Hmm I think a good dual purpose chicken would really fit the bill. Buckeyes come to mind because of the really small combs.
Do any of the grand kids want to do or are they already active in 4H? That way you could reasonably justify keeping additional critters (why keep 1 pig when you can have 4 so it's 4x the pleasure & 4x the smell?) or maybe you invest in a cow? Maybe you put out some feelers to see if someone wants to buy a 1/4 or a 1/2 from you when it's time.
Coons not very good. It was really greasy VERY dark meat. Lot of flavor but it wasn't something I'd want again. The greasy part of it really turned me off.
Lot better things to eat like squirrel or dove before I'd eat it again.
So once again, we veer off topic.....from range wars to eating coons.
I'll toss in my two bits worth.....anybody ever eat armadillo? Bar-B-Cued, it's pretty good. Shucking it out of the shell requires a very sharp knife (think Bowie) both hands and both feet (to stand on each side of the shell as you pull on the carcass by the tail)
Or what about fried rattlesnake? That's good too and the rib bones make excellent tooth picks. But not rattlesnake gumbo--boiled snake gets real slimy.
I hope things are going better for you Red. Bees would probably be the best deterrent. -- One of our local stores used that ploy to keep people from opening the top of their bulk honey dispenser. It was just a box covering the honey vat, and it said "DANGER: LIVE BEES" nobody ever lifted it. ;-)
As for unusual meats...most oddball thing i've eaten is alligator. Tastes like salty chicken.
@Smart Red, i hate to hear about your neighbors, hope they will come to their senses before this gets any worse. and just a thought nothing smells better in the fall then a pen with a couple of pigs except maybe a pen with a couple of buck goats in full rut.
and since we are off subject don't know whether I'm adventuresome or weird... have had coon, and yup ok but greasy, snake, had mine fried- was good, bear, was also good but kinda greasy, alligator, liked it, squirrel, good, wild rabbit, also good, groundhog, not bad, deer, love it, moose, also real good, bison, yup it was good too. @baymule I've never tried armadillo but worked with a doctor who's mother paid $400. for an armadillo for one of their yearly feasts, told him that next time she came to visit to let me know and i would get her one out of the woods around here. and all the buzzards and crows can't be wrong, armadillo is the first road kill thing they eat.