Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Had a raccoon kill one of our chickens and mangle 2 ducks this week. My oldest boys want to camp out on the roof with the 22 rifle...

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

LOL....Oh yeah! We had to deal with dogs, raccoons, opossums, weasels, hawks and virtually every other predator you can think of. Just a part of raising poultry....they're so tasty that things tend to eat them! Although, typically they just chew the head off or something stupid and leave the rest. Sorry if that was graphic LOL.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

How accurate are they with the 22? I was actually very good as a young kid. The technique would be similar to leopard hunting but on a smaller scale. Leave out some bait and have the kids hiding and very quiet. Coons here usually start up at dusk so it shouldnt be too late for it's arrival. The ideal situation would be to have a light on a dial that could be gradually turned up to imitate the moon rising, otherwise just leave a light on the bait in a spot where you think the offender is coming from and have the
control officers" stay hidden and quiet.

Let me know if you need a recipe........good luck.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

The culprit woke me up at 5am this morning. One of the ducks probably won't make it, the other one might. We have the flat roof on that side of the house setting up some cots with blankets, my oldest boys want to camp out on the roof overnight. I took the light off my AR and mounted it to my Ruger 10-22. All my kids are very well trained in the use of firearms...I knew how to field strip an M16 when I was 9(my dad is a vietnam vet) and I made sure my kids grew up not being curious about guns but actually knowing that they are used for and how to use them. I never had toy guns growing up and did the same thing in my household.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Good man Martin. I had a 22 before I had a bb gun. I could use it any time I wanted to under the condition that before a certain age I never touched it without permission.....I never ever did. ......of course I could tell you about the misadventures with the Daisy "old blue :ha:" and the mysterious leaks in my uncles barn roof (pidgeons)...........but won't!

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

I hope your boys get the culprit! I have a live trap - got 23 or 24 raccoons (and 13 possum) since last summer. I give them 'swimming lessons' in my pond &, they fail every time!
Hey Bryan, I'll bet it was a cat that took the heads off. I find headless birds on occasion from my neighbors cat.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Mink are notorious for that. They're just downright evil, and kill for the heck of it....it seems.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

out here, coyotes are notorious for killing chickens and turkeys...

You can usually keep up with them with traps and shooting them. Sometimes they can take a real bit of effort though.

aaron

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

.22 probably won't do it unless you get a head shot. The moaning and crying that a wounded coon does is disturbing. Shotgun does better. My Mom was tough on varments. Coons, possums, skunks and stray dogs. At 73 she will still reach in the closet for her 20 guage. We have trouble with coons and possums. You can live trap them. You need at least a medium size trap for coons. If you do that be sure you keep a couple of broom handles to move the cage with the coon in it. A large metal trash can works for possums. That is what we feed our cats in. Cats have no trouble jumping in and out but once the possum gets in he can't jump out. Its deep enough that mice have a hard tome jumping out--more food for the cat!
This year we got 3 large white geese. They seem to help. They don't roost like the chickens. They are very good alarms and are agressive to intruders. We started with 1 goose and liked him so much that we got 2 more and 2 white ducks. The first goose thought he was a chicken untill we got the other geese. He accepted the goslings and the ducks as his and guards them. Goose in a small childs swimming pool

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Just wondering how the boys did on their hunting adventure last night.
Anything??

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

No they didn't see the raccoon last night.

We did have this pesky black bear visit this morning. He keeps coming by sometimes twice a day and trashes our trash can. This Morning he pushed over one of my birds of paradises. You can see his claw marks on it.... not sure why he did it. He makes a loop around the area and my property is where he exits to a forested area. We used to have coyotes that made the same trek...

As far as someone mention using a shot gun, I am trying to not freak out my neighbors. Subsonic 22 rounds would not make as much noise as a shotgun. I live on 5 acres but in 2006 when everyone thought it was great to pay too much for houses a developer decided to build million dollar homes all around me. Most of them paid 3 to 4 times as much as I would of gotten a bid on things, such as pavers and all kinds of upgrades. Funny listening to some of those people talk about how much money they paid for things. Money certainly does not buy brains or common sense!!!! lol

There also used to be a large forest area behind me but another developer cut it all down put in a gated community and built only 10 houses there until the bottom dropped out so now its just a bunch of empty lots with weeds taking over...

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

:2723:

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Around here, I'd be more afraid of raccoons than possum. No bears or coyotes LOL but I have a problem w/ raccoons, possum & squirrels. Can't shoot them or neighbors would call police. I tell ya, get a live trap & bait it! I got some 27lb coons that way, & then I put the whole trap in the pond & turn away. I believe it is less painful than being shot or killed by a dog. Dump them into a plastic bag & throw in garbage. Squirrel #96 just failed his swimming lesson. I hope he's the one that knocked over 2 plants & dug holes in pots today!

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Racoons are smart- they probably stay away if they sense people nearby- your best bet is probably a live trap (then swimming lessons)- unless you just want your boys to enjoy the "manly" experence of blowing away a small creature:2723:
We've done lots of things to keep them out of the corn- turns out that a short chicken wire fence- with a double strand of electric on the out-side does the trick.

I wouldn't worry as much about possums-they're not really hunters- they'll eat what's lying around- but in general they don't attack things.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Its ok, no bubble bursted here! I have many friends in law enforcement and many relatives that are responsible hunters and I am a law abiding citizen and do not take the killing of animals lightly.

but...

#1 I don't live in the city(municipality)

#2 My property is zoned agriculture and even if I was in the city its not against the law in Florida to dispose of a raccoon that is on your property. "It is lawful for landowners to humanely destroy or live-trap nuisance raccoons without a permit from the FWC, but if the raccoon is trapped, it must either be released on the same piece of property where it was captured, or it must be humanely destroyed. It is unlawful to relocate nuisance-wildlife in Florida." That is quoted from the fish and wildlife site...

#3 Raccoons and Opposums are not on the endangered species list.

#4 I called the Florida Fish and Wildlife and animal control they will not do anything unless the animal shows signs of rabies they told me the same thing they told me when I told them coyote's were running loose in the neighborhood. They suggested if I had a gun it is perfectly legal for me to dispose of the animal in that manner. When I called them about the coyote's they were pushing me pretty hard that it was a good idea to kill the coyote's as they are not indigenous to Florida and are a huge problem here.

#5 anywhere from 45%-85% of raccoons carry rabies depending on what report you read and what area you live in!

#6 I have 6 kids and anything that comes on my property that can be a threat to their health or killing their pets except for Bears and Hawks is fair game in my book. And a raccoon that may have rabies that is in contact with chickens that my children play with is a threat!

Yesterday we secured the chicken area as best we could and last night the raccoon woke me up trying to get into the chicken coop and took off as soon as I opened my back door. He was unable to get in there but he sure did scare the crap out of the chickens. Our two ducks have been inside on the back porch trying to recover. We cleaned all the wounds as best we could however the male duck has bone exposed on one wing so I am thinking he may not make it and vet bills are not something we can take on at the moment.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Raccoons killed 2 flocks of chickens here. I had them in a caged area, and every night i put them in a chicken coop. I just had a dirt floor in the coop, so they dug under. Last year between them and squirrels, every ear of corn was eaten in my garden, and i have a big garden. I think since they know the food is there, they won't stop till everything is gone.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Oh no they won't! 10 years ago I complained to them about coons nesting under my storage shed & they told me to play loud music or radio talk shows to make them move. That does not work. Coons & possum are not endangered. If my dog was still alive, he would be endangered cuz he woud go after them & if they bit him, he would prolly get rabies. Mike lives in a small town 35 miles north & they are a problem there too. A neighbor there just had her roof fixed...holes in house from coons & woodchucks. They paid roofers to trap them & take them - who knows where? They scream at night waking ppl up & destroy property.
The coons here have machine guns & helmets...they are not afraid of anything! I flashed a light at 3 of them trying to rescue one in my trap one night & they came right up to my window & glass door to look in at me. Very bold. If I opened the door, they woulda came in! I truly believe I am doing my neighborhood a favor.
Squirrel # 97 is in trap & going for a swim lesson soon. I was thinking ... if I released the 97 squirrels, 23 coons & 13 possum (that I trapped since last summer) right now into my yard, that would be a lot of unwanted critters. How many babies would they make for next year?
I say Martin should do what he has to, to protect his family, property & pets from ANY intrusion. If a burglar walked in my house, I'd shoot him too -- and THAT would be legal!!

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Patty, it cracks me up that you keep a running tally of all the rodents you have killed in the past year. Kinda reminds me of the tally I once kept for all the things I had road-killed. If I remember correctly, I was up to 12 raccoons, a possum, two squirrels, a rabbit, a toad (unfortunate...didn't mean to kill that one), and a morning dove. I once killed 4 baby raccoons in a single drive-by....massacred most of the family, but mama got away. :(

I'm not gonna try to claim that raccoons and possums aren't endangered somewhere, but they SURELY aren't here.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

It's just racoons bothering you? Lucky, lucky.

I deal with Puma, Jaguar, Ocelot, Little Spotted Cat, Harpy Eagle, and Swallowtail Kites, in addition to the regular giganto-rats, huanchaka (possum), foxes/wild bush dogs, and a couple different kinds of weasels, and if I decide to grow tilapia I will also have to look out for otters. It's illegal to kill any of these critters other than the huanchaka and the rats (endangered species) so I generally use blowdarts with dieffenbachia sap.

Re: Anyone ever have predator problems with livestock?
 

Wild wolves, rats, cats, jackdaws, eagles... bears in mountains...

Racoon seems more like a decoration.