Do Raccoons kill for sport?

[Squidnation]

The 10 days has been a tough here on the farm. Jen has about 50 chickens that roam free on the farm. She collects the eggs and we eat them or give them away. About 10 days ago she saw a stray do chase a couple chickens and the next day we found a couple dead chickens. Not eatin just decapitated. We figured it was the dog. We watched for the dog some more but never saw it again but every night their would be a couple more dead chickens. On a side note about 3 weeks ago she found a fox getting in our duck pen. The fox killed 2 ducks until Jen trapped it with a crab net. But she got scared and dropped the net and the fox ran off with her crab net (You can't make this shit up)

Well every year she keep a couple hens on eggs to have some chicks. She had a good breed this year and had about 15 cool little chicks that she raised and was finally able to release on the farm a couple of weeks ago. Last night when we came home we found her favorite rooster dead in the parking lot and a raccoon standing on top of it. She now thinks its the raccoon killing her chickens. I still think it may be the dog but the raccoon came to investigate after the dog killed it. Well this morning she goes outside and finds all her baby chickens killed. Can a Raccoon really be doing all this damage. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Not one of these chickens have been eatin. They are just killed and left decapitated.

[Glenn W]

Bill,
I had the same problem years ago when we had chickens. I thought a mink, Weasel, or fox was taking the chickens ( they would disappear). Soon, a nasty smell started coming from an old shed with a raised floor--- looked underneath and there were my chickens--- all of them, less their heads ( most headlessless). Turned out to be my pet Lab.
Whatever is killing them is simply playing with the chickens (by not eating them). I ain't no expert, but it would seem that a coon ain't going to waste the energy trying to chase down chickens without eating them. Indeed, a coon ain't one for chasin animals and would be inclined to snatch them from their roosting area. I would also think a coon would at least eat the entrails out of a chicken if it were going to go through the trouble of killing it.
In short, I would doubt that a coon is the Pino chicken slasher--- and would be looking hard at the pooches.
Then again, coons hanging around are nothing but bad news when you also have cats--- I'd dispatch the coon ASAP just out of principle.

[BluePrints]

I would say a cat but I don't think a cat is going to mess with a full size chicken or rooster, even a feral one. There pretty much the only animals I know that kill for sport.

Raccoon and foxes will do a number on any bird population, But I would think they would eat them but maybe not. The foxes would eat them no doubt so I guess that leaves the coon at fault.

Trap them with a live trap & then relocate the trap into your pond., or get a Jen a .17 hmr with a night vision scope.

[Squidnation]

thanks - Jen is out practicing with the 22 as we speak. nothing good is gonna come out of this. she is a hell of a shot and very careful. But geez - she has donkeys, goats, a pet sheep and pet cow and horses just across from where she will be shooting. if she plugs a pet animal trying to kill a critter that is eating her chickens she may just lose it.

Then again maybe this is all a master plan and she is actually practicing to shoot me the next time i tell her i am going away - just kidding of course. She put a message into dove hunt this morning. maybe he'll bring sharp shooter will over one night and rid the farm of this critter. I seriouly doubt its our cats. Shit - I watched one of the cats take a nap with one of the chickens about a month ago. And the cats a fiercly protective of the farm and will not allow any stray cats on the farm. What ever it is I feel sorry for it when it finally meets the wrath of jen.

[Squidnation]

my neighbor says its an owl.

[Bird Dog]

In my experience, a fox would take something away and not just leave it there dead. A coon would probably be eating the leftovers. Lock up the dog and see if it continues.

[Squidnation]

caught the raccoon in the act last night. i relocated and re-secured everything and went in to bed. this morning he had pulled the chicken wire back and got in and killed 23 babies. he does eat a little of the guts of 1 or 2 of his nights kill.
i am now armed with a little 22 and the bastard is gonna die tonight!!!!!

jen oakley-pino

[Hatterized]

call them pain in the ass folks at PETA.....

let them do all the work in ridding your critter problem and saving its life so you dont have to waste the $$$ on ammo......:

[Hroonk]

We want pics of the dead perp!

So my biggest question after reading the victim list is, how many friggin animals do you have on that farm? Between the boat and the farm, do you live your life with a shovel in one hand and sponge in the other..........oh wait, I remember the boat cleaning thread too!

[tunabite]

pollo loco ur gonna need body armor now that shes weilding a 22 around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!