The Raccoon Saga Continues.
Oct. 16th, 2009 11:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
summer_jackelMr. Raccoon has, it seems, realized that there is food to be had at my place and has returned the last two nights, as they will. The first, I saw him getting into the dog food can (now removed) and last night he was in the kennel once---and then tried to get the chickens again, although he has not succeeded. I have two new hens; a little black bantam something I named Requiem and a red frosted white I-have-no-idea-as-to-breed pullet who I'm calling Prelude. It turns out that Prelude is a screamer, and yells bloody murder when the coon approaches the coop. (The others go silent). Good girl!
So the coon got a few tailfeathers, but no chicken. Last night, I set a cat trap in hopes of bagging my transgressive procynid neighbor, but no luck. I was up to chase off the coon about six times, starting at about 1 in the morning and ending at about 5. Of course the dogs and cats had to be locked in the house, or I would just catch them with the trap, and Tiger was completely enraged about having his outdoor privileges revoked. He let me know it, too, with loud and increasingly irritated caterwauling as the night progressed. I'm telling you, it's a good thing there was no English-feline translator present. He would start in anew every time I got up to chase off the coon.
The upshot of this is that I didn't get much sleep last night. My trespasser is certainly a handsome devil, though. Nice soft fluffy guy, far from the biggest one I've ever seen, but not a youngster like the last coon to attack my flock. That one was tasty.
Tonight, Jez and the shelties are sleeping in the back yard (collie inside, though, because he's still not trustworthy with my landscaping if he gets bored). There exists the possibility of Jez going after the chickens, of course, but the small coop they are in is fairly secure, and I trust that Prelude the alert hen will sound off no matter who is trying to eat her. I'm setting the trap in the chicken yard where the dogs can't get it, and hopefully Tiger won't notice the bait (wet cat food). He won that argument.
We will see if I am actually awake enough to dance this evening; I am now taking bets. Our current score is coon 1, Jackel nothing. Rematch tonight.
So the coon got a few tailfeathers, but no chicken. Last night, I set a cat trap in hopes of bagging my transgressive procynid neighbor, but no luck. I was up to chase off the coon about six times, starting at about 1 in the morning and ending at about 5. Of course the dogs and cats had to be locked in the house, or I would just catch them with the trap, and Tiger was completely enraged about having his outdoor privileges revoked. He let me know it, too, with loud and increasingly irritated caterwauling as the night progressed. I'm telling you, it's a good thing there was no English-feline translator present. He would start in anew every time I got up to chase off the coon.
The upshot of this is that I didn't get much sleep last night. My trespasser is certainly a handsome devil, though. Nice soft fluffy guy, far from the biggest one I've ever seen, but not a youngster like the last coon to attack my flock. That one was tasty.
Tonight, Jez and the shelties are sleeping in the back yard (collie inside, though, because he's still not trustworthy with my landscaping if he gets bored). There exists the possibility of Jez going after the chickens, of course, but the small coop they are in is fairly secure, and I trust that Prelude the alert hen will sound off no matter who is trying to eat her. I'm setting the trap in the chicken yard where the dogs can't get it, and hopefully Tiger won't notice the bait (wet cat food). He won that argument.
We will see if I am actually awake enough to dance this evening; I am now taking bets. Our current score is coon 1, Jackel nothing. Rematch tonight.
