Eww Skunk! (ok.. so it's a baby but still).. Help! =)

[featherz]

We've co-existed with skunks on our property for years, and they have actually never bothered chicks, chickens,eggs or any of our cats. However, we have a large coop made out of a horse run-in with a dirt floor and a baby skunk (have never seen mama) is IN THE COOP every night.

My chickens free range, so the pop door is open during the day as is the run door. No skunk smell anywhere around, so I don't know if mama is holed up with babies elsewhere or this one is on his own. He's about the size of a small squirrel. I've set traps with peanut butter (he apparently hates peanut butter), skirted around the perimeter with hardware cloth covered with concrete pavers, filled in his entrance holes with foam and he just keeps digging deeper and deeper to get in or out. I even skirted the inside of the coop, more pavers and a piece of plywood over his hole.

Last night he was nowhere to be seen in the coop, so I set the traps and went to bed. Next morning, he had tunneled back in and left the traps alone. He hasn't bothered the chickens but he's eating ALL of my chicken food.

I'm told skunks can dig very deeply if they want to, so I am not sure if burying hardware cloth will work. I'm going to remove all feeders and set traps tonight with cat food in hopes that will work, but any other ideas? I've skirted even further out and am buying out Home Depot's supply of heavy concrete pavers. Is my only option putting in a floor? This is a huge coop so I'm not sure I can get DH on board with that, plus I'm trying out the dirt floor with deep litter.. however, if there's no other option..

Think the cat food will work for traps? Especially if I remove the chicken food?

 

[Dchicken207]

Have you tried baiting the traps with the chicken food?

 

[lowry075]

Well, I'd try to cat food, if you want, but if the cat food doesn't work, bait the trap with chicken food. You said it seems to really like it.

As for digging, I know some people bury the apron a few feet, but it'd be some work I imagine, digging all around the horse run to do it. I added an apron after the fact and have issues with it being uneartherd during freer anging. I didn't go deep enough.

I hope it works for you, whatever you decide, and that someone with actual skunk experience will chime in.

 

[featherz]

Hahaha, you have a good point. I have two traps, will bait one with the cat food and one with the chicken food. This coop is really big and it would be hard to skirt it that deeply as it's in the woods. But I am trying!!

This little skunk is very persistent!!!

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Just be careful when you capture the little cutey... SHOOOOOO!!!

 

[dianneS]

What a persistent little bugger! I don't know what to tell you to do except keep trying to trap em'. Try catfood as bait, or that chicken feed he likes so much. Take the chicken feed out of the coop at night and only leave some in the trap.

I had a mamma skunk and her babies burrow into my henhouse. They killed four young half grown chicks. However, my rooster killed one of the baby skunks! Ha! Eye for an eye I guess.

 

[bobbi-j]

What's your plan once you trap him? Around here, they die because skunks are major carriers of rabies here.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
My plan is to call my pest guy (who does wildlife also) and pay him to deal with it.

Shooting or drowning is not something I can handle personally, unfortunately, but I am sure this little skunk's future is not so good. IF I can catch it!

 

[Noymira]

Quote:
x2!

 

[lindseythefork]

Dang, all I ever catch is skunks, it seems. Mine only go for peanut butter, though.

Try a variety of bait, you're bound to catch it sooner or later.