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Skunk in my coop!

post #1 of 6
5/3/12 at 7:48am
Thread Starter 

This morning I went to get in my car to go to work, and as usual I dropped my bag, keys, etc. in the car and then walked up to the coop/run, talking to the girls as I went and scanning the run as I did my morning "head count."  All are there, plus one extra-- a SKUNK!  The hens didn't seem panicked, and were clamoring at the front of the run like usual, begging for their morning scratch while Pepe LePue toddled around behind them, snuffling up bits of scratch left over from yesterday, I guess.  I froze, backed up and watched from a safe distance while calling my husband on the phone and trying not to sound hysterical.  barnie.gif

 

Pepe toddled up the ramp into the coop, and I could hear him banging around in there.   Again, chickens didn't seem panicked, just going about their morning business, and some even followed him in.  I get the feeling he's a regular breakfast visitor.  And I think I need to apologize to my hens for all the times I"ve blamed them for breaking eggs and eating the contents. 

 

BUT, more importantly-- is it NORMAL for skunks to be out and about at about 8:00 am?  It's not, right?  Or do you think he was just heading to bed?  We live in a suburban neighborhood of old Victorian homes, most with carriage barns behind, and in fact part of our barn is our coop, so I KNOW we have more than our share of healthy skunks and raccons around.  But do you think I should be concerned that he's rabid? 

 

AND HOLY CRAP-- HOW DO I GET HIM OUT?!  I had to leave for work, and how the heck would I have gotten him out anyway?  I figured if he got in, he could get out again, and if he did so on his own terms the likelihood of either myself and/or the ladies getting sprayed was much less, so I reluctantly left for work. 

 

Now I realize that we've had a security breach, and if Pepe LaPue got in, Ricky Racoon could also get in, so that will be addressed tonight.  But in the meantime, I just needed to come here and do this:  ep.gif and this idunno.gif and finally this  sickbyc.gif

 

and ask if this is normal skunk-chicken behavior?  Should my hens have been afraid?  We've never had problems with predators in the past, and honestly, my chickens weren't acting as if anything was out of the ordinary.  To skunks pose a risk to chickens?  I'm afraid to go home and check, though I know that's silly-- they way they were acting, Pepe has been there before. 

 

Any advice? 

 

astrid

Keepin' it real for my peeps:  a dh, a dd(age 10) two Leonberger dogs, three haughty, self-absorbed cats and the REAL "peeps," four darling hens:  2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Barred Plymoth Rocks.
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Keepin' it real for my peeps:  a dh, a dd(age 10) two Leonberger dogs, three haughty, self-absorbed cats and the REAL "peeps," four darling hens:  2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Barred Plymoth Rocks.
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post #2 of 6
5/3/12 at 10:19am

You have to get rid of it or at least stop it from entering your coop and run.  I think that you are very, very lucky that your birds are not dead. They usually eat eggs, but if none are there it will eat your chickens heads off.  It obviously knows where the free meal is and will not stop coming back for more. Not sure if it is normal to be out in the morning, but I think that if it was rabid it would look disheveled and wouldn't be eating.

5 cats, 3 labrador retreivers, 2 quarter horses, 1 crazy goat, and 7 little chicks

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5 cats, 3 labrador retreivers, 2 quarter horses, 1 crazy goat, and 7 little chicks

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post #3 of 6
5/3/12 at 10:22am
Skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, snakes, many different predators will roam and hunt during the day. Many are usually nocturnal but just because you see one during the day does not mean it has rabies or that anything else is wrong. However, always treat any wild animal as if it might be sick or dangerous, because they are potentially dangerous ansd they just might be sick. It is very wise to take precautions. And if the animal is behaving erratically, it is really wise to take precautions.

Skunks will kill and eat chickens, especially at night when they are on the roost and an easy target. They will also scavenge on dead chickens or other dead animals. But usually they are after eggs. That behavior sounds a lot like you described. He is probably a regular visitor for eggs. But the risk that he will kill a chicken is there.

Chickens are a lot like many other animals. They can be really nervous around another animal for a while, but if nothing bad happens, they get used to it. Again, that calm behavior makes it sound like the skunk has been there before.

What can you do? First, find out how it is getting in and fix it. As far as removing it, that depends a lot on where you live. I'm in the country so I would probably shoot it. Some people will get a live trap and catch it. They may dispose of it themselves or maybe they can call animal control. I would suggest calling animal control and see what your options are. They may catch it for you, they may come get it if you catch it, they may lend you a trap, or they may say you are on your own.

One of my neighbors is a taxidermist. If I catch something in its winter pelt he will usually take it off my hands but if it is out of season, he does not want it. You might try calling taxidermists around you to see if they would take it.

You should have trappers around you that will take care of it for a fee, usually a large fee. It is generally illegal to release a trapped animal unless you do it on your own property. That's where talking to animal control may really help, to find out what your options are.
Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand  (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
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Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand  (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
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post #4 of 6
5/3/12 at 10:30am

YIKES !!!!

I have about 20 Mature Hens and Roosters Different Breeds (RIR's, EE's, OEGB, Buff Orp.'s)  and approximately 60 Chicks different ages and a large variety adding more constantly (Jersey Giants, Black Australorp, White leghorn, Buff Orps.'s RIR and mixed bred), Three Dogs One Pure Bread Doxie two mixed Breeds, 4 Ducks (2 white Peking, One Muscovy, One mixed breed)2 baby Mallard chicks , 2...

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I have about 20 Mature Hens and Roosters Different Breeds (RIR's, EE's, OEGB, Buff Orp.'s)  and approximately 60 Chicks different ages and a large variety adding more constantly (Jersey Giants, Black Australorp, White leghorn, Buff Orps.'s RIR and mixed bred), Three Dogs One Pure Bread Doxie two mixed Breeds, 4 Ducks (2 white Peking, One Muscovy, One mixed breed)2 baby Mallard chicks , 2...

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post #5 of 6
5/3/12 at 11:48am

You need to shoot it, when it sees you, it will more than likely run away, let it get away from your coop and when you have a clean shot at it, kill it. The problem comes after, because they will almost always spray or leak their stink juice out, no matter where you shoot them, they are going to release it. Just get a towel, pour vanilla extract on it, tie it around your face, and go collect the animal and remove it to a place it can decompose without stinking up the place.

 

If you cant discharge a firearm where you live, put a live trap out and trap it, good luck getting it out, i have always had to shoot them in the trap, which ruins the trap for awhile.

 

Good luck!!!

 

Shunks are notorious egg eaters, once they find an easy access, they wont stop.


Edited by WildWorks - 5/3/12 at 11:50am
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post #6 of 6
5/3/12 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 

Yeah....I guess that would explain why production's been down.  We live in a residential area and skunks are everywhere.  I think the best we can do is repair the hole-- which my husband found tonight.  It's in a back run which the birds have access to but we only use when we have babies so they can have a separate play area from the big girls-- we call it the "Kindergarten Coop."  We just shut and barred the door to the coop for tonight since it was past dark when we got out there, but we'll wage fence warfare this weekend. 

 

Sorry Monsieur Le Pue, your favorite breakfast place just closed. 

 

Thanks for the replies. 

 

astrid
 

Keepin' it real for my peeps:  a dh, a dd(age 10) two Leonberger dogs, three haughty, self-absorbed cats and the REAL "peeps," four darling hens:  2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Barred Plymoth Rocks.
Reply
Keepin' it real for my peeps:  a dh, a dd(age 10) two Leonberger dogs, three haughty, self-absorbed cats and the REAL "peeps," four darling hens:  2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Barred Plymoth Rocks.
Reply
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