A word about skunks

[emys]

Use hardware cloth and the skunks are no threat at all - we leave them alone and they leave our chicks alone.

 

[Nambroth]

We have electric fencing that is hot around the coop at night, and boy let me tell you I know exactly when a skunk touches the hot wire!!

 

[Impress]

In the South we call skunks Polecats, and that comes from from French, Poulet is chicken in french, so a Polecat is a chicken eating cat. They were big chicken eaters back before there were so many lovely dumpsters, garbage cans, pet food bowls, and such to dig through.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
what a animal eats has nothing to do with the scent sacs that produce the odor a skunk can be de scented pretty easily it is just a coupla X cuts on the 2 nipples that squirt the scent the cuts heal up and they cannot spray anymore someone may have had one or 2 animals de scented and released them But I would not get too close to find out just because a skunk does not feel threatened when you are 10 feet away does not mean he will not spray at 8 feet I have walked right up to them and fed them and others you cannot get closer then 10--15 feet and they start spraying watch thier feet if they start stomping their feet do not get closer


http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/weasel/Mustelids.shtml

http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/Skunks.asp

 

[FarmGirl01]

I've lost more chicks to skunks than any other animal. So far, I've caught about 11 skunks, not one raccoon and a few possums.

 

[Ole rooster]

I don't even have my chicks in the coop yet and my dog just killed his 4th possum about an hour ago. Skunks, I haven't seen any but I have smelled some.

 

[emys]

A skunk can temporarily run out of "stink juice" as well and might just be needing to rebuild it's supply.

 

[ozark_chickies]

Quote:
I have lost chickens to skunks. Usually it is hens on hidden nests outside the henhouse, but a week ago I lost 9 chicks to a skunk. Due to rushing I failed to close up my bantys properly. I left a little gap open on the gate, and the skunk got in and killed 9 of the 14 chicks to little to roost. How do I know it was a skunk? He went down the road ,and had his guts squished out, and they were full of feathers and little chicken parts!

 

[juliawitt]

I have lost chickens to skunks. Usually it is hens on hidden nests outside the henhouse, but a week ago I lost 9 chicks to a skunk. Due to rushing I failed to close up my bantys properly. I left a little gap open on the gate, and the skunk got in and killed 9 of the 14 chicks to little to roost. How do I know it was a skunk? He went down the road ,and had his guts squished out, and they were full of feathers and little chicken parts!


Can anyone say, "Justice".....hate that you lost chickens.....love that justice was served!!! That is one stinker who got what was coming to him......Nice!!

 

[coz74]

Skunks are related to ferrets and weasels, so it isn't a big surprise that they have similar killing methods. Skunks are also very good diggers, and required me to bury my fence about a foot to keep them out.