How to catch a raccoon killing chickens

To me, it came down to a lack of communication. My oldest, Michael, had let his brother Jaeson’s Lemon Orpington hen, Lemon Cupcake, out to forage and explore. Michael assumed that Jaeson locked her back up for the night. Jaeson assumed that Michael had. The next morning, I woke up to Jaeson pounding on my door, frantically asking if I’d already let Cupcake out for the day. I’ve not gotten dressed that quickly in years. Dashing outside, I found Michael running back and forth between our coops, searching for the missing hen. I found Jaeson standing beside her empty tractor. And I found a flurry of feathers inside the tractor, just outside its open door, and then nothing, other than one bloody-tipped quill angling towards our house.

Oh, no.

Michael left shortly after; he had a plane to catch. Jaeson began walking the far perimeter of our property, which adjoins extensive state woodlands. Meanwhile I followed the direction that bloody feather seemed to indicate: toward the south side of our front yard. Noticing a swath of grasses bent away from our house, I headed there and followed a narrow path through the meadow that led to a tall tree with a very wide base. I approached and my heart fell. There was what remained of Cupcake, splayed out in the large, natural bowl formed by the tree’s limbs.

My first thought? A fox. Foxes tend to quickly kill and carry their back to their dens, sometimes leaving a scattering of feathers in their wake. This, however, was a raccoon’s den. The location—and the way the bird had been eaten—made it clear this was no fox.

In all our years raising poultry, we have lost only two birds to raccoons, once because of a broken vent cover and once because of bad luck. We diligently defend our livestock against the many natural predators in our area—opossum, coyote, fox, feral cat, weasel and hawk—but the raccoon is by far the most prevalent. Even in our town’s suburbs, raccoons are common prowlers because of poor property-management practices. Many friends who have small flocks have purchased live traps to protect their birds but are unsure how to use them, or what to do afterward. If a raccoon has targeted your chickens and you’ve bought or borrowed a live trap, here are several steps to take to safeguard your birds.

Choose Your Bait

Raccoons are omnivores, eating many things including fruits, sweets, fatty meats and, as many homeowners can attest, garbage. We have tried a variety of bait in our live trap with varying degrees of success. Least successful were our leftovers, which did not attract a single raccoon. Overripe raspberries and bananas had about a 50 percent success rate. We always hit our mark, however, when we switched to wet cat food.

The vessel used for bait is also important. At first, we simply put the food on the floor of the cage. This made cleanup very messy. We then tried a bowl, which was often upended, bait splattered all over and trap sprung but empty. Unwaxed paper plates turned out to be the best option. They’re flat, so raccoons have full access to the bait, and cleanup is usually a simple matter of tossing the plate onto our compost pile.

Position the Bait

When setting a live trap, placement of the bait is crucial to success. Too close to the trap opening or walls, and the raccoon can safely reach in for the bait without setting off the trap. Too close to the trigger plate, and the bait itself can set off the trap. If you have a one-door trap, center the bait in the end opposite the opening; this way, the raccoon will have to step across the trigger plate to reach it. With a two-door system, place your bait in the center by the trigger plate.

Hide Your Scent

Consider your location. If you live in an urban or suburban location, your raccoons are probably accustomed to the presence of humans. If you live in a rural area, however, the animal might shy away from human scent. To avoid sabotaging your trap, wear gloves and avoid wearing perfume, cologne, deodorant or other fragrances.

Properly Place Your Trap

If you know the location of the raccoons den, determine the route the animals would take to reach your coop. Place the trap between 10 to 20 feet away from your coop along this route, with the opening facing the raccoon’s den. If you do not know the raccoons’ home point, examine your yard thoroughly for raccoon scat and tracks, then place your trap in an area where these are plentiful. If you see no signs, then place your trap about 10 feet away from your coop, the opening facing away from the structure. Make sure there are no tools, equipment or other obstructions that would cause raccoons to shy away. You might consider weighing down the top of the trap with bricks to keep the raccoon from knocking it over. Make certain you place your trap at dusk, because raccoons are nocturnal. This prevents accidentally trapping daylight animals lured by your bait, such as your neighbor’s cat.

Properly Handle a Full Trap

When approaching a full trap, by all means wear gloves. Whatever animal is inside will undoubtedly be agitated, frightened or otherwise disturbed and might try to bite you. Always use the handle to move the trap, never the trap itself, and keep it at a safe distance from your body. Move the trap well away from your coops and runs; the presence of a predator can alarm and upset your flock. Consider covering the trap with a tarp or a blanket, to mask the presence of the predator and also to keep the raccoon calm while you move it.

Now What?

How you handle your trapped raccoon depends on your local ordinances. For specific details regarding raccoon management, contact one or more of the following:

• Your municipality’s ordinance director
• Your local animal-control specialist
• Your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office

Depending on your location, your ordinance director might specify how close to your town you can release the predator. Your animal-control agent might pick up and handle the raccoon for a fee. Your wildlife officer might come and collect the raccoon or refer you to public lands on which to release the raccoon. Your ordinance director or wildlife officer might also inform you that you can legally euthanize the raccoon on your own, if you are so inclined.

In my family’s experience, releasing raccoons does not work. Several years ago, before releasing four raccoons into state woodlands 15 miles away, we tagged the back of their necks with nontoxic paint to identify them if they came back. Every single one of them came back within a week. Two of them did not survive crossing our rural route; the other two were trapped again. This time, and from then on, we do our best to ensure they won’t threaten our flocks or cause my sons any more heartache.

If you keep backyard chickens, you know it’s very important to predator-proof your coop. But protecting your flock from raccoons is a bit more challenging than protecting them from other predators because raccoons are so darn smart.

Raccoons are more than smart. They’re also able to climb and dig very well and they use their front paws a lot like we humans use our hands, which is both creepy and cute. A chicken coop is a prime target for raccoons because they know it’s a source of relatively easy prey. Without your assistance, your chickens are simply no match for raccoons.

How Raccoons Hunt

When a raccoon gets into a chicken coop, it will normally kill several birds if it can reach them. The dead bodies will usually be left where they were killed, and not carried away. Instead of eating the whole bird or even most of it, raccoons will typically eat the bird’s innards and sometimes part of the chest.

Raccoons have incredible manual dexterity and can open latches and closures, dig under fences and runs, and reach their human-like paws through wire mesh that’s too small for their bodies to fit in. To keep raccoons out of your chicken coop so your flock is safe, you have to outsmart those furry masked bandits.

Keeping Your Chicken Coop Safe

Raccoons can be found just about everywhere in the United States so don’t think you’re lucky and don’t have them around. As nocturnal animals, raccoons do most of their hunting at night when they’re camouflaged by their distinct coats. If you’re like most people with chickens, you probably put your flock back inside the coop at night for safekeeping, which is exactly when those crafty and sneaky raccoons come out! Here are some steps you can take to keep your chicken coop safe from raccoons.

Make Your Yard Less Attractive to Raccoons

To lower the chances of raccoons even finding your chickens, make your yard less attractive to the animals. You can do this by making sure raccoons cannot get to any wild bird feeders you have or even the seed on the ground. If you have other animals like dogs or cats, do not leave pet food outside. The same goes for dishes of water because raccoons are attracted to water sources. In short, don’t leave anything out that raccoons may be attracted to.

Secure the Wire Mesh on Your Coop

Any wire mesh you have on your coop should be secured because raccoons will try to bend it or pry it off so they can gain access. Look for weak areas or places that the wire mesh isn’t secured well. Think like a predator would and look for any weak spots that could be breached.

Instead of using flimsy chicken wire that raccoons can breach, use something more durable like hardware cloth with a fine mesh that raccoons cannot reach through. Remember that chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in the coop and not to keep predators out. 

Use a Latch That’s Hard to Open

Raccoons are intelligent and can open simple latches without a problem. However, they don’t normally spend time trying to figure out how to open a complex latch. Use a latch on your coop that requires two or three steps to unlock.

The most popular two-step system includes applying a carabiner clip to the door latch. By adding a carabiner, the raccoons would have to open the carabiner while simultaneously removing it from the latch in order to gain access to the latch itself.

Surround the Coop Area with Foul Smells

Raccoons don’t like the smell of ammonia, garlic, cayenne pepper, and onions. You can keep the critters away from your coop by soaking rags in ammonia and putting the rags in your yard around the perimeter of your chicken coop.

You can also spray the outside of your coop with a homemade raccoon repellent. Just boil a gallon of water, add several cloves of garlic, a few onions, or a couple of hot peppers. Then simply put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray it around your chicken coop. Just be sure the repellent smells strong so it’s sure to keep raccoons away.

Install a Coop Apron

If raccoons cannot tear through chicken wire or breach the door latch, they may try digging their way into your coop. That’s why you should install a coop apron. This involves installing some PVC coated wire rolled fencing at the base of the coop all the way around the perimeter. This is easier to do than burying fencing material over a foot deep in the ground and it isn’t a costly project to undertake.

Mount a Predator Deterrent Light on the Coop

Raccoons are acutely aware of their surroundings and are always on the lookout for danger. That’s why it’s a good idea to install a predator deterrent light on your coop. This type of light emits two bright red LED lights that look like the eyes of a predator. The light should be placed at the eye height of raccoons so it’s easily seen and appears to be a dangerous predator.

When you follow these steps to secure your coop, your chickens should be safe from raccoons. If you still have problems with raccoons trying to get into your coop, find out if it’s legal in your state to humanely trap and relocate raccoons.

If humanely trapping and relocating raccoons is allowed, toss a couple of marshmallows in the back of a humane live animal trap and set it in your yard. When you trap a raccoon, relocate it to a wooded area a few miles from your property.  If it’s not legal to do so, contact a wildlife rescue or animal control organization in your area to see what your options are.

Featured Image Credit: ShutterSparrow, Shutterstock