Unlike Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy, most raccoons don’t have a fascinating backstory. They do share Rocket’s antics and snarky attitude, though.
And you know who suffers the most from this attitude? Your backyard chickens.
Well, your cats could fall prey, too. But the poor hens are particularly vulnerable.
As a keeper, it’s your job to make sure your girls are safe.
The thing is, I know from experience this is easier said than done. Over the years, I tried a dozen tricks and had different degrees of success.
Today, I’ll share with you how I managed to keep raccoons away from my chicken coop.
5 Signs You’ve Got a Racoon Problem
Lots of the tips I’ll share later work for many predators. Still, it’s always better to know what you’re dealing with.
Obviously, the most straightforward thing to do here is to set up trail cameras to see what’s messing with your coop.
But there are also signs to look for.
- Tracks: Raccoon tracks have five long toes on each foot and look like a human handprint. The front foot is around 2¼”, while the hind is 3¼” long.
- Carcasses: Raccoons might decapitate your hens without really eating them. What a waste!
- Blood Trails: You won’t always see the carcasses. If the raccoon pulled out a baby chick, a blood trail might be all that’s left.
- Shells: You might start seeing cracked eggs in and around the coop.
- Coop Damage: Look for rips in the fence or the roof. Just know this isn’t a conclusive sign because raccoons can actually walk in through the door.
How Sneaky Raccoons Get to Your Hens
Raccoons will bully their way through chicken wire mesh, climb fences, and try to open latches. They’ll even dig under the chicken coop if they can.
They’re smart, dexterous, and will figure out an easy way to get to your girls and their eggs.
9 Tips for Raccoon-Proofing Your Coop
Maybe you already lost a hen or two to raccoon attacks. Perhaps you’re just taking some preventative measures.
Either way, here are nine common ways of keeping the raccoons away.
1 – Check the Coop Construction
First things first, make sure the coop construction isn’t compromised.
Some people shift to “predator-resistant” coops made with plastic and metal. But you don’t have to.
A solid plywood coop will do fine as long as it’s well-maintained. So, take a look at the walls, floors, vents, and roof.
See any loose boards? Start there.
2 – Use Hardware Cloth… Everywhere
I can’t stress this enough: Chicken wire isn’t going to keep predators away. It’s too flimsy with a loose weave pattern.
In fact, a raccoon can easily reach in and grab a chicken’s head through the mesh. Imagine dying this way!
Chain link fences are no good, either.
Instead, you want to use a ¼” hardware cloth everywhere.
And when I say “everywhere,” I mean it—over the windows, around the run, draped over the top, and buried around the perimeter of the coop.
Ideally, you’ll bury the hardware cloth a foot deep and bend it 90° outwards to create an anti-digging ground barrier. If you lay the cloth down on the run as well, you should cover it up with a deep layer of sand so the chickens can scratch without hurting their feet.
Chicken Run Build Part 4: Installing Hardware Cloth Predator Proof Run
Keep in mind that you want to secure the hardware cloth as tightly as possible. So, either be through with the stapling or ditch the stapler and use screws and bolts.
3 – Don’t Rely on One-Step Latches
Raccoons are clever little things. I’ll give them that.
They can figure out complex locks and remember the solution for years. Yes, even if you switch up the lock placement every now and then.
The general rule is that if a latch is simple enough for a toddler to figure out, it won’t keep a determined raccoon away.
Personally?
I’d go for two or three multiple-step latches on the coop door. Think padlocks, spring-loaded locking eye hooks, carabiners, and barrel locks.
If you don’t mind splurging, consider getting an automatic sliding door. These are usually harder for raccoons to figure out.
4 – Get Your Girls a Night Guard
I can’t imagine raccoons standing up to a burly dog. They’re too smart to walk into that fight.
Of course, I don’t think it’s ideal to adopt a dog just to protect your hens. But hey, if you already have one, maybe check that he has a direct line of sight from the kennel to the coop.
To a smaller degree, a rooster can also fend off predators. That’s assuming you’re willing to put up with the drawbacks of raising a rooster in your flock—noise, ordinances, and whatnot.
5 – Set up Dettering Lights
A motion-activated light can scare off a newbie raccoon. It might also help direct your dog’s attention to the coop.
Some folks swear by solar-powered guard lights, too. They’re way less intrusive but should mimic the eyes of a predator to scare raccoons.
Guard lights are so small, and you’ll likely need one on each side of the coop.
Still, I won’t put all my trust in flood or guard lights. They’re more of a supplementary solution.
If you’re committed to using gadgets as deterrence, you could try motion-activated sparklers, too.
6 – Leave a Radio in the Coop
A less sophisticated but still relatively effective proofing tactic is to put a small battery-powered radio in the coop and leave it tuned to a news channel all night.
The human sounds might just fool raccoons.
7 – Use Scent Deterrents
Raccoons have an incredibly good sense of smell, and you can use it to your advantage.
A bit of ammonia, cayenne, or vinegar around the fence could make the coop less appealing to these masked bandits.
8 – Collect Your Eggs Regularly
I know this is starting like last-ditch efforts (it sort of is), but just try to lock your hens at night and collect your eggs regularly.
For one, you don’t want to lure the raccoons into the coop with a whole lot of uncollected eggs. Plus, if a raccoon does get in, you want to limit casualties.
9 – Don’t Leave Easy Meals Out
A raccoon might be lured into your backyard by a trash can. Then, it sees a chicken nodding off within reach and decides to have a go at it.
They’re opportunistic that way.
Let’s make sure nothing is attracting them into the yard in the first place. That means securing all your garbage cans, not leaving pet food outside, and doing general cleanup.
Final Thoughts
Odds are, you’ll need to tackle the raccoon problem from different angles.
I’d recommend trying at least three tips together, and one of them has to be covering every gap with hardware wire.
Needless to say, poison pellets are a major no-no. You don’t want to put your hens in harm’s way!
If all else fails, try setting live animal traps around the coop.
Usually, I don’t like this approach because raccoons are feisty. Handling one sounds like an absolute nightmare, even if it’s locked in a cage.
I’d call animal control if it comes to that.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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