Can skunks harm chickens

[Backyardagin21]

A hawk will attack your chickens but will only eat the head

 

[enola]

A hawk will eat more than the head of a chicken after killing it. They will feed on the body until either they can't eat any more or something disturbs the hawk.

 

[Bigmac2]

We recently had 5of our prized brama chickens killed has been 6 day trying to figure out what has killed them this morning my trail cam picked up a big skunk !
It killed all five and dragged them under the coop ! So skunks will kill chickens w no problem at all !

 

[BayNatives]

The skunks seem to keep the racoons away. Our neighbors got some feral cat kittens to control the skunks and I saw the kitties chase away the skunks once. I haven't seen a single racoon in 4 years but lots of skunks, rats, cats and mice. The cats were brought in for controlling the rats. The cats live with the neighbor's chickens so they are cool with the chickens. The chickens catch and swallow the mice whole and even caught a snake once. The chickens are so spoiled, they usually refuse earthworms that I offer them. They will eat the worms *they* find.

I knew an old lady who swallowed a fly....

 

[Tankersley]

Get rid of the skunk. It will go under, over, or through anything to get to the chickens. It will kill and eat chickens as long as it's there.

We had a dead hen today and a huge skunk sound asleep in a corner of the coop. We have a 2 feet deep concrete barrier around the coop and run. It's all covered. We inspected every inch and there is no hole where it dug under. The chicken wire is very secure, we found no tears. So how did a fat pregnant huge skunk get in?

 

[Tankersley]

We now have a skunk living around our house. I want to know if they go after the chickens or eggs, or will they leave them alone.
Also, we have a hawk building a nest in our tree. It hasn't gone after the chickens yet but will it, or are the chickens too big for the hawk?

We shot the skunk.

 

[Tankersley]

We now have a skunk living around our house. I want to know if they go after the chickens or eggs, or will they leave them alone.
Also, we have a hawk building a nest in our tree. It hasn't gone after the chickens yet but will it, or are the chickens too big for the hawk?

Also, it was a full grown red production hen that was killed.

 

[Robokp66]

cut the tree down

 

[Ole and Lena]

I find it funny how people raise a vulnerable, slow, flightless and not always so bright animal like chickens... who tend to be at the top of every predators menu when they come around... and then are squeamish about doing what's needed to protect said vulnerable animals. You wouldn't want bears, cougars, or coyotes hanging around a playground where toddlers play, you shouldn't have skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and raptors setting up shop around your chicks.

Yes, the first response should be barrier protection. Secure your birds. Second should be habitat management. Keeping a buffer of open space around your coop and eliminating den sites and cover (dilapidated structures, brush piles, garbage, chuck-holes) will increase your birds odds of safety. These work, usually pretty well, but predators are persistent and intelligent. Unless you have welded chain link in all 3 dimensions, they may find a way in. Mitigation is a good method, but sometimes you need a trap or a rifle.

I recently had to eliminate a skunk, and also a bonus opossum that I didn't even know was in the barn. My birds are in a welded wire exterior enclosure with raptor wire overhead, and a solid framed coop space built into the barn. I overbuilt it because I live near 600 acres of marsh and low forest which is teeming with predators. Both the skunk and the opossum dug underneath the 3' block footing to gain access to the barn and set up shop under my woodpile dining on eggs. The skunk was ambushed and shot with a .22 rifle, I spent several hours waiting in the hayloft with a firing loop cut in the plywood floor and a dimmer switch on the coop light to allow just enough light in to see the target and sights. This skunk was particularly trap-savvy, the connibear had not worked so far and I was still losing eggs. The opossum met his end in the connibear later that same night.

All I can say about hawks is that it is illegal to kill or harass them. What my neighbors do on their own property however, is none of my concern so long as it does not present a danger to me. As eluded to above, crows and other birds don't like hawks. If you have blackbirds and grackles around, an open feeder with sunflower seeds and cracked corn will attract them. They like to feed in open areas, placing it over well manicured grass will reduce the attraction to rodents.

 

[marie431]

I have never seen a sku k go after a full grown chicken. Small chicks yes, eggs they love. Please let me know if anyone actually seen a full grown skunk attack a full grown chicken. This does not included a skunk attacking a chicken because it is trying to get to poults or eggs. Just the skunk and a full grown chicken. Thanks