# Racoons, racoons and more racoons



## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

We finally had 2 hens go broody and hatch eggs. 5 days later a **** broke in and killed babies and both hens. So far this summer we've lost 6 chickens not counting the chicks and dispatched 5 *****. Every time I think I have the coop and yard secured we have another break in ( the last break in I still haven't figured out how the **** got in ) I keep 3 live traps baited non stop and the last one we caught looked like a mom. Hoping all the other ones where her offspring and we're finally rid of them.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

dixiegal62 said:


> We finally had 2 hens go broody and hatch eggs. 5 days later a **** broke in and killed babies and both hens. So far this summer we've lost 6 chickens not counting the chicks and dispatched 5 *****. Every time I think I have the coop and yard secured we have another break in ( the last break in I still haven't figured out how the **** got in ) I keep 3 live traps baited non stop and the last one we caught looked like a mom. Hoping all the other ones where her offspring and we're finally rid of them.


Sorry about your problems!

Questions, 
How do you know for sure it was a raccoon that killed hens/chicks? The reason I am asking is it would be kinda unsusal for a raccoon to go in and kill 2 hens and all the chicks at one time. 

Were the bodies still there?

How are they breaking in?

What type wire you got on the pens?

What are you using for bait in your traps?


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## CountryMom22 (Nov 27, 2014)

You may be dealing with more than just *****. Weasels can get in almost anywhere. I would put up some game cameras to try to make sure that ***** are your only problem.

Best of luck and I'm sorry for your losses!


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## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

We have had horrible trouble with predators this year. Not only did we have a LOT of raccoons, we also had possums and now we have skunks and snakes. We never would have known about the possums and snakes if we hadn't caught them in traps. A trail camera can't hurt, but you could also try a variety of different bait in your traps. Good luck, it's been a rough year!


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## sdharlow (Jan 27, 2012)

Yep, been a bad year for predators of all kinds. So far I've lost 2 hens this year. Both to Possums. Caught and killed both of them. I've also killed 1 momma ****, 2 of her immature offspring, a Fox, and a Black Snake who was too interested in the coop.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

many many years ago I had a possum kill all 18 of my chickens in one night. didnt eat most just killed them and he was still in the coop in the morning sitting in the pile of dead chickens. The ***** kills I have had take the heads off some times through the chain link fencing, body on one side heck through the fence head gone. Spring was a bad time for fox, they just take the bird away few feathers to follow.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

chickens being low on the preator list have a hard life ;every one likes to eat chicken ,***** are smart and most other varmits from snakes, feral cats to cougars even the neighbors pet poodle cant be trusted let alone the all to common trailor court pack of (sweet harmless) pit bulls .living in the wooded hills I have delt with all of these .traps , shotguns , poisin ,flashing lights and expencive fenceing work to a degree till they figger it out . I found a mountain cur dog and have very little trouble ever since they,are smart faithful with a desire to please(know the difference between a chicken and a **** as well as a child or burgular)so you don't need to be a expert trainer, born varmit haters, watch over every thing on the homestead and I don't worry about the mail man getting mauled , if you have the room the type of homestead dog I recommend is what our great grandfathers used ; the Mt. Cur


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

All but the hens and chicks looked like they'd been gutted bodies where left, it looked like only the belly area was eaten. Sometimes I'd find the head bitten off in another part of the yard or coop. The hens with chicks where different it looked like the hens had been ripped apart with pieces of body parts here and there in a small area. We did catch a possum in a trap one night when the killing first started but I didn't know they would kill chickens my husband killed him also. The traps are baited with either peanut butter or marshmellows. The ***** we've caught on both the possum peanut butter. The last break in and kill I never figured out how it got in. I've been over the area time and again and have not found an opening. We have a camera I'll set it up.


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## Wyobuckaroo (Dec 30, 2011)

I also have had an extraordinary amount of trouble this spring and early summer with "Bandits".... 

Like said, the live trap baited with marshmallows and/or grape jelly has worked well... The thing I have found is you MUST secure the trap some way.. Dog leash chain on the trap handle, short length of 3/8" re-bar staked in the ground to keep them from turning the trap over and possibly escaping... Once they are trapped and escaped, they are educated forever.. I also had to sew a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth around the front and a short way around the sides of the trap to keep them from reaching in through the trap wire and removing bait... 

Being they are a fur bearing animal, I live release them... However.. I release them 10 miles or more from home, across the busy freeway, and on the far side of the BIG lake... If they beat me home without becoming a road pizza, they will have to work at it...

I've relocated 7 so far this year..
Good luck..


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Wyobuckaroo said:


> I also have had an extraordinary amount of trouble this spring and early summer with "Bandits"....
> 
> Like said, the live trap baited with marshmallows and/or grape jelly has worked well... The thing I have found is you MUST secure the trap some way.. Dog leash chain on the trap handle, short length of 3/8" re-bar staked in the ground to keep them from turning the trap over and possibly escaping... Once they are trapped and escaped, they are educated forever.. I also had to sew a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth around the front and a short way around the sides of the trap to keep them from reaching in through the trap wire and removing bait...
> 
> ...


It's really better to kill them...for many reasons.

You've just introduced trap savvy pest/predator animals into someone else's 'backyard'.

The spread of disease is a very real aspect and why it's illegal in many states to relocate trapped predator animals.

Releasing an animal into another animals territory could well sign it's death warrant anyway, in case you were thinking of 'saving' the 'poor little creature'. Probably a worse death than a quick shot to the head or even a 'trashcan drowning'.

Since we've displaced their habitat (and more importantly their natural predators habitat) and fed them to overpopulation with our garbage...IMO, it is our duty to become the 'apex predator' and kill them when they become a problem to the extent that we need to trap them.


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

Pobably a dumb question but when using a live trap them killing **** is there something you should do to remove the scent of blood before reusing the trap?


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

7 ***** so far. Honestly how can we have so many on 20 acres?


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## Blueridgeviews (May 3, 2015)

If you've got a predator in a trap cage, how do you kill it? You can't shoot it in the cage or you'll ruin the cage, and if you let it out, you may miss if it's too fast to shoot.
Thanks


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

Blueridgeviews said:


> If you've got a predator in a trap cage, how do you kill it? You can't shoot it in the cage or you'll ruin the cage, and if you let it out, you may miss if it's too fast to shoot.
> Thanks


I have shot M-----A----N------Y in the traps with a 22/17hmr and have never messed up my trap---I go for a head shot.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

dixiegal62 said:


> 7 ***** so far. Honestly how can we have so many on 20 acres?


 *****, animals come for a long way at night to get food, so you are probably drawing them from a mile away. I caught 13 in a week some years back. I shoot them in the trap with a 22 or 17hmr and rarely even rince the blood off the trap----that blood will just help draw another one.


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## Blueridgeviews (May 3, 2015)

Thanks,
Good to know!


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

Fire-Man said:


> I have shot M-----A----N------Y in the traps with a 22/17hmr and have never messed up my trap---I go for a head shot.


So far my husband has shot 6 and me 1 in the cage and it's perfectly fine.


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

I suggest a #220 conibear trap. 15$ at most farm supply's, but can be ordered from trappers supply outfits too. 
Take a 5 gallon bucket, notch it on both sides to accommodate the springs, tie wire it to the bucket. Drop sweet bait, IE: honey buns, etc in the back and lY it next to the coop. 
Conibear are very humane, quick kills. Think giant mouse trap kinda. Very effective. But remember, sweet bait. Protien based baits may get you crossways with legal issues due to the cats and poodles mentioned in a post above. 
One great thing about them is in a minute or two its all calm and doesn't attract attention, and you don't have to shoot or anything.


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

YouTube 220 conibear bucket set plenty of instruction there. And they're cheap enough you could set several.


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## Blueridgeviews (May 3, 2015)

bobp said:


> YouTube 220 conibear bucket set plenty of instruction there. And they're cheap enough you could set several.


I just looked these up with reviews on Amazon, and they look great. Easier than live trapping and shooting for us.
Duke sells both the 160 and the 220 for ground hogs and *****. We also have a rabbit problem and womdering if the smaller 160 would be better to get both animals with, or can the larger 220 still get rabbits? They never mention using these for rabbits.

Anyone have experiencing using these for rabbits?
Thanks


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Wrong trap for rabbits. Kinda. . . But its doable. Build a cubby box or use PVC pipe. Drill a hole in the pipe and use a nail to hold a 1/4 apple or potatoes etc. Long shot I'd say because they're big traps. A 110 conibear would be great. You can set dual PVC pipe traps one on each end like the bucket but dual. Use the apple on each end. 
I used apples as a kid in box traps sometimes called rabbit gums but they work well.


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## Jlynnp (Sep 9, 2014)

We have lost a lot of chickens and 1 turkey in the past month. The neighbor saw a fox after one of the guineas this past week and he chased it away as he didn't have a gun with him. We have live traps set, snares set and I an going to order some dog proof leg traps for racoons. We spoke to a neighbor today who told us so far this year he has trapped/killed 7 Bobcats, 2 Cougars, 63 Opossums, 14 Raccoons and 9 Ground Hogs. We are over run with predators.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

dixiegal62 said:


> 7 ***** so far. Honestly how can we have so many on 20 acres?


because they can come for miles , chickens smell to you and me at 20 yards , they smell to a **** at near a mile or more 

keep trapping and reinforce with 1/2 inch hadware cloth anywhere you can 

make sure they are covered overnight full enclosure all 4 sides top and bottom with hardware cloth anywhere that isn't solid wood or metal

***** don't really care about their buddies a **** will walk around or over another dead **** that just walked into blind set


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Everyone needs to know the laws for trapping and eliminating or relocating nuisance animals in their state.


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

I haven't read the whole thread so I don't know if this was mentioned.

I'v read that one way to combat *****, is to make sure that the poultry run or enclosure has some corner areas that are solid, not just chicken wire. The idea being that ***** will attack in pairs or more. They will often set at different corners or sides of a pen so that the poultry can be driven to different places and still be within reach through the fencing regardless of where they flee or huddle because they are unlikely to simply stay in the middle of a run out of reach and much more likely to seek safety against a wall or corner.


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## Jack Burton (Aug 11, 2013)

dixiegal62 said:


> So far my husband has shot 6 and me.


Why did your husband shoot you?


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## Sam Boggs (Feb 3, 2011)

Two years ago I lost 40 chickens over three days to a large raccoon. Rebuilt my chicken house, put on the largest and most powerful electric fence I could find. It is rated for 25 miles and for bear. The electric fence is 6 feet tall and the wire also is on the door to the house. My fence is placed three feet from the chicken wire outside run and I have had no problems since then. You can hear the fence from ten feet as it cycles. When it snowed, I could see tracks of critters come close and then turn around. 
Sam


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

Both are big for rabbits... try the #110 for them. build a 36" cubby from PVC or wood. put one on each end so they can see through. drill a 1/8" hole 12" back and put a nail through it and impale 1/4 an apple/pear/potato on it, on both ends.


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## stillhere (May 28, 2007)

Our best protection is a secure pen and a good dog.
Our dog is a lab mix just having her is a deterrent she is not exactly a lgd.When our previous dog died we were swarm with all kinds of varmints. Trapped 7 raccoons a whole family eating my horse and chicken feed. we locked everything down and got them. we then got our dog.
Good Luck


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## bobp (Mar 4, 2014)

You may be able to have a local trapper help you out too. There's likley some close by that would be glad to help?


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

Fire-Man said:


> Sorry about your problems!
> 
> Questions,
> How do you know for sure it was a raccoon that killed hens/chicks? The reason I am asking is it would be kinda unsusal for a raccoon to go in and kill 2 hens and all the chicks at one time.


Actually Fire-man, it is not unusual AT ALL for a raccoon to kill multiple birds. We've had a single **** kill 2 - 3 or more in a single night. They really do kill for blood sport. Notes on a kill: they usually leave a real mess, unlike some other predators, go through the breast area and tear through to the entrails - we usually find the gizzard tossed aside. 

They will continue to return and predate until fully dispatched - or relocated -but then they become someone else's problem. We use a .22 - a well place shot should do the trick.


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

Danaus29 said:


> Everyone needs to know the laws for trapping and eliminating or relocating nuisance animals in their state.


We are not allowed to relocate and are told it is better to dispatch the animals causing problems. If we live trap the critter, game and parks will dispatch then for us. I was told the stat that 90% of racoons taken somewhere else as a humane way to deal with them actually end up dying in a week or so. So far nature has dealt with 2 racoons for us in about a month. We caught 3 on the trail cam, one ended up in the trap that same morning, two ended up getting hit on the road. We knew where they were coming from and after a week the trail cam has shown no new activity.


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## annandoc (May 8, 2015)

One word: Dachshunds. Noisy, nosey, relentless varmint killers. I have six. Nothing wants to get near our place, deer won't come near the tulips, rabbits shun the veggies, ***** , foxes, coyotes, shudder at the thought. A bunch of confusing fences and pens cutting up small spaces looks right inconvenient, too. No escape is easy. We did have to teach the Wieners that the chickens were family....and we did have three full grown Mountain Lions looking for water in a dry March decide that chicken for breakfast came with the hose they ate, but my husband taught them a little something about birdshot slapping them in the face and butt, and they haven't been back. The fences all over had them begging to be let out of there, and the 6 barking dogs on the porch didn't help them feel at home.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

don't be surprised if when it's all said and done you kill 27 *****. I tell people that amd they don't believe me, then a few months goes by and they call with their total. Usually over 20. My highest was 23 after I killed 3 thinking that was going to do it.

A good way to keep them out and for nothing is to burn off the bedding of old mattress's and hang the metal frame along the coop.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

JFYI most *****, 95% I'm told have rabbis and flesh eating mites. I never touch them with my hands and I had a dog once that I thought was cool how it was death on those things, it got sickly violent, I blame the *****. Be careful with dogs around them.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Rabies possibility depends on location. Some areas have more rabid raccoons than others. Rabies in raccoons is rare in Ohio. Roundworm, salmonella, and leptospirosis are the other 3 most common diseases that raccoons can transmit to humans. And raccoons can carry both feline and canine distemper.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

Blueridgeviews said:


> If you've got a predator in a trap cage, how do you kill it? You can't shoot it in the cage or you'll ruin the cage, and if you let it out, you may miss if it's too fast to shoot.
> Thanks


I drown them. Just find a spot with deep enough water and immerse the whole trap with weight over the top for a few minutes. Nothing against guns, but if I can avoid having my neighbors know what I am doing, all the better.


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## RonC (Feb 15, 2015)

Wife and I have a 10 acre farmsite that we don't live on yet but I keep a few chickens there and care for them after work. I've haven't lost any chickens to racoons yet, but they wreak havoc with the chicken feed that I keep in a wooden box. I use boards for a cover, and then lay a 1/2" hardware mesh cover over the boards and heavy weights on the screen and the racoons still get through on occasion. 

I prefer to use a Have-A-Heart live trap and a dunk tank, but big Racoons will tear the trap to pieces and crumple it up and throw it away. The next strategy was a 220 conibear in a pail set. I thought I staked it down well enough, but that walked off. Some buddies at work told me that Racoons like Coca-Cola....A 12 oz can of Coca-Cola (or Pepsi) mixed in a half cup or so of Golden Malron Fly bait is deadly effective. Works on skunks too, It would work on dogs and cats too so make sure you keep this out of the reach of any pets. The only problem is that Pop and Golden Malron will drop the racoon in a bear skin rug pose with its legs spread out so by the time I find it the next afternoon after work, rigor mortis has set in and I have to dig a bigger hole than usual to give the critter a proper burial. 

BTW, Golden Malron is now blue, but it works just as well if not better than the old stuff. Also, I do not know if racoons prefer Coca-Cola or Pepsi both work just as well. I'm sure any sugar or HFCS based beverage will do. Sugar water would probably work just as well. Racoons have a sweet tooth and that can be exploited. Also know that this is not an acceptable use of the Golden Malron product according to the directions on the can. If you're the type that leaves the tag on your mattress, then move along and ignore this post.


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## Locoster (Mar 29, 2003)

I live in a city, about 1/4 mile from a busy highway, and have had racoons in my yard. It was our cat food that lured them, and the water. They ate everything available, foulded the water, and kept coming back. I had some 2 foot square frames with 2 inch square wire, and built them into a box with a dead drop door. The door is triggered by a pull on the bait jar hanging from the roof of the box. Given enough time, very young raccoons are able to squeeeze out of the 2 inch openings, but they came back again, after their escape, to feast on more of the cat food bait, so I can catch them again if they escape. Seems that the "dry" cat food is a real good bait for racoons. I did not know better at first, so I moved and released them. I cannot shoot them, being in the city. The trap is good for just about any medium sized animal. I leave it on the deck, and if I am nearby in the house I can hear the crash of the door when it drops shut.


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## Cowslip (Sep 4, 2013)

Here's a good site that may help you figure out your predator(s). 

http://www.grit.com/animals/predators-of-chickens.aspx?PageId=1

Also, if you click on the following link, it will direct you to Vital Farms gallery and videos. The second video about wintering hens shows the hens coming out of what looks like a large, corrugated shed-like structure. Perhaps housing the chickens at night, when predators are on the prowl, would help to keep them safe? No matter what you do, best of luck to you!

http://vitalfarms.com/about-vital-farms/gallery/


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

Danaus29 said:


> Rabies possibility depends on location. Some areas have more rabid raccoons than others. Rabies in raccoons is rare in Ohio. Roundworm, salmonella, and leptospirosis are the other 3 most common diseases that raccoons can transmit to humans. And raccoons can carry both feline and canine distemper.


Didn't know that. I've seen a few stumbling around mid day with something that looked like the dog in "To Kill A Mocking Bird". If we have another plague they may be the "rats" that carry it. 

Here's a link although it's pretty old I'd say, probably some changes by now.

>>Raccoons act as a reservoir for rabies in the United States. In fact, the majority of rabies cases in the U.S. are in wildlife, with raccoon cases predominating. In the U.S., 90% of all rabies cases occur in wildlife. During 2000, raccoon rabies made up 41% of wildlife cases diagnosed with skunks, bats and foxes making up the balance. To limit the exposure of humans and domestic animals to rabies, it is important for veterinarians to know the current geographic distribution of rabies, the procedure if a human or animal is bitten by a wild animal, and be familiar with rabies diagnostic testing.<<

more here:
https://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2003/summer/rabies.shtml


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

RonC said:


> I've haven't lost any chickens to racoons yet, but they wreak havoc with the chicken feed that I keep in a wooden box. I use boards for a cover, and then lay a 1/2" hardware mesh cover over the boards and heavy weights on the screen and the racoons still get through on occasion.


That's because they are very smart critters !

Here is one lifting the metal lid on a 55gal drum of my cattle feed:











Here is one just about to have it's neck snapped by a Conibear 220 in a bucket set. He is inside my chicken lot, which is cattle panels (for dogs and larger critters) with chicken wire over them.











The only real way to give your chickens a chance is LOCK THEM UP TIGHT at night....good tight house with doors that close tight. Ours has 4 windows we leave open in warm weather, but all 4 have 1/2" mesh hardware cloth nailed to the outside of them. We've never lost a chicken yet INSIDE the house.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

Thanks to my dog alerting me, we killed 45 possums in one month.I lost very few chickens to possums although I know that is their favorite diet. But the ***** tore the chicken wire off my coop 8 big hens went missing besides all the hens that hysterically fled in the dark and we eventually found. The year our dog died the varmits moved in eventually wiping out our flock of 125 laying hens.


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## ecarmelal (Dec 1, 2009)

My friend has a little homestead with goats, chickens,ducks etc and swears by guinea hens. She says they are great watch birds, are fearless, feed themselves, and roost together in the trees. Has anyone tried guinea hens?


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## NWArkie (Mar 7, 2008)

Fire-Man said:


> Sorry about your problems!
> 
> Questions,
> How do you know for sure it was a raccoon that killed hens/chicks? The reason I am asking is it would be kinda unsusal for a raccoon to go in and kill 2 hens and all the chicks at one time.
> ...


I lost 40 chickens in 2 nights last year. You have to kill *****. No choice. I trapped about 40 ***** 2 years ago and relocated them. This was in 6 weeks. I don't like killing them, supposedly they are not too bad to eat. I have also caught skunks, possums, and feral cats. I do transport skunks. A tarp over the live trap seems to keep them from spraying. I open the cage with paint poles, and they run away. 

My coop is like Ft. Knox. I use hardware cloth to close all the openings in the eaves and especially along the base. I attach the top of the hardware cloth to the coop and simply fold it out on top of the ground. Weeds will grow through it. ***** try to dig in along the base of the coop and they probe everywhere. I think you have to use short deck screws with washers to hold hardware cloth. I use it on window openings as well with screws and washers and a black bear was held at bay. I wad it up and screw it to wood to fill holes. Hardware store is selling a solar powered red flashing LED that supposedly repels predators, I have not tried one. Big snakes are harder to control because they can get in through small holes. They help with mice so I don't do much with snakes.


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## NWArkie (Mar 7, 2008)

Yes, I have had many. I don't like them, they are very noisey. The bug control benefit is OK, but chickens are just as good. ***** will kill them where they roost, that is how I lost all of mine. Need to put them up at night like chickens. Not as easy to handle as chickens.


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## Patchouli (Aug 3, 2011)

MichaelZ said:


> I drown them. Just find a spot with deep enough water and immerse the whole trap with weight over the top for a few minutes. Nothing against guns, but if I can avoid having my neighbors know what I am doing, all the better.


I think I would put being humane over worrying about what my neighbors think of a gunshot. Drowning them is sick.


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## Patchouli (Aug 3, 2011)

We have had to shoot our fair share of raccoons over the years and they do seem to come in swarms. We haven't had one for 2 years now but some years we have had 4 or 5. Prevention is always best, we have ours in a fully wired stall in the barn now and haven't had any predator issues so long as we keep it all shut up every night. 

Our biggest problem has been city folks moving out here and feeding them because they are cute. Problem is once they finish up at the snack bar at the neighbors they head over here for dinner. Used to be everyone had dogs and everyone kept stuff up to not attract them and shot them if they killed poultry. Now we are the only ones left with livestock and so we are the only buffet left.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

beenaround, yes, it has changed. Now bats are a major carrier of rabies. Seems like they don't die from it and due to colony living and mutual grooming they spread it through the whole colony quickly. And there is now a vaccine for the prevention of rabies in raccoons. Probably the reason there are so few raccoon rabies cases in Ohio.

Sick or not, if you live where discharging a firearm is illegal you do what you have to do. A raccoon is not worth jail time.


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## manolito (Apr 7, 2013)

There is some very good information in this thread. My State does not allow relocation. This is a good policy in my opinion since relocation can spread disease to other areas. 

I have had a bigger problem this year than in the past. Our chickens free range the entire property until dusk and they return to their coop and I lock up. I think if I can open it a raccoon can open it. They are very resourceful. 

We use game cameras and live traps dispatching the catch with a 22 short to the head. No trap damage. We have two traps that catch nothing but skunks apparently they like the spray left by previous residents. 

Good luck but I don't think three will fix your problem.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2015)

Yes I'm still around. The heat drove me indoors and I was so tired after weeks of overdoing it, I needed to veg out for a few days. I'm going to try to get my groove back. I just needed to post that so my sudden appearance wouldn't shock everyone into heart attacks.



Fire-Man said:


> How do you know for sure it was a raccoon that killed hens/chicks? The reason I am asking is it would be kinda unsusal for a raccoon to go in and kill 2 hens and all the chicks at one time.


So anyhow, I wanted to respond to this. Yes, absolutely YES ***** will go on a huge killing spree. They will kill dozens in one night, leaving the mutilated bodies everywhere. It has happened to me several times. Yes I know it was ***** because at the time I had no gun and I kept chasing them around in the middle of the night. I kept catching them redhanded in the act!

That is why I had to make everything **** proof.


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## TrainChaser (Nov 11, 2010)

Short and sweet:

You have to be smarter than the predators you want to discourage.

Every single time that you remove a predator from the picture, another one will take its place.

Google "ELECTRIC MESH FENCING". You can use it with an electric charger or a solar charger.

Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results".


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## Krazngc (Feb 25, 2010)

A friend of ours lives in town. He trapped 35 just in his small back yard, last year.

Good luck.
Krazngc


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

Patchouli said:


> I think I would put being humane over worrying about what my neighbors think of a gunshot. Drowning them is sick.


this being this kind of forum... drowning them is old school and very much homesteading. A weapon and ammo is an expense many couldn't afford.

My uncle raised and sold chickens. People would come out to his farm and get them, he'd prepare them on the spot. He often had to get rid of unwanted animals. It was known how he did it, drowning, but I never heard him speak of it. He was mature like that.

It's not sick and yes, it takes a mature person to live right with doing it. My uncle was a good man and had to help my grandmother raise all eight of them when my grandfather died suddenly, my dad was 6 and the year 1935.

What many fail to realize is the cost to the person who has to do the tough things that must be done. I do it so others don't have the burden and take no enjoyment in the doing. I think I got that gene from my uncle.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

I saw a gimmick that's supposed to scare them off, a pair of glowing red eyes. Supposed to resemble a bigger predator.


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

We got 24 fruit trees. The raccoons have stripped them clean every year. This is the first year we started to trap them. So far we got 17 ***** relocated to **** heaven. They are tough things to kill, much tougher than a wimpy rabbit. ***** must be related to badgers and wolverines. We are even getting 'some' fruit to eat, although about 6 of our trees are still stripped clean and we get nothing.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/raccoon-nation-video-living-for-the-city/7540/

A friend had chickens...maybe 16 to 20. He finally gave them up, no matter what, the ***** got most of his birds.


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

beenaround said:


> this being this kind of forum... drowning them is old school and very much homesteading. A weapon and ammo is an expense many couldn't afford.
> 
> My uncle raised and sold chickens. People would come out to his farm and get them, he'd prepare them on the spot. He often had to get rid of unwanted animals. It was known how he did it, drowning, but I never heard him speak of it. He was mature like that.
> 
> ...


I concur. For many months I was not able to buy .22 ammo. Luckily I had a hoard to use. Without ammo you have to stab them to death or drown them or asphyxiate them with carbon monoxide. They are very mean when cornered, don't play around with them.


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

Within a few hors of trapping a **** it started to break out!

http://photohostsnapshots.tumblr.co...hin-a-few-hours-of-trapping-a-****-started-to

Given enough time and teeth I'm sure it would have made it.


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

beenaround said:


> Didn't know that. I've seen a few stumbling around mid day with something that looked like the dog in "To Kill A Mocking Bird". If we have another plague they may be the "rats" that carry it.
> 
> Here's a link although it's pretty old I'd say, probably some changes by now.
> 
> ...


 
You see them in daylight they most lily have rabies. We had one rabid **** this season. Ohio/ WV / PA area.


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

TnAndy said:


> That's because they are very smart critters !
> 
> Here is one lifting the metal lid on a 55gal drum of my cattle feed:
> 
> ...


Nice work!


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## allenwrench (Sep 9, 2008)

Wyobuckaroo said:


> I also have had an extraordinary amount of trouble this spring and early summer with "Bandits"....
> 
> Like said, the live trap baited with marshmallows and/or grape jelly has worked well... The thing I have found is you MUST secure the trap some way.. Dog leash chain on the trap handle, short length of 3/8" re-bar staked in the ground to keep them from turning the trap over and possibly escaping... Once they are trapped and escaped, they are educated forever.. I also had to sew a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth around the front and a short way around the sides of the trap to keep them from reaching in through the trap wire and removing bait...
> 
> ...


You just keep adding to the problem. They will continue to breed and spread disease and destruction. The only place they should be relocated is to raccoon heaven. 

In many locals it is illegal to relocate them. 

http://wildcaresolutions.com/the-truth-about-trapping-and-relocating-wildlife/

How would you like if someone brings their vermin to you and dumps them in your backyard?


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## RJMAcres (Sep 9, 2009)

Couple of things. I'd be careful using conibar traps around the place if you have cats, small dogs, etc. Those kind of traps will kill em all.
Also, in most places it's illegal to relocate animals.
If I were to catch anyone dropping off a **** near my place there would be hell to pay.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

allenwrench said:


> You see them in daylight they most lily have rabies. We had one rabid **** this season. Ohio/ WV / PA area.


first one I saw was when my kids were little and the thing was stumbling toward the house. It would lunge a little toward me and become real confused. That's how they all have been. I cleared enough of a small wood lot to build a house, critters abound.

I tell people, if you see them in the daylight something is wrong.


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

allenwrench said:


> You just keep adding to the problem. They will continue to breed and spread disease and destruction. The only place they should be relocated is to raccoon heaven.
> 
> In many locals it is illegal to relocate them.
> 
> ...


that's the truth and no one needs a law to tell them it's wrong to dump them some where else, but that is our number one problem, we won't do right unless forced to.

I'm serious when I say the next plague will probably be carried by *****; and people are dumping them off :shocked:


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## reubenT (Feb 28, 2012)

I've seen ***** kill chickens just for sport. Many in one night. A possum, and I think most other chicken lovers just take one at a time to eat.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

beenaround said:


> first one I saw was when my kids were little and the thing was stumbling toward the house. It would lunge a little toward me and become real confused. That's how they all have been. I cleared enough of a small wood lot to build a house, critters abound.
> 
> I tell people, if you see them in the daylight something is wrong.



Distemper is common in racoons.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

You need electric fencing and a gun. 

They just come back if you relocate and in most areas, it is illegal to relocate them.


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## Pat-wcWI (Oct 28, 2012)

A previous poster posted a poison. A person I knew used rat poison and Coke/Pepsi. It did the trick immediately, but you would have to set it up that other animals couldn't get to it.


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## obleo+6 (Jul 21, 2008)

In the past two and a half weeks, we've caught, next to our broodie pen, one daddy raccoon, one momma raccoon, two "teenager" ***** and two babies in our trap. Then in the coop it's been at least one pack rat every other night...then there's the squirrels that tear everything up around here in the garden...the squirrels are the only ones that get to live in the forest preserve 10 miles away from our place...everything else gets put down and become coyote food.

We're on 27 acres, mostly wooded and right next to a Nat'l Forest...I'm thinkin' we've just about caught our limit...lol.

Been a very strange year for wildlife around here...


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## Targe (Sep 14, 2014)

secuono said:


> You need electric fencing and a gun.
> 
> They just come back if you relocate and in most areas, it is illegal to relocate them.


Years ago I worked with an Army installation that was relocating raccoons. A few months later, they discovered that something like 85% of the raccoons that were relocated (they had been tagged) contracted rabies even though they had tested negative for rabies before release at the new location.

It wasn't understood if the high incidence of rabies was due to the stress of relocation making them more susceptible or if relocated animals are more likely to get into fights thus increasing the opportunity for contracting rabies from bites/scratches. I suspect the latter.

One thing to know about rabies is that it is spread through the saliva and that an animal does not have to bite to spread the disease: any break in the skin that comes into contact with saliva can lead to an infection. Something to keep in mind when picking up cages with raccoons that are growling and spitting and spraying saliva. I cannot cite a known instance of this occurring but I would not want to risk contracting rabies by scratching myself on a sharp metal corner or edge of a wire cage that had held an angry ****.

Interestingly, all warm-blooded species, including chickens, may become infected with the rabies virus and develop symptoms but it's not believed that birds are susceptible to becoming infected in the common way of being bitten by a rabid **** or whatever since that's liable to result in the chicken being killed anyway. Birds were first artificially infected with rabies in 1884 during tests to understand the disease. However, infected birds are largely if not wholly asymptomatic, and usually recover. Some chickens have been known to develop rabies antibodies, a sign of infection, after feeding on rabies-infected mammals such as bats that have died of the disease and fallen to the barn floor.


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

Sorry to hear so many others are having problems with *****. We killed another one yesterday. So far no more hens lost but we doubled up on the chicken pen and coop security. They are all being locked into the main coop each night and let out in the mornings.


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## Snow Leopard (Oct 18, 2011)

Sorry to hear of your losses.

We've been at this location since 1998. First year we got chickens (2001?) we probably shot five raccoons. We had one dog then and he treed them, waking us in the wee hours. Over the years, as we cleared more land and added more dogs raccoons became scarce and mink, weasel, fisher cat and coyote became rare occasional problems. The dogs (Great Pyrenees) are good enough now that we've left one small flock of free range geese guarded only by them for the last three years without losses. But considering what I'm seeing on this thread, I'll be tightening up the coops anyway.


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## rxkeith (Apr 13, 2009)

raccoon problems here too.

i lost four young chickens to ***** while we were gone for a week. they were in a part of the barn separate from the older chickens in the coop till they were got a little bigger. the ***** had climbed in through a window of the barn, up a wall and into the rafters before climbing down into the chicken enclosure. i set a live trap in the barn baited with some fish scraps, and caught a young **** , and its momma a couple days later. i dispatched them because they had the taste of chicken. i didn't like doing it, but they were not going to become someone else's problem. if they hadn't killed the chickens i would have relocated them to a remote area. 



keith


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

in early January of 2014 the fur market tanked and a 25 dollar **** was now worth 6-7 dollars so trapping of them slowed down 

it took me taking up trapping to see the nearly invisible to the common observer community of trappers , looking for ground to trap I quickly found that someone was trapping almost everything around me for miles some of these trappers were talking 300 **** a year and doing it in a 2-3 week period from a several square mile area , if suddenly you go from making an average of 15 dollars a **** to 4 are you going to loose money even if you enjoy it , no your going to enjoy a little bit of trapping to keep active and wait for the market to recover the **** will be twice as dense with a year or two off and that is exactly what I think we are seeing 

when you start looking at this from the bigger numbers your talking millions fewer **** taken in the last 2 years and why the small homesteader is seeing such a rise in *****


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

The only place I would relocate a trapped **** would be under water for about 5 minutes, and then about 1 ft down in my garden. When they show up, all kinds of bad things happen.


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## TrainChaser (Nov 11, 2010)

When you remove a predator, another one will take its place -- guaranteed. Mother Nature abhors a vacuum, and she encourages them to fill any gaps in supply!

Investigate electric _*mesh*_ fencing and save yourself a lot of grief. They can be used with regular electric chargers or solar chargers (more expensive).

http://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/species.php?source=google&gclid=CODmycDSqcgCFVKPfgodhGAA0A

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_products.php

http://www.maxflex.com/Nets_page1.HTM

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplie...ing_netting-ft_electric_fencing;pg108071.html


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

http://www.minntrapprod.com/Dogproof/products/570/
Best thing going for *****. Set them right in the chicken yard, only catch *****. Not likely to catch dogs but don't let them lick alpo out of it, wouldn't be pretty. Use jelly, sardine juice, mini-marshmallows. Using poison is dumb, illegal, and usually pretty ineffective. If you get anywhere near an effective dose of commonly used toxins, they are likely to yarf it up where your chickens can eat it while they are trying to get a chicken dinner. Relocating is also a special kind of stupid. Making **** proof chicken enclosures is the best bet, because you are always going to have ***** around no matter how many you kill. Good dogs will go a long way if you aren't willing to use hammer and nails.


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