feel bad when I have to kill something. Where I live is farm and livestock country. The local farmers around here were born and raised to hunt for food and protect their livestock. Some of my local friends were raised on hunting racoon to put meet on the table. I moved here from L.A. and while I am a carnivour, I don't have that bread into me. But, I will do what I have to do.