# Anyone else ever have raccoon problems?



## missy73089 (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm new here and I would like to say hello to everyone! I think it's wonderful that there's a place that is dedicated entirely to pigeons. It makes me happy to see that there are some people that actually care for and love pigeons out in this world. 

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else here ever locks up their birds at night. By locking them up I mean locking them inside the actual coop area, out of the screen. I'll explain what happened to why I started to do this.... 

About 5 or 6 years ago over the period of two days, some raccoons broke into my old coop and killed all but three of my birds (I'm not exactly sure how many birds I had at that time but I'm pretty sure I had at least 20-25). The first day i found two of my birds dead. I wasn't sure what could have gotten into the coop or what had killed them. They weren't actually all torn apart or eaten, they were just kinda bloody, like something just killed them for fun. At first my grandpa thought it was a weasel. We looked all around the coop for holes or anyway that the animal could have gotten in and finally discovered that the bars (I believe they're called bob-type doors?? Where the pigeons come in through to get back into the coop after flying outside) had been bent and stretched apart. So we bent them back into place and separated the coop into two halves with plastic fencing and chicken wire. We put the remaining birds on the side of the coop away from the bob-type doors and set up a bunch of traps on the other side. My grandpa even put up a claw-trap (I know those are really cruel and now I don't think I would have let him put one in there, but I honestly was just afraid for my birds at the time and let him do it) and nailed it to the wall. We thought that we had done all that we could, but we were really wrong. The next day I was so afraid to go out and check, I didn't go look until my grandpa came to my house. I made him go open the door and look inside. They killed every single one of them. Plus one of my young ducks that we kept in a cage connected to the coop.(But not including the pair of tumblers and their one little baby, that we had separated in another cage.) All the traps were scattered about and the claw trap was entirely ripped off the wall (never seen it again either) and all the fencing between the two sides was ripped off. It was the worst thing I had every seen in my life. It was extremely gruesome and heart-wrenching to see all the birds that I had raised and watched grow up, ripped into unrecognizable pieces.  

About a week after that we turned, mine and my brother's old playhouse/club house into another coop and have locked them up at night ever since. I currently have 26 birds and have had no raccoon attacks on them since I started locking them up. But we still have TONS of raccoons and I can honestly say that I absolutely despise them  . I thought that was it and my raccoon problems were over for the most part but....two summers ago I went to let my pet duck, Huey, out (I also locked him up more out of fear that he would be killed my a stray dog, because he wasn't a good flyer at all, I kept him in a chain-linked fence with a heavy tarp on top) and found him torn into pieces. I had him for 8 years and never expected him to be killed by a raccoon because he was pretty big. But raccoons are EXTREMELY strong and very destructive.

Sorry for rambling on and on, but I hope that this may be some kind of warning to all you guys that live by a wooded area. I had pigeons for many years before that and was never bothered by raccoons, but I learned that they probably will sniff out your coop if they're looking for an easy snack. 

So that is basically why I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem and locks their birds up.  

And perhaps someone has any tips to further my efforts in making my coop more raccoon proof? That would be wonderful  

btw, is this under the right topic category? sorry if it's not.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hello Missey. Welcome to Pigeon Talk.

I am sorry for your loss. We live in the city but in the older area full of large trees. We have possums, raccoons and many feral cats plus the occasional Hawk.

Our pigeon coop was built late Summer and have not had any problems yet, other than the harsh winter we have had for almost 2 ,months, and we brought our (then 6) pigeons indoors in the laundry room. On decent suuny days, they spend some hours in the sun, as the coop faces the south east.

A sturdy and safe coop must be covered with 1/4 inch hardware cloth to keep the predators out and the birds safe. We do have a lock on our door, and the bottom section of the door also has a sliding lock to keep them from prying the bottom door open. 

Many pigeon coops have cubbies, but we have shelving where we put their individual cages. At night, most of them are already in their respective cage, and we secure each one at night as well.When we add on this Spring, an aviary, it will be constructed with hardware cloth, but they will still be secured inside the coop.


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## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

Hi,

We have some thing called a mongoose. Its more sinister than the raccoon and they attack anytime. So my birds are locked full time. the loft is make of entirely cement and has mesh door


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your pigeons and duck. I'm sure you were devastated.

Raccoons can leave quite alot of destruction if proper predator proofing is not done. But there are also snakes, rats, and other predators that can get into any tiny openings larger then a quarter inch.

You need to use hardware cloth for any openings, as they can get thru chicken wire like it is aluminum foil. Also it is best to keep a solid floor on the bottom of your coop and off of the ground.

I think all coops need to be closed at night, because there is more out there then you think. My birds are allowed to wonder around their outdoor aviary by day, but at night they are secured within the confines of the loft. I have had them 6 years now, and have had problems only with snakes trying to get in.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Sorry to hear about the loss of your birds to raccoons. You need the 1/4 inch hardware cloth on all sides, top and dug in around the bottom of your cage. A raccoon can put their claws through anything larger than the 1/4 inch and badly damage a sleeping pigeon.

Also, welcome to the forum.


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## naturegirl (Nov 7, 2005)

I knew that Raccoons were destructive and know they will eat eggs but never knew they would kill and eat birds or pigeons. I am so sorry to hear about your babies that must have been heart crushing for you, I would have had night mares about it myself. Thank You for the concern about the Raccoons as that is something I never knew and now will never forget 

Cindy


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Missy73089,

I had two adorable pet raccoons. They were very mischievous, but very loving. They seem to have the curiosity of a cat, but, (with those little hands with such streanth) have the ability to follow it through.

They were little escape artists. I had to put a pad lock on their chain link pin because they would just stick their hands through and pull the latch back. 
Now
We have a wild raccoon that comes to play in the pond some nights. I have made sure that all of the birds have a secure lock on their lofts. But now that you are reminding me, I wonder if the raccoon really wanted them if he couldn't get to them somehow.

So far all of my birds are fine. I'm sorry that you had to resort to traps, but I can understand what you were going through.

All I can say is that the little bugers are very smart. Smarter than me, I was in their cage and couldn't get out. Bad day, that was a real bad day. 


Feather


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Feather, that sounds like a good story. Could we hear more details like how long were you stuck?


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Maggie,

That story is somewhere on this forum. I don't remember on who's thread that I posted it though. I'm sure that you read it. It was the story about my little neighbor boy that locked me in, and then went to play with the kids down the street. I was locked in for hours, and had a major panic attack.   

Feather


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## missy73089 (Feb 26, 2007)

Thanks for telling me about the 1/4 inch hardware cloth. I think that's what we used for the bottom of the screen, but chicken wire for the sides and part of the roof. I'm planning on saving up to build a new screen and hopefully a nice new coop, I'll just buy that instead of chicken wire.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Feather said:


> Maggie,
> 
> That story is somewhere on this forum. I don't remember on who's thread that I posted it though. I'm sure that you read it. It was the story about my little neighbor boy that locked me in, and then went to play with the kids down the street. I was locked in for hours, and had a major panic attack.
> 
> Feather


Maggie, Feather and all,

Here is the post....this story was hilarious! 
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=150018&postcount=25

Actually, the whole thread was pretty funny...
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=17045

Linda


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Lin, thanks, I remember that thread now. You're right, the entire thread was funny.


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## alvin (May 10, 2006)

I can honestly say that I have never, and I mean ever had a 'Raccoon' problem.
Their little paws get tired crossing the Atlalntic and they have to tun back.


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## Eriduardo (Aug 28, 2006)

I haven't had any racoon problems, although when I go out to my loft in the mornings I can see little paw prints printed on the snow around my loft. I don't know if it's a cat or a racoon that's visiting my loft at night but something is. I'm sorry to hear about your birds, I hope you get your racoon proof loft built to keep them away.


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## ernie (May 3, 2003)

We always lock ours up at night. Our coops are build like yard sheds, out of 2x4 frames and 3/4" plywood with regular double hung windows. Attached to the outside of it is the aviary. When it gets dark, all the pijjies go in the coops and settle down on their perches and I go and close and bolt all the windows.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Missy73089,

Missy, sorry to hear about your nightmare w/the racoons and yes, they are
very intelligent and also members of the bear family. I had a customer who 
had a magnetic cat door on the second floor of an internal staircase that
a couple of raccoons had made two trips to during one night in the wee hours
and eventually just ripped the cat door right out of the cut-out for it in the door. This was after dismantling the tamper-proof construction. The woman
awoke a second time after believing she had fixed the problem the first time only to find two 'masked' intruders chowing down on the fifty pound cat food 
sac on the kitchen floor.

A neighbor once came home to 5 or six of them in her kitchen eating cat food, and many other stories of this kind. They also will just scratch w/their claws and can give fatal injuries, never stopping to eat the victim. Go figure. Sometimes it just seems more like territory issues.

Badgers are equally clever and I mistakenly caught one in my back yard. When I put a hook w/a rope on it to the door of the cage, the badger just took the hook and pulled it and the rope into the cage.  

They can all get 'tamed' as pets, but will still be wild underneath it all when
push comes to shove. One of the real health hazards where they are concerned may be the kind of worms they carry:

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-27261--,00.html

fp


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## missy73089 (Feb 26, 2007)

Ewwww, those are some nasty worms. I never thought about that, I should figure out a way to stop them from eating out of my dogs' food bowls  

Thanks for sharing that!!


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

They have these amazing devices that aren't that expensive, and go off in a spray of water when they detect motion. My neighbors put down new lawn a few years ago, and every single morning there would be thirty to forty entire huge strips of lawn rolled back....the raccoons would roll it back and then eat the worms and critters underneath, which meant the grass couldn't grow. They put in a few of the water-sprayers and haven't had a problem since. They are also effective for other predators. I guess most animals hate being sprayed in the face with water...I know I do!


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## Chocolateedd (Mar 27, 2006)

*insight*

what i have done to prevent racoons and those types of animals is around wire mesh, screw in boards to fram out windows or whatever opening you have because they just kill and keep killing. So whatever you decide to do, run boards around mesh, wire, or whatever you decide, I recomment wire, but just run boards aound the edges and screw it in securley. -Ed


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Chocolateedd said:


> what i have done to prevent racoons and those types of animals is around wire mesh, screw in boards to fram out windows or whatever opening you have because they just kill and keep killing. So whatever you decide to do, run boards around mesh, wire, or whatever you decide, I recomment wire, but just run boards aound the edges and screw it in securley. -Ed


Ed, that's an easy enough concept to follow in terms of predator proofing 
an existing structure. Here's a link that I bookmarked from Lin Hansen regarding
1/4 inch Galvinized mesh:

http://www.twpinc.com/twp/jsp/product.jsp?type=4

fp


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Chocolateedd said:


> what i have done to prevent racoons and those types of animals is around wire mesh, screw in boards to fram out windows or whatever opening you have because they just kill and keep killing. So whatever you decide to do, run boards around mesh, wire, or whatever you decide, I recomment wire, but just run boards aound the edges and screw it in securley. -Ed


That's exactly what we have done. I've seen racoons and possums climbing on the wire at night, but never had one get in my loft.


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