Raccoon attack! 30 tips to protect your chickens

Raccoons are one of a chicken’s top predators. The racoon’s agility, intelligence, and hand ability make it a serious threat. Not only do they eat chickens (and chicken eggs), they will kill for sport and leave devastating chaos in the chicken coop. Raccoons can become a very destructive pest- not only loss in your chicken flock, but damage to property while searching for any potential food source.

Learn how to identify a racoon attack, how to prevent them, and the risks associated with this common critter.

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All About Raccoons

Raccoon is also spelled ‘racoon’ and are commonly known as ‘coons’. A masked bandit with tell-tale dark rinks around a fluffy tail, the racoon is a conniving, sneaky rodent weighing 15- 30 pounds and 2-3 feet long from tip to tail¹. They have a lifespan of 3-5 years, but have been known to live passed 10 years of age.

Raccoons are native to North America. They are found in Canada, United States, Mexico, and even parts of Central America, Europe, and Asia.

Raccoons have 2-5 kits once a year, typically in March and April. There will be more evidence of raccoon behaviour in the spring, summer, and fall as they raise their young.

Raccoons do not truly hibernate, however, they store up fat and sleep more during the winter. 

Although racoons are cute little creatures, they are wild animals and will attack people and other animals if they feel threatened, cornered, or are diseased. 

What do raccoons like to eat?

Other than chickens and their eggs, raccoons are omnivores and eat any available food preferring²:

• fruits
• nuts
• corn
• fish
• frogs
• insects
• bird eggs
• rodents
• dead animals
• worms
• grubs

In cities and suburbs, raccoons will eat food they find on the ground and break into trash cans.

Our unfortunate raccoon encounter

The mischievous predator made its way into our shop loft and found a small opening in the rafters where it could get down into the chicken house.

In the morning, my sons we met with a gruesome scene: 19 dead chickens. A few of them were missing their head. The rest were killed with a fatal bite to the neck. A couple of our roosters were still conscious, but didn’t make it. 

We did what we could to seal the coop up. We were successful, but saw signs that the racoon was hanging around trying to find a new way in. Once it determined it was too much effort to get to our flock of chickens, it moved on. 

What makes the raccoon such a threat

1. Human-like hands– Raccoons have opposable thumbs and nimble fingers enabling them to open simple locks and latches. Watch this raccoon escape from a live trap!
2. Sharp claws and teeth– They can dig and pry open gaps to slip through. Raccoon will rip up sod to reach grubs and worms.
3. Excellent memory– They can remember solutions for up to 3 years, allowing them to return to a site and quickly infiltrate.³
4. Excellent climbers– Raccoons can climb almost all types of fence; sheet metal and glass being the only challenges.
5. Hunt for sport– Raccoons will kill much more than they eat.
6. Good at swimming– They can stay in water for hours.
7. Nocturnal animals hidden in the cover of darkness.
8. Intelligent animals– Along with figuring out locks and doors, they can determine what is a true threat and what is a bluff.
9. Fearless– Their cunning intelligence and strength contribute to their fearlessness.
10. Have few predators– Young raccoons are most at risk. A raccoon’s predators include: hawks, fox, coyotes, wolves, bobcat, cougar, and large owls. Humans are racoons largest predator because of the fur trading industry.
11. Thrive in urban and rural areas– Where there is food, there will be raccoons.
12. Will hunt in groups– In colder months, raccoons will form packs or family groups to hunt and forage with when food is scarce, increasing their chances of surviving the harsh, lean months⁴.
13. Difficult to predict– Raccoons will keep returning to the same location, but not on consecutive nights as they typically have multiple dens in an area.

How to identify raccoon attacks

1. Raccoon sounds– Raccoons make many different calls like barking, chattering, hissing, mewing, or growling⁵.
2. Scat– Racoon poo are 2-4 inch long cylinders with a blunt end; not tapered. They will choose to poop in the same spot creating a latrine.
3. Raccoon tracks– The front paws resemble a small human hand with five fingers.
4. Multiple kills– Raccoons will kill chickens for fun.
5. Missing head
6. Rarely eat the entire animal– Racoons often attack at the neck and crop, leaving the rest of the bird.
7. Mangled bloody mess– It is a gruesome site to come across a chicken coop raided by a raccoon.
8. Grab chickens through fencing– The chicken may be missing a leg and still on the inside of the run or coop. 

Another Unfortunate racoon encounter

Our meat chickens are on grass in a mobile chicken tractor. One morning we were shocked and confused to find a dead chicken missing a leg, inside the tractor. There was another chicken with a puncture wound and a limp.

A raccoon had reached in and grabbed the chicken through the wire! We put another layer of wire across the sides and off-set it, so the openings were no more than 1/2″. It did the trick. We didn’t lose any more chickens.

What attracts raccoons?

Raccoons are opportunistic feeders looking for easy targets.

• garden veggies- especially corn
• compost piles
• fallen fruit
• bird feeders
• outdoor pet food dishes
• garbage cans
• chicken feed

Raccoons prefer wooded areas; areas with convenient shelter and hiding places. Streams, ponds, and marshes are favourable environments. 

How to protect your chickens against raccoons:

General recommendations may not be enough to keep a feisty racoon at bay. The following methods will protect your feathered friends from all potential predators like coyotes, foxes, bear, weasel, fisher, mink, possum, hawks, and owls⁶. Snakes and rats may require additional attention due to their smaller size. Explore these preventative measures:

Secure the chicken coop

The best way to prevent raccoon attacks is to put your backyard chickens up at night into a secure coop.

Note that chicken wire is not strong enough to keep a number of predators away. Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not necessarily predators out.  Use hardware cloth, Wire mesh, welded wire, stucco wire as a more appropriate perimeter for your chicken run.

Metal automatic coop doors are beneficial.

Automatic Chicken coop door opener

Look up

Make sure there are no over hanging branches or nearby structures that a pest could climb up and jump from.

Metal roofing is recommended as raccoons have been known to tear up shingles.

Use netting to cover an open chicken run which will also protect them from areal predation.

Look down

Install an anti-dig barrier around the perimeter of the coop by burying a 12 inch apron of welded wire or stucco mesh.

Make sure that the bottom of the chicken house is impenetrable and that chickens have proper roosting space. 

Motion Activated Sprinkler

Turn water sprinklers on at nighttime in urban settings.

Light

• Motion activated lights
• Very bright lights at ground level that shine directly into a racoon’s eyes
• Lights that mimic predator eyes

Sound

• Ultrasonic racoon sound emitters. Humans cannot hear the sounds, but raccoons find it offensive. Dogs can also hear these sounds, but it will not harm them.
• Play a radio continuously, especially a talk show
• Wind chimes

Helpful Hint: Sound and light traps are not long term solutions as raccoons learn there is no real threat.

Smells

These methods will need to be reapplied frequently (ideally twice a week). You must reapply after a rainfall.

Make sure you apply product in an unbroken line around the entire perimeter and other well-thought out locations.

• Ammonia-soaked rags placed outside the perimeter of the chicken coop
• Cayenne pepper- use in a raccoon repellent solution (directions below) or sprinkle on the ground
• Chilli powder- as directed above
• Critter Ridder product- powder from local hardware stores
• Peppermint oil- 20 drops of essential oil per one cup of water, soak a rag in the solution and place around the perimeter and even on the roof
• Eucalyptus oil
• Cinnamon oil
• Citrus
• Garlic
• Vinegar
• Coffee grounds
• Irish Spring soap- cut into smaller pieces, grate the bar into shavings, or use whole bars and place around the perimeter of the chicken run and coop
• Pine Sol- wash your garbage cans and other equipment with Pine Sol, even use it for cleaning your coop walls, doors, and windows
• Moth balls- mothballs are harmful if ingested by chickens. Use a mesh bag to hang the moth balls in strategic locations out of the chicken’s reach to deter pests
• Epsom salt- sprinkled in and around the garden. Epsom salt will not harm chickens if it is ingested

Homemade Raccoon Repelent

You can substitute any of the above strong scents depending on what you have on hand to make your own Racoon Repellent. Pour the mixture into a clean hand-pump sprayer for easy application.

Mix a small bottle of cayenne pepper with a bottle of hot sauce, then add both to a gallon of water and shake well. Spray this pepper solution around your plants, bushes, and other garden greenery.

Easily Deter Raccoons with these Tips –Niteguard.com

Change feeding schedule

Feed your chickens earlier in the day so that there will not be any chicken feed leftover in the feeders during the night.

Cover compost piles

Make sure compost piles are covered with enough carbon material so they will not attract raccoons.

Three parts ‘brown’ carbon material to one part ‘green’ nitrogen material, will ensure that rodents will not be attracted to your compost pile⁷.

Fencing

Raccoons can climb most any type of fencing, although smooth sheet metal and glass will be difficult for them to scale. Prevent raccoons from getting over your fences by securing a PVC pipe roll bar on the top.

Guardian animals

Livestock guardian dogs have drastically reduced loses on the farm. Geese, donkeys, lamas, and alpacas are also good guardian animals.

Roosters will protect and warn the flock of danger. If you are concerned about having a ‘mean’ rooster, read this article with tips on how to choose a friendly rooster to guard your hens.

The following breeds are considered the most protective roosters:

• Rhode Island Red
• Leghorn
• Columbian Rock
• Easter Eggers
• Barred Rock

Do guineas protect against raccoons?

Guineas as known for keeping predators away and warning of danger with their loud, obnoxious sounds. However, they will not be overly helpful against raccoons since raccoons attack at nighttime when the guineas will be sleeping and just as vulnerable as the other chickens.

If a raccoon visits the chicken coop during the day, the guineas will make a racket signalling an intrusion. 

Can you eat a chicken that was killed by a raccoon?

If the kill was fresh and you were able to bleed out the chicken, you might imagine that it is ok to eat it. Some people may suggest that it is fine, however, considering the bacteria and parasite load that a raccoon can possess it is not worth the risk.

If you are concerned about waste, prepare the carcass, cook it, and feed it to your cats, pigs, or even other chickens (make sure it’s ok to feed meat to chickens in your area. Read this.)

Make a maggot bucket with the deceased chicken to supply your flock with a steady stream of protein. Find instructions here.

Raccoon risks and disease

Racoons have the potential to carry and transmit disease, especially when seen in large numbers. Some of these diseases can spread to humans and other animals such as Baylisascaris Procyonis (round worm parasite), Salmonella, E coli, Leptospirosis, rabies, and Giardiasis⁸.

Can my chicken get rabies from a raccoon?

No, chickens and other fowl cannot contract rabies. Read more about rabies on the homestead here.

It is a myth that all raccoons carry rabies, but they do contract rabies in extremely high numbers. About 85% of animals with rabies are raccoons⁹.

Rabies is a serious and fatal virus that can affect people and all mammals. It is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention if you experience a bite or scratch from any wild animal.

Other farm animals that are in danger

All small animals are at risk of raccoon attacks: rabbits, ducks, kittens, small cats, and small dogs. 

Large domestic dogs can be at risk. Not that raccoons target them for food, rather the clever raccoon can out smart a dog with dire results. Many hunters will refrain from allowing their coon-dogs to pursue a raccoon into water; for a raccoon can out-swim a dog and drown the dog by climbing on its head.

How to get rid of raccoons

In rural areas, homeowners can generally decide on their own methods.

In urban areas, an exterminator may need to be consulted as there are laws that will affect how to you handle pests. A permit may be required to trap, kill, or hunt them as raccoons are ‘fur bearers’; a resource in the fur industry. Generally, ‘trap and release’ does not require a permit.

If you capture a raccoon, relocate them at least 10 miles away to ensure they don’t make their way back to your property.

Types of raccoon traps¹⁰:

1. Live traps- check daily to avoid undue discomfort, relocate the animal
2. Body grip- similar to a giant mouse trap, designed to break the raccoon’s neck
3. Paw hold- similar to a fur trapper’s snare, check daily, the animal will likely need to be destroyed upon arrival

DIY Live Raccoon Trap

Build your own ‘barrel trap’. Place a 45 gallon barrel next to a fence post. Bait the barrel with cat food or other food scraps. The raccoon that climbs in should be unable to climb back out.

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2. Raccoon> Chesapeake Bay Program> chesapeakebay.net ↩︎
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