How to Keep Raccoon Out of a Chicken Coop



One raccoon can do a huge amount of damage to your chicken coop and your chickens in a short amount of time. If the raccoon is able to enter a chicken coop, it is likely that they will kill all the birds and eat the eggs. Raccoons have good memories, so they will return to areas where they have found food in the past. Keeping raccoons away from your chicken coop means that you need to outsmart the raccoons. Here are a few important tips for keeping raccoons out of a chicken coop.

1. Avoid Leaving Food and Water Out

Raccoons prefer to live in areas that have easy access to water and food. You can reduce the chances of having raccoons living near your chickens by not leaving anything out that could attract them, which means that you should move pet food dishes inside at night. You should also use secure trash cans and compost bins. Your chickens should not be kept outside at night because they could become a midnight snack for hungry raccoons. All chickens should be secured in their coop before nightfall, every night.

2. Secure the Coop

You do not need a fortress to protect your chickens from raccoons, but it can help. Raccoons can learn how to open most types of latches, so you should lock the latches with a padlock. This should be done to all windows and doors, and the locks should be locked during the evening and night.

You should also close any small openings in your coop with strong wire mesh, which can help stop the raccoon from breaking it or reaching into the coop. Your coop should have a roof that is fastened tightly to the rest of the building. When raccoons cannot break into the coop easily, they will move on to a new easier food source.

3. Deter Them

Raccoons do not like the scent of cayenne peppers or ammonia. You can easily deter raccoons away from your chicken coop by placing rags soaked in ammonia around your yard. You can also sprinkle the pepper near the coop to keep raccoons away from it.

If you think that there are raccoons living on or around your property and are worried about your chickens and other animals, there are humane traps that you can use. These traps will catch the raccoons, and you can relocate them away from your property. There is the chance that you will catch another animal in the trap, so you should pick types of bait that only raccoons will go after.

You should not use any pellets or poisons to deter or kill the raccoons. These products are dangerous to other animals and even humans that may come into contact with them. Instead, you should look for natural deterrence products and watch for any signs of raccoons.

Raccoons are very smart, so there is a good possibility that they will still get into your chicken coop. It can be difficult to remove raccoons, once they have figured out how to enter the co

Read the How to get rid of raccoons page for helpful information and to learn more about How to Keep Raccoon Out of a Chicken Coop

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