I originally posted the following on my Facebook page last February and was a bit dismayed that many folks suggested I preemptively kill/relocate the raccoon which missed my point: that it is possible to co-exist with potential predators. I’m posting it here in the hope that some of you will have found ways to live peaceably with wildlife. BTW: I’ve had no issues with raccoons since I wrote this.
I recognize that I’m fortunate to live in an area without lots of predators. I feel for the folks that do. I’m not suggesting that native animals aren’t a problem for chicken keepers, just asking that folks come up with ways to protect their flocks without resorting to exterminating those species that are trying to survive.
I live in a temperate rainforest. We get lots of rain over the winter and very little snow. We’ve had about 5” over the last couple of days and now it’s starting to rain and wash it all away. My birds hate the snow and have been holed up in the coop until it’s well and truly gone.
When I went out to the coop this morning I noticed a trail of tracks around the perimeter: raccoons. It always surprises me when I see evidence of their presence, because I so rarely see them. I’ve got a dog (although her fenced yard isn’t close to the chickens) and many of my neighbours have one, or two, dogs so that probably deters them from coming out during the day.
When I went into my fenced pen they had been there too. Clearly, even someone with a fat bum can squeeze through 4”x8” mesh. They are more interested in finding produce scraps my flock has left than predating on them.
I notice that lots of chicken keepers’ go-to would be to advise me to trap or to kill that raccoon before it does damage to my flock. Why would I do that when they obviously could be hurting my birds and they don’t?
In a dozen years of having chickens I have had three issues with raccoons: one daylight attack in which I was able to rescue my hen (who made a full recovery) and two deaths, in which pullets had hidden in the shed overnight instead of making it back to the coop. Who can blame a predator for taking advantage of a free meal? I didn’t.
I’ve got an automatic door and am vigilant about locking them up every night. There’s only so much you can do to protect your birds.
Seeing those footprints wasn’t a call to go on the offensive, but simply a gentle reminder that I live on their territory and we have found a way to co-exist.
Excerpt from a February 2018 post:
I’m fortunate to live on an island without a lot of predators: big (bear, fox, coyote, bobcat) or small (skunk, opossum, large snakes). We do have transient cougars, but the deer population is quite healthy so there’ve been no run-ins with farmers or pet owners.
We’re not without predators: there are eagles, hawks, owls, mink, marten and raccoons. Ravens can take eggs and birds and even kill piglets and lambs. Some people are plagued with successive waves of different predators. I have neighbours on all sides that have lost chickens to raccoons or mink.
I think raccoons have enough to eat from my open compost bin and we sometimes feed the ravens. They love oranges, so I cut them in segments and watch them carry them away. Yes, ravens are predators, but they also keep other aerial predators (e.g. hawks, crows) off their territory. They consider my property theirs, so in staking claim to my place they are also protecting my chickens.
So far, knock wood, I’ve been very lucky. In nine years of keeping chickens I’ve had to deal with very few predators.
The neighbours’ dog grabbed a pullet, twice, but did no lasting damage. I’ve had one raccoon attack – in broad daylight. I managed to grab the injured hen back from the coon and she made a full recovery.
My only real predators have been hawks. I’ve had eight chickens killed and one injured over the years. Two hens were killed when my flock was free-ranging and the other attacks occurred when they were penned. I’ve seen Cooper’s and Sharp Shinned Hawks around, which seem to have the most success going after my bantams and young birds.
I’ve spent a lot of time and energy netting the top of my pens, but they are large (1200 sq. ft and 480 sq. ft) with trees and structures, making it difficult for hawks to enter. Each pen has a 10’x20′ car canopy in it, with the netting placed overtop, allowing it to withstand the weight of a light snow.
I live on acreage in the country. It’s my job to secure my birds the best I can and to live in harmony with the wild animals that share my space.
Photo credits: Dave Bielby and Raising Happy Chickens
Bitchin' Chickens 
I’m comforted to know that you haven’t had raccoon predation and live with raccoons, as I have read all the horror stories posted by chicken keepers and raccoons. We don’t have bears as predators, but we do have coyotes, bobcats, skunks, possums, hawks, and raccoons. We have lost no chickens to them, or cats, which is another species that is thought to be killed by raccoons. Our hens are always locked up in a secure area at night, and interesting, even a hen that was determined to sleep outside last summer survived until I convinced her she was taking a big risk. I don’t really know why; I feed cats at night, and I know the raccoons eat the leftovers. I would never preemptively kill them. We let our hens free range during the daytime, and after losing a hen to a coyote, we changed the location. The crows keep the hawks away; I have watched them knock hawks out of the trees. I hope our successful coexistence continues.
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I’m glad to hear another story of positive co-existence with wildlife
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We too live live on some acreage and am surrounded by woods. When we first moved here almost 7 years ago, we were really blindsided by the wildlife we had in the surrounding woods. We thought about night predators like racoons and opossums because that was always a possibility and our coops and hard clay soil have served us well over the past 15 years we had been keeping chickens.
So, finally having the space we though our flock could roam free. Hawks have never been a problem as we always have trees in the way of that hawk swooping in with no clear path to swoop out. We found out coyotes were a problem pretty quickly as they were pretty brazen/hungry and not always thwarted by our presence.
I’ll never forget the day in Sept. 2016: it was mid-day, raining and I was sitting on my porch just watching my little pullets and cockerels play. This coyote shows up and starts chasing my birds. They split into different directions. I ran towards the coyote screaming, I hummed my phone because that was all I had trying to scare it away. The coyote got one of my little roosters and disappeared into the woods. In previous attacks, sometimes two at a time, we had been able to scare them away and secure the flock. That day in Sept. it was a lone, adolescent who appeared thin. I guess he was too hungry to worry about me armed with a stupid cell phone.
After that we no longer allowed the flock to freely roam so we sadly had to keep them locked up if we weren’t able to guard them, and that we did. My husband and I were spending our leisure time playing guards. Sometimes we brought a shot-gun out and then we slacked off. We were present with our eyes on them as they hunted the edges of the woods.
It had been months since anything tragic happened, It was hot as hell, June/July 2019 (we live in Louisiana) and I said we could probably go inside and cool off. Then the most shocking attack I’ve ever seen happened. About 20′ directly in front of us a bobcat grabbed one of my sweet, sweet Buff Orpingtons! I charged towards the cat, it dropped my lovely Buff pullet, where she then appeared to be having something like a seizure and the blood just spewed and sprayed me as I panicked and cried.
I’m sorry this has little to do with racoons, but I completely sympathize with you wanting to just exist with them. My husband did shoot a coyote two separate times, once saving our hen who made a full recovery and the other it was too late. He retrieved our hen’s body as the coyote dropped her and retreated. We feel like the animals have every right to be here as we do.
Our oldest coop was made in 2008, not fancy, rather ugly but has never failed to keep them safe, we too have found evidence of small hands trying to dig a hole during the night. The ground is mostly clay and rock, couldn’t plant a garden, but good ground for a coop. We also use quarter inch welding wire for the parts that are not wood or aluminum. Then, as added protection, we have cinderblocks around the perimeter, a bit of over-kill maybe.
At this time we don’t see coyotes or bobcats ….knock on wood. During the time we did we had a wild rabbit population that was hysterical! As many as five at a time playing near our house. When our hens were young they used to make games of chasing the rabbits and the rabbits didn’t mind it. But I wondered how did I lose so many of my chickens (which are all pets) and nothing seemed to be eating any of the rabbits!? Not that I wanted the rabbits to be eaten, but my hens/girls all had names and that makes it harder. -Mary L.
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Sorry for your losses. When I hear stories like yours it reinforces how lucky I am. The sad thing is that wildlife is just trying to survive and as we encroach on their habitat we make it both harder for them to find native food, while at the same time providing a chicken buffet. I send some positive thoughts that you and your flock will have minimal encounters with predators. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Nice. I clapped a lot just so you know 🙂
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Thanks for the feedback, I’m just trying to visualize that.
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