Chicken Killers ....

Every couple of years I have an issue with raccoons here on the farm. This was one of those years and I lost a couple of chickens in the coop last week....the hit was ordered and the termination conducted.

I usually leave one of the chicken corpses in the coop for the next night after finding a kill. This year I set a live trap baited with smoked oysters. Then set up the trail cam to gather intelligence, this is why .

The next night he got into the coup and headed straight for trap and was captured. This was the next pic, it's important, because it captured proof of a 2nd coon.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...psvssuj4hz.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...psevpsrfz5.jpg

So I repeated the next night but got rid of the chicken corpse due to the heat this week. I baited the live trap with a product called 'Ramik'..it was on sale at TSC and I wanted to try it out.

The same scenario played out, trapped the 2nd coon and surprisingly a 3rd one showed up.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...psaxsnffmg.jpg

So I reset for the next night and caught the 3rd coon using the Ramik bait again.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...psqnwem6iw.jpg

Last night the trap wasn't sprung, I'll leave it out one more night to make sure, then fix the coop where they were getting in and pick up some new chickens for the summer.

I usually use a conibear set, but I had picked up a live trap last year, so this was the first time using it for coons. More work involved, have to use the .22 which makes it messier, but easier to set up. Pro's/Cons as with most everything.

The Obituary pics..they came for a meal to the wrong place :)

Attachment 33098Attachment 33101Attachment 33102

Done right...now some tanning to do...

Not sure what happened to the post pictures..the box called 'attached thumbnail' has a pic that is a repeat of one the coons in the embedded pics...I only had 3 trapped. Can't seem to get rid of it.

No there will be no tanning of these guys Mark....primarily because I'm lazy and it's too hot out.

Not to mention I have no use for the pelts and apparently neither does anyone else in the fur industry :)

They came for dinner, but did not know they where on the menu.. ?

Did you dispose of they all yet? Was thinking of trying Racoon in slow cooker....have to really trim the fat off and remove the gland right away..!

MP not sure if you saw my post last week about an infestation of coons, at the time I had "rehomed" 9, the count is now up to 12, the buzzards are now leaving when they see me coming. Doesn't seem to be any end to them!

Smoked oysters ???? That's a damn shame Mike. ;)

We have some chicks growing out now, not sure if you wanted ready to lay right now or not but we have chicks and we will have a couple medium sized hens we are getting rid of at the end of the summer, they are laying smaller eggs then we want.

Glad you took out a few, I have not had anything on the cameras as of yet but did catch a skunk in the spring, I got lucky and it did not spray when shot.

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Originally Posted by Hunter John

Smoked oysters ???? That's a damn shame Mike. ;)

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They like sardines better but the oysters work well...once the can is open, 4-5 for them and the rest for me with a beer on the porch...LOL

X2!!!! Did you use cocktail sauce too? Pelts would not be prime this time of year either.

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Originally Posted by jlmorgan

MP not sure if you saw my post last week about an infestation of coons, at the time I had "rehomed" 9, the count is now up to 12, the buzzards are now leaving when they see me coming. Doesn't seem to be any end to them!

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I haven't found they are any worse than other years around here. I don't often have them come to the barns. I usually have free ranging dogs that keep them at bay, but the past few weeks the hound has wanted to sleep in the mud room (doesn't like the deer/horse flies) so with the guard down the coons took advantage.

Such is farm live...constant battle with predators...had some yotes in the hay field on the weekend and the dogs felt obligated to sound off and keep the whole house up at 2:00 am..LOL...

Raw egg on the trip they love them and oysters are for us not them :D

Man you guys sure covet those $1 tins of oysters from the Dollar store....I've used them as bait for years. The MNR Biologist told me about them and sardines 20 yrs back when they used to trap coons for Rabies shots. I keep some on hand just in case, like last week, when I need them.

Now, my wife using my beer to drown slugs in her garden, is not acceptable ..LOL...

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Originally Posted by MikePal

Man you guys sure covet those $1 tins of oysters from the Dollar store....I've used them as bait for years. The MNR Biologist told me about them and sardines 20 yrs back when they used to trap coons for Rabies shots. I keep some on hand just in case, like last week, when I need them.

Now, my wife using my beer to drown slugs in her garden, is not acceptable ..LOL...

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Yea dollar store oysters give them away :D and don't touch my Beer my wife knows that:D

I've got 10 this spring using marshmallows and 2 with peanut butter on a bit of bread crust in a skunk trap, marshmallows don't attract cats so no incidental catches of the neighbors cat, they also seem to last a long time, I had the trap set for about 2 weeks before I got the first coon and never changed the bait. Most women learn fairly quick not to get between a man and his beer!

Had to shoot one last week it came up to the back deck at noon hour and wanted into the house. I trapped a dozen this winter and a local trapper came and took them

In 20 years I have had only one raccoon on my property. I don't get it. I guess the raccoons have a higher standard of living than I do. :)

Some of you may find this an interesting read. ;) http://conservativepoliticalforum.co...g-your-garden/

Cheers

This is the kind of smarts we deal with trying to control the coons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exHJ_A0ED2o

Have to question the effectiveness of the product Ramik

http://www.coastalag.com/images/VARI...ium/575301.jpg

I used it in the trap the other night and this fella was in the pen and he showed no interest. Last night he didn't show up at all.

I'll have to change baits tonight to see if he is interested in something else.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps8jtebvms.jpg

Took ten years for the first four legged predator to bother our birds. Then a weasel got 10 of 12 in a week, despite the local trapper setting up in the hen house....

Coons and skunks like the dry cat food that is set out for kitty. I put in a sardine can beyond the trigger pedal. Also good for stray and all cats. I have found with cats, if you release it, after a good trap shake , you will never catch it again. Also if you do not, release it you will not catch it again. old243

I used to loose chickens to coons too.
I had the neighbours dogs get in and kill 136 of them too.

i have Maremma to keep coons at bay

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Originally Posted by Baha

i have Maremma to keep coons at bay

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Does it actually kill the coons, or is the presence alone enough to keep them away?

Cheers

My father in law used to keep laying hens and to keep weasels away he would leave a radio on 24/7 in the hen house, it never failed to work and I assume it would keep raccoons away as well. Finally we found a use for CBC talk radio!

My nephew has some roosters and laying hens...something got into them night after night for a fee days...all we found were the heads of the chickens...what would do that...can't figure it out