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predators

Do trees in chicken yard attract raccoons?

Posts: 41

Location: Oregon Zone 8b

posted 3 months ago

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Is it best to not have any large bushy or climbable trees (ex. hazelnut or mulberry) inside a chicken yard? Does it attract raccoons to hide or sleep in the branches? It would be almonds, plums, hazelnut bushes, mulberry bushes or tree, loquat. The rest of the yards (including immediately outside of the chicken yard) definitely will be planted with many small fruit and nut trees and bushes.

I'm curious because when my 1/4 acre property was bare with only some ornamentals, I was the only chicken owner not encountering raccoons in my yard. We even sometimes left their coop open slightly after dark. Now that I have some fruit trees but no chickens anymore, we have raccoons coming every night to eat and poop.

Matt McSpadden

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Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

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posted 3 months ago

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Hi Esther,
I suspect it is the food aspect that is attracting them more than the tree branches. I used electric net fence to keep things away from my chickens. It worked very well. I never lost any chickens inside the fence. There were a few chickens that were smart enough to get out but not smart enough to get back in... that got eaten before I noticed they were out. Generally I would clip their wings so they couldn't fly over and get eaten... but feathers grow back.

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bruce Fine

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raccoons seek out food sources. I had a situation where raccoons were getting into my pet food storage containers until I built a raccoon proof wooden box to store containers of pet food. thats just my situation.having raccoons coming around has nothing to do with trees unless the trees produce something that raccoons want to eat.
I think of raccoons as eat and run opportunists unlike possums that will climb up a tree and hang out there and take up residence

Anne Miller

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I agree with Matt and Bruce. Food is what attracts them.

I bet if you install some motion activated lights and sprinklers they will go away.

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Esther Platt

Posts: 41

Location: Oregon Zone 8b

posted 3 months ago

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Thanks for the ideas about electric fence and motion-activated deterrents. So you think bushiness or large canopy branches are not worse. The remaining question is whether I should keep the fruit/nut trees just outside of the chicken fence, to deter raccoons from hanging out in the chicken yard eating fruit.

Matt McSpadden

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Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

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Esther Platt wrote:...The remaining question is whether I should keep the fruit/nut trees just outside of the chicken fence, to deter raccoons from hanging out in the chicken yard eating fruit.

That is a tough one. The chickens themselves are a magnet for raccoon.... as is the fruit. The fruit trees could provide shade and food for the chickens which is a plus. Raccoons might eat the easy stuff and leave the chickens? I would probably try it with them inside with the chickens... and try to do it in a way that I could modify if the raccoons remain a problem after things are protected.

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