How much can raccoons eat?

   / How much can raccoons eat? #11  
My chicken coop is pretty bulletproof. When I've lost hens to coons in the past it was because my daughter didn't latch the door properly after gathering eggs. But I've seen raccoons operate and I'm pretty sure they could get into that coop if they were hungry and there were no easier options on the table.

Never had issues with crows and never seen a weasel in my life. In my neck of the woods, the predators are (in order of threat)
1. My neighbors dog
2. Raccoons
3. Owls
4. Bobcats

I've gotten (3) batches of 1 dozen chicks in the past 4 years and I'm down to 6 hens. None of them have died of environment or disease. I ate the roosters so that accounts for over 1/3 of the losses but the rest were lost to predators.
I wouldn't dare guess how many I've lost. One year I went up to my shed and found a raccoon staring me down. I knew she must have babies so I went to the house for my pistol and chased her out. The babies eyes weren't even open so I put all 4 of them outside in a box, knowing that I'd regret it. Two months later I went out feed my pullets and found 3 0f the 6 missing, with piles of feathers on 3 corners of the pen. To this day I don't know how they got the chickens out without damaging the pen.
 
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   / How much can raccoons eat? #12  
I raise pheasant and battle coons every year,weasels ,fox,possum ,hawks and owls.
For coons the "dog proof" traps work well.Caught 13 last year and 26 the year before.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat? #14  
Sounds like you have young family raccoons good chance another critter showing for meal...game cam.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat? #15  
I built a pretty good pen for them and lined the outside with rocks which I picked from my garden. Nothing has bothered them there, it's when I let them out that I have problems. I came home one day to find a dead chicken in the road, 3 more next to the henhouse and a fox going after another one. On another occasion I lost a turkey to coyotes. They do like to free range though so I need to get an electric fence up and try to keep them inside that.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat?
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Ever tried Predator Deterrent lights? I have heard others swear by them.


Sounds like you have young family raccoons good chance another critter showing for meal...game cam.
I have a predator deterrent dog, which is more effective than I ever realized. In the week that he was away this happened. Look at the footpath they beat just in the time we were on vacation:

ACtC-3cCDEXi_b6sAzYL6Efq4aDA0cRaE-XTs3k9yHfiJ2bneaHdsrAlnhWD2XBunvtqNz8zcUEdGIKqoatYjR9Ja-E5UXYFUtbEJ6YMPNXJ0Sq1jfj_3uRROZ_EjEOWg6Bvbun7v6OFUG9cmK8oXxSpqC4qrQ=w625-h833-no

v_NIx8Vn8zUJSfNpSW6uignTnefoQpdsVd2n4rQsB3WGflJ4dJGL0aqkKKYxQVcgdUNnGQYDUlUI5eBZiXj2ceOMFPZLiuLjcfqNxGu_Hmy_phS0LCc2QoOk6wSbgtf-Mlk7BcdcTis2P08qktOUwvWN1bmfsKDddru3r2HNVYlkzaHrTfzyL79JTo7SuBZpgVYq8vBw7k9onR7RgbwlWO1_oQZZ4XB0Z6clUOzyUGeYjGeLhKULVZ4gFMG5JuazDgpEYY2TblzfwR3iG0iP2aZELhJZ12Wwx7Ug9Qy7fK7VWmAgKoiMrRjOjfv-Sep7L1mMVeqxS2UWTAm1B93KJaBlWKwlPT-QqQB5DVDmTFHgodh92gEOpg7Vqeikg-wcW8fvn-1B161v2XvsFr_d7rb9SIrr-KgWRvj8W8l1jHtpBXlx2N-h0FLw47GJpzgFX-7bvStxB3S_DhQnYz87gkQbIpDbkkY_CKQUB7c0LNw6O2rZP2T7MGnlTD-XNVK16JxFt64yLy5w5gW6CzPE4_190CW4B6KH7GT_7Lr39GLm04Lrpu_c-TuCC6pfCLGabuUZuCozaX_4XpaEh_Hh6QvVun8Ue2HbQZPhxhgovq_Ge7rUrwtjUHSX9Lh5ZjCIU6ididXspv4RF2oSdCF-NdljLU_EGIyM80ALgBKD1Mtm9JzaGrOn1H1y5NozwFdNpb2pJpFz9-LrxBAP8m98_qt68g=w625-h833-no


They've been going over my paddock fence and under the ranch fence behind it, straight to the feeder.




Now that we are back home I think things will go back to normal. This more of a curiosity, I just wondered how many raccoons there must be in order for them to eat so much.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat? #17  
I know they can eat a 3" high brass load of #5's out of a 12ga.

That must fill them up pretty good, because they usually don't ask for seconds.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat?
  • Thread Starter
#18  
I know they can eat a 3" high brass load of #5's out of a 12ga.

That must fill them up pretty good, because they usually don't ask for seconds.
I know one that ate a little .22 caliber lead pill last night and got so heavy he feel out of the tree he thought he was camouflaged in. They would be darn near undetectable in trees if they would just shut their eyes. They don't realize they have a pair of hi-viz reflectors under their eyelids.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat? #19  
Yup,

The only good trash panda is a dead trash panda.
 
   / How much can raccoons eat?
  • Thread Starter
#20  
Yup,

The only good trash panda is a dead trash panda.
I really don't want to agree with that statement but I'm afraid I have to. They're so intelligent and just plain cute. It doesn't make me feel great to kill them. If they could just be a bit less criminally mischievous and gleefully murderous, maybe we could get along. Why can't they put their intelligence and dexterity into something more productive, like beavers do?
 
 
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