My 8x8 coop is attached to a very large dog kennel-type run that has hardware cloth on its walls and a hardware cloth apron around the perimeter. Around the coop and the run is a yard that is enclosed with electric netting and covered by aviary netting (the heavy duty kind). I leave the run open during the day to let my birds forage in the chicken yard and close the coop and run at night.
Ok, a few weeks ago I went out to shut my chickens and ducks in for the night, and I was surprised by a skunk in the run. I was VERY lucky not to get sprayed! As soon as the little stinker ran out, I shut the run and did a count to make sure all my birds were accounted for - esp the chicks and bantams. Everyone was there - phew!
I went out into the fenced chicken yard. The skunk was gone, and I thought it had skedaddled under the fence, which was odd because the fence is electric netting. The netting was on and hot all day. I had only just turned it off when I went in.
Fast forward to this evening. I had already put the flock to bed and was headed out to lock up the goats, and I hear a noise. I thought, "Oh no - one of the ducks got locked out of the run." They are party girls who like to stay out past dark. I've never locked one out yet, but there's a first time for everything.
Nope. It was that skunk! It was outside the closed run but inside the fenced yard, which was on! I grabbed the hose and squirted the little bugger. It freaked out and ran UNDER the coop.
So it is living UNDER my coop and probably has been since we extended the chicken yard around the entire coop (it used to be smaller and didn't enclose the whole coop).
What do I do now? I know I need to extend the apron around the run to include the coop. That's relatively easy.
But what do I do about the skunk? I can trap it, probably. But I am no good for killing it - too much of a wimp. Will animal control or pest management folks take care of it? Or is there something else I can do to make it go away long enough for me to apron the back of the coop?
It has access to the run and coop during the day before I close them up. No wonder I've been getting so few eggs. I thought it was the heat. Ugh!
Ok, a few weeks ago I went out to shut my chickens and ducks in for the night, and I was surprised by a skunk in the run. I was VERY lucky not to get sprayed! As soon as the little stinker ran out, I shut the run and did a count to make sure all my birds were accounted for - esp the chicks and bantams. Everyone was there - phew!
I went out into the fenced chicken yard. The skunk was gone, and I thought it had skedaddled under the fence, which was odd because the fence is electric netting. The netting was on and hot all day. I had only just turned it off when I went in.
Fast forward to this evening. I had already put the flock to bed and was headed out to lock up the goats, and I hear a noise. I thought, "Oh no - one of the ducks got locked out of the run." They are party girls who like to stay out past dark. I've never locked one out yet, but there's a first time for everything.
Nope. It was that skunk! It was outside the closed run but inside the fenced yard, which was on! I grabbed the hose and squirted the little bugger. It freaked out and ran UNDER the coop.
So it is living UNDER my coop and probably has been since we extended the chicken yard around the entire coop (it used to be smaller and didn't enclose the whole coop).
What do I do now? I know I need to extend the apron around the run to include the coop. That's relatively easy.
But what do I do about the skunk? I can trap it, probably. But I am no good for killing it - too much of a wimp. Will animal control or pest management folks take care of it? Or is there something else I can do to make it go away long enough for me to apron the back of the coop?
It has access to the run and coop during the day before I close them up. No wonder I've been getting so few eggs. I thought it was the heat. Ugh!
