05/22/2026
I am a wildlife rehabilitator, and this is the call I received this morning:
“This past Sunday, a raccoon had been trying to kill my chickens. I had scared her off over the last couple weeks and tried to catch and relocate her with no luck. Sunday, I ran her out of the coop again and decided to shoot her since I couldn’t catch her. Yesterday, I found the babies in the roof of my small shed. They came out while I was outside working. I put on leather gloves, picked them up, and put them in a box to help protect them so they wouldn’t run off. I’m not sure what else to do for them.”
This didn’t need to happen. This could have been prevented.
Call a rehabilitator before taking matters into your own hands. Wildlife rehabilitators can offer humane, effective solutions and practical tips for securing coops and protecting chickens without harming wildlife. Predators are simply doing what they were created to do, and as owners of pets or farm animals, it is our responsibility to properly secure and protect them.
You cannot kill every wild animal that enters your property. The solution is not eliminating wildlife — it is learning how to prevent conflict through proper prevention and secure housing.
Did you know there is a FREE wildlife hotline available that offers expert, nuanced advice specific to each situation? Their goal is to help homeowners humanely resolve wildlife conflicts without harm to the animals and without cost to the homeowner.
If wildlife is somewhere you don’t want it, please call 1-877-WILD-411 (945-3411) BEFORE taking action.
And remember: **it is illegal to trap and relocate wildlife in New York State.**
Thank you for caring about wildlife and for choosing compassion whenever possible.
*very thankful to a fellow Rehabber who was willing to step in for me. I needed her support and she was right there! Ty!!
