Raccoon Bait

I have a dilemma. I want to catch the coon that got my hen, BUT I don't want the bait to be so enticing that a mink will be drawn to the yard. A neighbor about 7 properties away fed some shrimp heads to her hens, and woke to all her hens dead as a mink was also attracted to the smell of the shrimp, but clearly found something more enticing. I think my night houses are mink proof, AND I do not want to test the theory but my pens for daytime certainly are not mink proof.

I put out an open tin of tuna, and the disturbing thing is something did eat half of it but the trap was not triggered. I checked the trigger and it all works fine. I'm scared to put out any fresh fish, in case I draw a mink. I don't think a mink could get out of the trap, but I'm not 100% sure it wouldn't either. And I don't know how the food could have been eaten as the wire is pretty heavy with small squares in it. A rat maybe?

Any suggestions for non-meat bait to catch the evilest of all racoons?

Raccoons seem to eat just about anything a human does. Start with maybe something like peanut butter? Hard not to trigger the trap with that!

It already has a taste for chicken, I would use that.
I will say I have not had to catch one yet though.

I'm worried chicken will draw a mink...especially after my neighbors tragedy. I'm trying to stay away from anything raw if possible. Though I know it would be best. I might try the peanut butter though...

I grew up in Toronto which is full of enormous raccoons. We had to dispense with quite a few over the years. I'd worry about bringing in a mink too with meat or fish.

Cherry pie filling. No joke. They use it in bear traps. You'd think raw meat but no, cherry pie filling and hen scratch. Racoons also like sweet stuff, but mink, not so much.

Perfect.  Cherry Pie filling.  I'll be down at the store first thing.  And best part about that is I don't have to worry about catching my cats.  Who knew. ALTHOUGH just as I was about to hit send, I think I hear a coon, just outside the window. I still have tuna in the trap, yup, can hear it, definitely a coon....hope it goes in the trap!!!!

I've caught all mine with eggs in the trap. One week I caught 8. All with eggs

I used sardines , or salmon/tuna in a can ? But I also caught a few of our cats ! till I taught tham a lesson that is !

I use bacon in my traps

Cherry pie filling! I agree - racoons love the sweet stuff unlike most other critters. Let us know.

Marshmallows work good for pests with a sweet tooth.  

The coon was definitely around last night, I could hear the raccoon sounds and heard it banging about, but didn't go in the trap. There are urban legends of here of people too chicken  to dispose a raccoon properly, and taking trapped racoons to the other side of the island from where they live and releasing them there    . I'm beginning to think this one is from the other end of the island, because it does seem experienced in things trap-like.

Tonight I will try an egg smothered in cherry pie filling. I do have to stay away from the really smelly meat so I don't draw in Mink. Sweet it is.