Raccoons, or the “little bandits,” as I call them, are cute creatures but can wreak havoc, especially if you own livestock.
My friend Angie, who lives just a block away from my house, started noticing her chickens reducing in number. And on closer inspection, she found that the culprit was none other than a raccoon that kept visiting her property every night.
After trying several methods to keep them away from her chickens, she finally came to me for help. Not that I’m an expert in animal control, but she trusted my capability of finding a fool-proof method of solving this problem once and for all.
So, I started asking a few of my other neighbors for tips while simultaneously searching for solutions online. That’s when I decided that this was a topic I needed to create a guide on.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Smith, and today, I’m here to help you learn how to keep raccoons away from chicken coop structures and their surroundings. Follow the steps highlighted below, and I’m sure that you’ll be able to keep these little predators away from your property without any hassle.
Let’s get going!
Steps To Keep Racoons Away From Chicken Coop
1. Racoon-Proof The Coop
Start by installing raccoon-proof latches, combination locks, or padlocks on the doors and windows of the chicken coop. Any lock needing more than two steps to open should help keep raccoons away.
You may also place heavy objects, such as a cinderblock, leaning against the door to prevent the little creatures from attacking your chickens. Another useful solution that was tried and tested by my friend Angie involved the use of hardware cloth.
All you have to do is use the cloth around the stretch and the coop windows. It serves as a better alternative to wire as it’s more sturdy and unbreakable. A determined raccoon might rip apart a wire but will be unable to tear the cloth.
Furthermore, don’t forget to secure the roof of the coop to prevent them from gaining access by climbing.
2. Improve The Visibility Around Your Chicken Coop
Always keep the grass and shrubs around the coop trimmed to prevent predators from hiding and sneaking up on your chickens. Also, it’s better to have your chicken coop located in an area without bordering hedges and bushes. But in case it isn’t, ensure that the branches around the area are trimmed accordingly, allowing light to penetrate, thereby improving visibility.
3. Surround The Area With Strong Odors
For those who don’t know, raccoons aren’t really fond of strong odors like that of onions, garlic, hot peppers, and cayenne peppers. Placing them around your yard is a safe and effective way to prevent raccoons from coming into your property in the first place.
You could also use a homemade repellent. Both Angie and I came up with this formula after a bit of research. All you have to do is boil cayenne pepper in a gallon of water; add onions and 2 to 3 jalapenos to the mixture, and boil for about 20 minutes. Then spray the solution all around the chicken coop.
Just make sure you test the strength of this homemade raccoon repellent to ensure that it’s strong and effective enough.
4. Scare Racoons Away With Lights
Interestingly, raccoons are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day but are relatively active and trouble-making at night. So, I’d suggest installing a motion sensor or strobe light in your yard, especially around the chicken coop, to help keep them at bay.
Also, remember to invest in lights capable of detecting small animals as most security lights tend to detect only large animals and people.
5. Make The Area Unfriendly For Racoons
Raccoons have a strong sense of smell, so make sure you don’t leave out any kind of food, especially at night. Any kind of pet food or leftovers could potentially attract the little bandits, allowing them to find their way to your chickens.
Even bird feeders should be kept out of their reach; otherwise, they’ll keep coming back to your yard. It’s better to bring the feeders in for the night as raccoons love to climb, and they’ll eventually reach the bird seeds.
Apart from that, make it a point to check the area for holes in the shed or hollow tree trunks. After all, raccoons love small, dark places to sleep, especially if they’re close to an easy source of food. Conducting a regular search will help you block holes and close off any space that raccoons might make into their homes.
6. Racoon Traps
If you ask me, this should only be the last resort. You can lay traps around the coop or in other areas of the property. Just make sure to protect yourself from injury if you plan to set the traps without any help.
You could also seek professional help from a local animal control center. They’ll set the trap in a way to make sure the raccoons are released more than 5 miles away from your home so that they don’t find their way back.
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Summing It Up
That brings me to the end of this brief informative guide on keeping raccoons away from chicken coops. I hope this helped you find all the information you were looking for.
Now it’s time I mowed my lawn, but before that, here’s another bit of advice: guard dogs can also help keep predators, such as raccoons, away from your property. Just make sure your loyal companion is trained to not harm your chickens.
On that note, I’ll now take your leave. I’ll be back soon with more guides on keeping other predators at bay. Till then, feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions and concerns related to lawn care.
Leave a comment down below, and I’ll respond as soon as possible. Take care!