More raccoons in the city

[Karen]

Hey all,
Quiet these days, but had some exciting fun at 3 a.m. today.

Caught not one, but TWO raccoons in my coop. I had rebuilt my run so that it was pretty much raccoon-proof, but these f-ers got it through a small gap in the top where the fence is stapled to the frame. I was able to chase them out (one I could have dispatched if I had a sword or spear or something it was just balled up in the nest box. Note to self: order spear from Amazon lol).

One of my birds is injured and I wanted to know if there was a good dressing/topping I can put on her. She looks to have damage around her neck (missing feathers) but not sure what else b/c it's dark outside. Should I just keep it clean with betadine? I remember reading something about a blue coat kind of thing? Chicken medic advice appreciated!

Thanks,
Karen

[Naola Vaughn]

I usually put BluKote on or Neosporin if I’m out of BluKote.  Some say not to use BluKote until the wound is “healed,” but that seems to defeat the purpose.  It covers any redness and keeps the other chickens from picking on the affected area.

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[Karen Oh]

Thanks. I ordered something like Blukote and some wrap. She is borderline. The raccoon got her in the neck and almost all her skin is missing around her neck. She is roosting low w eyes closed but is responsive. I don't know if putting her out of her misery is better or trying to let her heal. She's survived so far. This is the worst thing about raccoons.

[Naola Vaughn]

I would give her a chance.   I buy liquid childrens vitamins and put those in with some water and if she won’t drink, I would use an eye dropper and get some down her.  Also mix some sugar in the water. 

 

It does help.  If you can separate her where the food and water is right in front of her, that will help as well.  I’ve had many survive with large chunks of muscle missing. 

[Margo]

 

I have had chickens heal from some seemingly devastating injuries. I would loosely wrap her neck to keep it clean, and keep her separated, warm and quiet. Get her on some kind of antibiotic (I use Baytril), and as long as she eats and drinks, let her be.

You might be surprised :)

Hoping for the best,

Margo

[Karen Oh]

Thanks for the words of encouragement Margo! I'm going to keep her in the nest box where she seems to have gone. I will see if I can get some antibiotic. :) Fingers crossed.

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[Margo]

I always give them a chance :)

Most feed stores carry penicillin. This is a really good post from Backyard chickens on the subject...

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/352701/how-do-i-administer-a-penicillin-shot-to-a-chicken

Good luck, we'll be pulling for her :)

[paolini]

 

AGREED.

[terry]

It must been a year ago my daughter had 4 hens, one was attacked by the Raccoon her comb was mostly eaten off...the forum here really helped me out.  Healing the wound was the easy part.  We had a place to keep here in our laundry room and she did very well following the Advice of the forum.  

Reintroducing her to the flock was difficult the alpa hen kept reopening her wound and it was troubling...we kept working on it and had her separated by chicken wire in the cage and let them out early and that eventually worked.  If the Hen could avoid the others she was ok and finally she adapted an attitude.

My daughter has moved since and the 4 hens loved it until the neighborhood Raccoons dropped by and Ate that Crazy Hen who was attacked last time...Again she was taken and this time she was dinner.  

Then the alpa hen just seemed to stop eating and weaken-her comb got blueish.   She died of no apparent wounds...a week later.  Now there are 2 hens left and the Raccoons come out every night right up to the cage..I guess it is like trying to sleep in your bed with hungry monsters a heart beat away looking at you like dinner.

They have tried an mechanized door to the hen house-works on light-with mixed results.  We put a tarp over the cage at night in the hopes the hens will not see the Raccoons,  It's going to take a cement floor, Larger/Stronger locked cage - It's hard to be a Chicken in the City or the Country too for that matter.

Good Luck, we understand what you are going through.  But you would be surprise the healing power of chickens given some care and time out to heal and calm down.  One thing that helped our hen was adding some aspirin in her water-you will have to get the proportions but it relieved her pain and she relaxed.  We all felt better.

[K M Edgar]

The value of a secure coop cannot be underestimated.  Imagine being in a locked room with Charles Manson.   That is what a chicken must feel like when facing a raccoon.  I gave up on coops for that reason and others.  My birds roost on trusses 11 ft off the ground inside a 60 ft by 22 ft pitched roof shed built for farm implements and storage.   There is enough room for several hundred poultry.  Even my peafowl love the safety of being shaded from the wind, snow and rain.  They only have their feathers to keep themselves warm but there is no breeze.   They have been fine in -20F temps.

Kelly in Moxee

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[terry]

I Agree: HOUSING MUST BE SAFE/SECURE and ALWAYS GIVE HENS A SECOND CHANCE-WITH A LITTLE CARE THEY HAVE AMAZING RECOVERIES.

 Always give the Hen a Chance to Heal- they have Amazing Come Backs.  Our hen had the back of her head eaten to the bone as well as the comb missing...thought it was too terrible to describe.  But It all Healed up - we used antibiotics, kept her clean as we could, some aspirin in water in the beginning.  We separated her from other hens because they pecked her-and we fed her whatever she would eat.  At first it was bread dipped i think in milk..we kept a watch on her and hand feed her at first to encourage her.  She was in a packing box with bedding, food & water so she was warm.  

She responded and began to eat on her own, and healing began but it took awhile for that wound to fill in and get feathers.  But it did.  The last obstacle was reintroducing her to the flock.  It took time but she eventually worked out just fine and was a Great Layer-So many eggs.  It was worth it to see her happily out in the yard again.

I Agree the safety and size of the coop is Very Important.  The first raccoon attack all the hens that were not injured- BUT went into a shock, they lost their feathers and stopped laying.   All the hens were upset.  Each episode upset the entire flock causing them to stop laying for awhile.  Two developed the "bluish comb" one passed away and the other got over it.

 

Raccoons are Smart and Having a Secure Home solves many Problems.  An dog is great too for raccoons too.  

Good Luck on your Hens, They are Worth the Effort.  

[Karen Oh]

Thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately, she passed. She hung on for almost 24 hours but I think it was too much. I didn't see the aspirin and water until it was too late but that is great advice.

The coop/run are pretty secure and each time a raccoon got in (this time there were TWO!), they found some tiny little vulnerable spot. I have a solid coop (all wood) and the run is cedar with 1x1 mesh up to 2' and then 2x3 mesh after that. So, yes, they are clever little bastards. It's so frustrating. I scare them off with a hard blast of water and they disappear for about 6 months and then they find it again. I guess the one good side is that I find where they have breached the wire and can reinforce things...

I'm going to keep your tips handy b/c they are great!

Thanks :)

Karen

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[Terry Auch]

I'm so sorry, you did all you could.  I have lost quite a few hens in my time.  Your cage sounds fine.  

I had a large barn with chicken wire and a wooden floor. Yet raccoons killed 6 hens one day with a rooster in the yard.  It happens.  Raccoons are as you say cleaver little B#%^&*s.

My sincerest sympathies, Terry 

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[terry in Northen California]

Up date from the Amazing recovery of our hen and raccoon attacks in Milbrae, Ca.  

My daughter moved to a home with a larger lawn and the hens loved it.  It is just down the road from where she was living and it backs into a wildlife area with a stream with a very secure fence.  

She installed an automatic door to her chicken coop and she has a camera with a motion detector for the hens.  She had an incident where the hen who was originally attacked was killed by a raccoon in the yard early in the morning.  That hen just did not want to roost inside their cage and we never saw her again.  

After than incident she got the camera coverage, she can access it from her cell phone.  Since she works long hours and it gets dark earlier the automatic door was helpful.  She has found watching the camera footage that a 3 small raccoons were around her cage. 

 All the hens took to loss of the other hen very seriously and called for her for days.  The alpha hen then seemed to grow weak there were no injuries and she had a blue cast to her comb.  Her appetite lessened and despite our attempts to feed her she passed away. 

My daughter added more plywood, and beefed up the cage as well as adding the automatic door and camera, but even that did not ease the lead hen.  The 2 remaining hens are doing very well and are in the cage early every night, they are eating and remain healthy.  Oddly the formally lowest ranking hen is now the alpha-she always came into the roost early.  Pearl was the 2nd in command is now the lowest ranking hen and her comb has shrunk.  

The automatic door works pretty well it is set to come on as the sun sets and open when the sun rises in the morning.  The camera works well and the hens can be checked at night or anytime from any location.

Raccoons are just difficult to deal with.  I never had problems with my hens for years when i was more isolated from other homes and the wildlife had their own ranges.  I also had an outdoor dog and kids that played outside around and with our animals.  Maybe it is the drought we have here but predators are just real problems now.  And just as soon as you feel you have solved the problems, new ones arise. 

We have the hens on a cement floor and under decking.  They are free to come and go all day and have never been bothered during day light hours.  Raccoons seem to just come at night.  Terry from Northern California

On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 12:21:04 AM UTC-7, Karen wrote:

[Karen Oh]

Terry,

What kind of automatic door is it?

I've done the reinforcing too. They *always* seem to show up at 3 a.m. and I'm in a fog. They are sneaky. I have 1x1 wire mesh from 0-2' on the ground and then 2x3 wire mesh around all 4 sides and top. They find places to squeeze in between the wire. I think I've finally got it raccoon proofed. I would love to look into the door (I saw one in a maker magazine that you can make yourself but I don't have the time) so I can close/open it b/c yes, the nighttime is the most vulnerable.

Karen

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[Richard Pozar]

Terry, we are in Butte Co. And have way more predator issues than we had up in Siskiyou Co. Where there are a lot fewer people, town of 600 rather than the 26,000 we have here in ParDise. Have you looked at 530 poultry on Facebook? Really nice bunch of No. ca. Chicken people.

Sent from my iPad

[Terry Auch]

I will have to get back to you Karen.  My daughter ordered it and i believe she found online.  I texted her about the name and cost.  Sincerely Terry

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[K M Edgar]

A secure coop can be the biggest problem when combating raccoons.  I recommend a 3 sided covered (yet open) coop with 7-8 ft high roosting bars that are absolutely impossible to reach in any possible way other than a straight vertical leap from the floor.  Raccoons cannot leap more than 6 ft.

[Terry Auch]

I just googled for an automatic sliding chicken door and got several types- my daughter had one that is easily set up just a few screws, it slides horizontally, works on light sensitivity not on a clock, battery operated and is all metal.  there are many models to investigate ...i did text my daughter but she is at work and it is hard to say when she can get that information to me.

here is what i found: )

http://www.chickendoors.com/?gclid=CLeRmLrU4coCFdgSgQodbYkDiQ

this one above opens like a door instead of sliding shut.

http://www.automaticchickencoopdoor.com/?gclid=CNrA3orV4coCFdBefgoddbINfg

this one is a wooden door too and it slides down from the top

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Chicken-Coop-Door-Opener/dp/B00J7DOXJ0

this one Amazon- all metal Great User Reviews...comes down from the top-not ours

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/find-the-best-automatic-pophole-door-openers/

another metal one with lots of info...

http://adorstore.com/products/ador1-automatic-chicken-door  This looks like the one my daughter has- check the features, costs & materials.  The one on Amazon has buyer comments.   This one seems to have the same features, some program choices and looks like it is priced under most others of the same type.  But Again look for the features that are important to you.  I would definitely read buyer reviews.

On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 2:21 PM, Terry Auch <terr...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Karen Oh]

Thanks for doing the research Terry!

K

[Terry Auch]

Yes, I think animals avoid people when they can until they have to encroach because too much of their area has been taken.  

I haven't see the 530 poultry on Facebook yet.  I have stopped raising chickens here but enjoy helping my daughter and 2 grandkids raise them.  I spend time down there when they are sick or just to visit them.  Grandkids are wonderful.  It it nice to have communities online for help and advice.

And I really appreciate all the support when something happens.  I once had 30 chicks and i noticed that some just seem to sit around and that they hobbled when they walked.  It was terrible.  

Then on dom_bird i was advised by a member to feed them raw liver, which i did.  And in 24 hours there was so great an improvement i could no longer distinguish those weak birds from the others. 

It saved their lives.  I threw out the chick feed i had and began to feed them a recommended organic feed, we gave treats of liver, as well as taking them out to forage on the wild grasses.  We learned the importance of a more natural diet.  It was a win- win solution leading to Great Eggs & Happy Chickens.   

We live in the Rescue area which has grown by leaps and bounds.  For now we are just chicken advisors for our kids.  Terry from Northern California : )

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[Dennis]

Fat chickens can't leap that high either. But its good to know Raccoons
have limitations on their nefarious activities. My roosts are suspended
from the ceiling, but I don't think they are coon proof. So far, the
coop is keeping them out.

Dennis.

[Dennis]

I made one years ago from a headlight motor from a junkyard. I can tell
you from experience that whatever door you get, it should be coon proof
and not just chicken proof. Coons are very strong. If you can pry it
open and ruin the door, then so can the coon.

I saw one on amazon for about $230 w/free shipping that is a metal door
in a track that slides up and down. It looks like it has the potential
for being a good door. It runs on a couple of alkaline batteries and
uses a string to raise the door. I don't know if its coon proof or not.

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Chicken-Coop-Door-Opener/dp/B00J7DOXJ0/

I'm not endorsing this thing one way or another, just saying its on amazon.

Dennis.

[K M Edgar]

I have to admit ...... I don't keep many "fat chickens" ...... dual purpose breeds are notoriously slow and easy prey for feral cats.  I keep Guineas in 7 colors & American Gamefowl chickens, Exhibition Rouen ducks & Exhibition Dewlapped Toulouse geese.  My chickens & guineas can fly nearly as well as pheasant.  I have one Ameraucana hen ..... but she is able to get up to the roosting bar rafters ..... 11 ft high.  I still think trying to cage your poultry inside a secure hen house is asking for trouble.  When a raccoon manages to squeeze inside ..... its like sharing a jail cell with Charles Manson.

[Richard Pozar]

I use a metal doggie door that is very secure but does not open/shut by itself.

Sent from my iPad