A Stranger in Our Midst

I found these perfect little tracks in the dust on top of the bins we keep our Guinea feed in the other day.  I’m not well-versed in identifying animal tracks, but I do have a suspicion that they belong to the raccoon that we spotted in broad daylight over the weekend, and based on a little internet poking, they look to be about the right size and shape to be so.  But then, they look about the right size and shape to belong to the woodchuck who has made no secret of his living somewhere underneath the barn floor.

Though I hope they’re the latter, I don’t believe woodchucks are much for climbing, and the presence of a raccoon in the barn concerns me.  Seeing that guy out in the middle of the day (raccoons are generally nocturnal) worries us about rabies, which we certainly don’t want around here.  Plus, raccoons are known to kill chickens from time to time.  Our Guineas are bigger than most chickens, and I’d like to think that their screaming and carrying on would scare away would-be killer raccoons.  Nonetheless, these prints have put me on alert.