I had one of those terrible dreams last night that a raccoon got into my chicken coop and killed my flock. Now, I have a very well built chicken coop ... however, the run doesn't have a cover on it. Thus, it got me to thinking... my chickens are locked up every night and are safe. BUT ... my new 8 week old Nigerian Dwarf goat babies will be in the six foot high fence that doesn't have the cover every night. Do I need to worry about a raccoon climbing in (which I know they can) and hurt/kill my goat babies?
Coons won't hurt your kids, they are curious little critters that will take off when startled...unless they are cornered they will react. Chickens and eggs are a great delicacy to coons too...so I hope they stay out of your coop!
Oh Cinder, I know how vivid those dreams can be! Stupid fox is still causing me nightmares. My kids are in a pen with only a 4 ft fence, and even with the fox I've not had an attack on my goats. We have lost a few chickens though, they seem to be staying up closer to the house, since I thwarted the last attack. (hopefully, the neighbor can shoot him). I don't think a raccoon will hurt the goats, even a six-week old kid is kinda feisty.
The only thing to worry about is the feces and the urine from the raccoon. As a rule, coons will always go in the same spot. We have a couple coons in our barn and there are places where the hay is just covered in you know what. The feces and the urine carries some disease, its not rabies but all you have to do is smell the hay and you can get it. We've never had a problem with the coons and the goats, they pick the chickens off though.
