How to keep raccoons out of a chicken coop: You have to watch out and be in a position to prevent raccoons from reaching your chicken because the first thing they will not only kill the chicken but they will also feed on their eggs. The chicken coop is one of the easiest targets for raccoons because they know that it is a source of easy prey. If you do not take proper measures then the raccoons will be returning from time to time and they will always take advantage of your chicken. They are very witty; therefore you have to come up with preventive measures that are very hard to crack’
Preventive measures: You have to get rid of any trail that will direct them towards your chicken troop; you have to ensure that all their water and tray feeders are kept safely indoors during the night and brought out in the morning. If they are empty, you have to make sure that they are cleaned and dried. The significance of keeping them clean is that you will be able to get rid of all the traces that may direct the raccoons to your chicken. In simple terms, you have to avoid leaving the food dishes outside in the open where the raccoons will be attracted towards the chicken coop.
You have to fully secure the chicken coop in order to prevent the raccoons from invading it especially during the night. The first thing is to ensure that the wall of the chicken coop is very firm. You can use the best materials to build the walls and you can also use mesh wire that has very tiny openings. The advantage of the tiny meshed wire is that the raccoons will not be able to tear through the wire and get access to your chicken.
You have to put a roof on the chicken coop; the function of the roof is to ensure that the coop is well fastened on all sides and this will make it impossible for the raccoon to enter the chicken coop. When the raccoon tries hard and finds it hard to break into the coop then he will be forced to move to away and your chicken will be very safe.
There is another technique that is equally effective; you can deter the raccoons away from the chicken coop and they will have no choice but to walk away. Raccoons detest bad odor, you can therefore use ammonia or urine from predators and sprinkle around the chicken coop; they will have no choice but avoid that region because of the strong smell. Deterrents can be used but you have to be very carefully because they can equally harm the chicken.
Read more about What attracts raccoons?
Wildlife Education - Raccoon Problem Prevention Information