do skunks hurt chickens?

[mommahen64]

Geez Louise! What DOESN'T eat chickens? I had no idea about the Skunks and possums. Glad I read this.

 

[daoustaj]

i have a 1x2 hole fence on the floor and its covered with chicken wires. the run is an old dog chain link kennel with chicken wire over it, and chicken wire on top roof. a weasel ate my rabbit and at night i have foxes EVERYWHERE. i do have a dog outside near the coop but it didnt deter the weasel and rabbit. ive had no chix problem yet and i hope i never do!

 

[colburg]

I don't know what would work to keep them away. My poor neighbor, he has 2 ouside dogs that roam the property and the one got sprayed twice in two days

. They also lost chickens but had absolutely no success trapping them in live traps. I believe they tried everything from fruit to eggs to leftover chicken dinner in the trap.

Canned cat food. Put a spoonful on the ground, then set the live trap on top of that so that the food is behind the trigger. This way they have to get inside the trap and dig and work which doesn't allow them to steal the food(as easy).

 

[laura625]

Thank you everyone.
I think it came back last night. The chix r safe now, but i heard something bumbing around, and ithink something disturbed the ground near ehat i think was the entrance. I only have a kill trap, havent yet located a live trap.
Good idea to use canned cat food, and good idea about how to bait a livetrap, ill remember that next time.
Setting the trap now. Wish me luck.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Get that sucker!

 

[laura625]

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

We had a skunk problem this summer. They were breeding and the little ones were running around our yard while it was still light out. Called our local Federal Trapper and he came out to set a trap. He used a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, tossed in the far back end of the trap. Once trapped, he would come out the next day to euthanize it with an injection. We did this six times. The peanut butter must have been a real treat, because we would no sooner set the trap and one would be in there.

 

[Roxannemc]

Canned cat food. Put a spoonful on the ground, then set the live trap on top of that so that the food is behind the trigger. This way they have to get inside the trap and dig and work which doesn't allow them to steal the food(as easy).

Just curious ...after they get in the live trap then what?

 

[colburg]

Quote: I've shot them every which way with a .22. Always results in massive stink. Someone suggested using a 12ga and that would be more of an instant kill and prevent any stinky release. I haven't trapped any more skunks so I haven't tried the 12ga yet.

I've also used a sheet to cover the trap, open the door, remove the sheet(if you leave the sheet on, they'll stay in there because it's dark), and wait for them to start running and shoot them once they're out of the trap(Look up youtube videos on this, it's actually pretty easy and safe, I've done it several times). This saves your trap from stinking, but you still have to pick up the skunk. My preferred method is to use 2 trash bags, one inside the other. With your hands on the outside, grab the skunk with the inside, pull him in and tie it.

If it's shot in the cage, then what? The best thing that ever happened was buzzard migration. We had several hundred buzzards living in our orchard for a few weeks, so I dumped a carcass on the ground and after work, there was nothing but skin and bones left. Still stunk, but not nearly as bad.

No buzzards? Pick up the cage, get on a four wheeler, drive one handed to a spot a couple miles down the road, dump him out. Don't set the cage on the four wheeler. Hold it out from you and don't let it touch anything.

No four wheeler? DO NOT put the skunk in the back of your truck. It'll stink for weeks no matter what you do. Dump it out and use the dual trash bag method.

The least stinky method is also the most cruel. Just leave them in the trap until they die. Very little smell, easy to deal with. I've done this, accidentally. I go to work before the sun comes up. Skunks have been trapped after I've left for work when the temps got over 110. They'll die long before I get home.

Unfortunately, there aren't any great and easy solutions. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, last option is relocation. I don't really recommend this one because you'll need to drive at least 20+ miles and even then it's not garaunteed they won't come back. Just cover the trap with a sheet and load em up, release them at their new location.

 

[harveyhorses]

I have not lost any, but my girls live in for McHenny. it is a chainlink fence with chicken wire and hardware cloth,
enclosed top to bottom and three strands of electric. The bottom one is only about 3 inches off the ground and they have hit it twice.
Not sure if it was the same one that got it both times, but we see them in the yard and around the neighborhood, but the girls have not
been bothered. The other two strands are around the top edge and about 2 ft up from the ground.
They are in the badger family I think, so they can be pretty fierce even without the smell. I had one get in last summer, but after
thinking it tunneled I finally figured out it came in while the girls were free ranging.