Raccoons are raiding my chickens.  We have a large livestock pen about 1/4 mile behind my house.  100'x200' with 48" livestock fence for my goats.  Moved our coop inside the pen.  Over the last month coons have been hitting our flock at night or right at dusk.  Most of the time they are grabbing the birds that roost atop the fence, haven't seen many tracks inside the fenced area.  Went from 12 hens 1+ years old, 25 hens from this spring and three roosters (as of June 30th) to three 1+ year old hens, three new hens and one useless rooster.

I've put up coon traps and game cams.  Caught one possum, and have seen two large coons in many of the game cam shots.  Coons are getting into the box traps and eating the bair.  The smaller trap (app 10"x10"x22") is closing on the coon, but the body of the animal is too long, preventing the door from closing completely and I guess the animal then thrashes and wiggles back out of the trap.  The bigger trap 1'x1'x2' either doesn't trip or I find it tripped, empty and the bait eaten.

Saw some slightly larger traps at Rural King, going to pick some up today.  From the game cam pics most of the coons are coming around midnight or around 3:30 am.  Stayed out there a couple of nights but saw no critters.  I've been going out at dusk, making sure all the chickens are in the coop, and latching the door, and thos obviously does the trick, but some nights im not home at sundown, looking to eliminate the damn coons.  Poison is not an option because of dogs cats etc.

Bucket set if you can locate it to not risk your dogs:




Else get some coon paw traps.

Buy some Duke dog proof traps and get rid of the coons the easy way...I don't know the laws were you are at in regards to bodygrip traps, Here in texas they have to be in at least 6 inches of water and are not legal on land.

Five easy steps to live trapping coons.

1. Dig small hole in ground about 3" round and 3" deep.
2. Put bait in hole
3. Place trap over bait making sure bait it behind the trip pan of trap.
4. Stake trap down so coon can't move it to get the bait.
5. Collect raccoon in A.M.

Or wire a small  (4" long) piece of 1/2" PVC pipe to the back of trap. Fill PVC pipe ends with peanut butter.....works very well.

Added two larger cage traps last night, caught one of my cats.  He got trapped in one cage while the coons showed up several times and hit the other three traps.  They get in them, eat the bait, then trip the doors and somehow get out of the trap.

I think I'm going to stake down the traps, in any case, after viewing my game cam it looks like the coons come into the trap and trip it but their tial/rear body keeps the spring loaded door from going all the way down and latching.  Then they thrash around and wiggle backwards out from under the door.  These were the biggest cage traps Rural King and Tractor Supply had, about three feet deep.

The bucket trap looks awesome but I don't want to find one of my cats or roosters in it.

DP coon traps is your answer.

Marshmallows or cat food will work. Licorice or gummy bears are good too...

If not those than get a couple of #1.5 leg holds and do a dirt hole set close to where they are being sighted.

Neither will hurt your pets.

Three of my cats were missing this morning.  I also have a hen and a rooster that nest in my carport no matter how many times I take them 1/2 mile back to the coop.  Found them dead, mangled, next to the barn.    My Aussie/Dane and my Shep Mix were gone most of the day then showed up just before sundown. Put them inside. Checked the pen and coop and everything was fine, all surviving hens and ducks present and accounted for.

Went out to close up the coop at nine and found blood and feathers all over the inside of the coop.  One more hen gone (and a duck was torn apart two nights ago).  Coyote howls were echoing up the hollow as I shut the coop door.

Haven't seen any coons for three days, the traps (and the bait) haven't been touched.

Dog proof coon traps should work well for you. if you use a live trap I've found that if you wire a drumstick of fried chicken to the back of the cage you'll catch one every time. Fuckers will work hard trying to get that bone off the trap. I wire them up close to the top of the trap so they have to get all the way in to reach it. Fried chicken is the best coon bait ever btw.

Drill hole in log.
Put shiny button in hole.
Put heavy nail across hole.

Coons.

Sounds like weasel.  Try much smaller traps.