This week I was not the only one loosing some sleep. Last week I wrote about the raccoon that had begun to help itself to our fresh chicken — and not the kind we like to stock in the farm store. On Sunday morning when I last posted we knew we had a problem and only a few hours before nightfall to work on a solution. Both Lewis and Lovett were engrossed by the footage from our wildlife camera showing how the raccoon climbed into the brooder and then climbed back out with a chicken in its mouth, and of course, all the various ways that a raccoon kills and eats a chicken. We also enjoyed watching a skunk come to investigate and eat a few leftovers from the raccoon’s plunder. The skunk did not seem as keen to climb into the brooder. I invited the kids to come down to the barn to help me keep the raccoon away from the chickens, and I had willing and enthusiastic helpers. We set right to work. The plan: to enclose the brooder area so that a raccoon or other curious prowler could not get in.
Primary goal: no more raccoons consuming chickens.
Secondary goal: space is still comfortable for chicks with good lighting and ventilation and convenient for the humans doing chores.
Tertiary goal: spend no money doing so.
So Lewis, Lovett and I got to work shuffling through the lumber rack and scrap pile to salvage 2x4s, metal roofing and other boards that looked promising. Lovett, being only four and a half, lasted until afternoon snack. Lewis however, was completely engrossed in the project and at dinner asked when we could go back to work. So . . . , we brushed our teeth, put on a few extra layers, and headed back down to the barn.
I have found myself working alone, after my family has gone to bed and for me it is mostly a lonely feeling. I enjoy a project, working with my hands and thinking creatively on how to solve a problem. But I really enjoy working with people. Lewis was a joy to have. Not only am I a proud father watching him learn to harness the leverage of a crow bar, or how to operate a staple gun, I also felt loved by the companionship. His joy for the work was contagious and kept me going even as my own energy waned.
As the sky was beginning to darken we had a surprise visit from Uncle Dakin and Kristen, our old familiar housemates who have since moved to Saranac Lake. They were on their way home from an event in Westport, and they stopped into say hello and we took full advantage of Dakin’s and Kristen’s willingness to help. Just in time too! With Lewis wielding the staple gun and Dakin, Kristen and me holding up the hardware cloth we were able to put up the long run in just a few minutes. Thank you Dakin and Kristen!
At 9pm Dakin and Kristen left to drive back to their apartment in Saranac Lake. Lewis turned to me and said “what’s next Papa?” So we set out attaching the tarp to the top and by 9:30 I could see that I was in for a long night and I wanted to make sure Lewis got to bed. He was not having it, and I had to insist that we could work again the following night.
I returned to the brooder and worked until about 2am to get things sealed up as best I could for the night. I could tell I was tired, and my mind was slow. So I did my best to check all the ways a crafty raccoon could get in, setup the wildlife camera, walked back to the house and collapsed into bed.
The next morning we were all disappointed to find bits and pieces of chickens strewn on the ground and on top of the brooder, and a few conspicuous gaps in my defenses!! Damn. Our best forensic guess put total losses to about 20 birds. We figured the fact that the chicks can hide under the brooder boxes (called Ohio Brooders) meant that the raccoon was only able to take a few at a time.
So we set to work again, finding new holes in our structure, building a door with hinges and a latch and trying to anticipate the next place our raccoon would slip in to feast on our chickens. As we headed back down to the barn after dinner, I felt very tired. But Lewis’s pep and bounce brought a smile to my face and some levity to my own stride. We sawed, and stapled and poked and tested. Lewis was an expert at pretending to be a raccoon to see if he could get in. We reminisced about one of our favorite books, Where the Red Fern Grows, and the smart raccoons we met in that book.
At just about 10 pm, I was climbing on top of the structure to finish up the last few fortifications, when my phone slipped out of my pocket and tumbled down between the barn wall and the brooder. A gap about 8 feet tall and 5 inches wide. My expletives from above were loud and clear to my young helper. His reaction was so kind: “everything OK Papa?”
I lost my phone I told him, and his smile brightened at the challenge, “Oh, well, what happened? Where did it go? Think we can find it?” So we set out to try. With the help of a flood lamp we were able to peer down the gap and confirm that it was there. Then Lewis had the idea that we might be able to get into the gap from inside the brooder. Great idea! We removed a few staples and boards and he was able to slip into the gap, and reach all the way down and grab it and a headful of dust-bunnies to boot. With that, we called it a night and both headed home for some much needed sleep.
The next morning we were proud to find that no raccoons were able to get in, and all the chicks were safe and sound inside. Now to catch up on some sleep!
Reber Rock Farm Blog 