How do you get rid of a Skunk?

[RAREROO]

We saw a skunk in the wooods behind our house this morning and I am worries he might end up here in my chicken pens. So is it possible to get rid of a skunk with out it spraying? If I shot it, it would still stray right? If I traped it, I would't be able to remove it from the trap with out it spraying me. I can't put poison out because of dogs, cats, chickens, deer, ect... So does anyone know of a safe way to get fid of one? Thanks

 

[CMV]

I had one move under my deck this summer. You can trap it in a have-a heart trap as long as you throw a tarp over it. As long as the trap remains covered the skunk should not spray. If you are going to move it then just do it slowly and carefully, keeping the trap covered. If you are going to shoot it do a Google search for hunting skunks and there are websites out there dedicated to telling you exactly where to aim in order to get a skunk not to spray. There is a certain area to aim for that will paralyze and kill a skunk without allowing it to spray. I didn't use either of those methods because I don't re-locate and I can't shoot straight. Instead, we trained a spotlight with a motion sensor directly on the den site under the deck. Every time the skunk came or went it was lit right up. The skunk was there less than a week and then moved along.

 

[RAREROO]

OK thanks, If I did trap it I would probably try to kill it especially if it gets my chickens or eggs, but we saw him in the woods so hopefully he was just passing through and will move along, and maybe my dogs will keep him away from the house,but I would hate for them to get sprayed.

 

[catfish/okie]

Might try this. If you can find a large tob or horse trough and a small live trap. Fill your trough full of water. set your trap next to it and tie a short pease of rope on the top of the trap baited with sardines. If you catch the skunk pick up the rope and trap and set it down in the trough. make sure the water is deeper than the trap is tall. leave it a couple of hours.

 

[cassie]

We have lost of skunks and I am delighted with them. They never bother our chickens or anything else. They do eat our dog food though. If you have decent coop, they can't' get in. And if your dog gets sprayed just search online for skunk odor. A pint of hydrogen peroxide and a box or so of baking soda plus a little dishwashing detergent mixed in a gallon of water will take care of it.

 

[RAREROO]

OK I had already been thinking that drowning it would be better since they couldn't spray underwater. But I didn't think about the trough and rope idea. I figured I might just take it down to the river.

 

[stethomps]

Skunks are a tuff one, at least for me. I’ve read other posts where others have had petty good luck removing or dispatching the weasels. But in my experience, no matter what I’ve done, it usually gets stinky.

The first skunk I caught: I woke up to the wonderful smell of skunk, so I figured I had one in the live trap. The smell was still pretty strong, and I guessed it must have sprayed fairly recently, and that I might be safe if I worked fast. So, I decided I would take a blue tarp and cover the trap; then I would relocate. It was going well I almost had the tarp over the trap, and I got anxious and I tried to quickly throw it over the trap, and it got a really stinky again. Looking back, if I would have stayed calm and gently laid the tarp I might have gotten away with it.

The others I have caught, I have just shot them in the trap, and out of the 5 or so skunks I have caught, they have either sprayed in the trap, or sprayed when I shot them, but I think they all have sprayed. Maybe someone with more experience will have some better techniques for you?

 

[BigPeep]

We caught one a couple of years ago in a trap in the garden that had been set for racoons. We put a large white plastic sheet over it and then just let it go right in place. No spraying and I haven't trapped one since.

I would follow a live and let live philosophy with the skunks. So long as you have your chickens secured at night they shouldnt' really be a problem. You might try putting up electric tape on your perimeter fence or around the coop. They are really pretty easy to keep out of the coop if you use hardware cloth rather than the chicken wire and make sure there are no holes. You might also try a "guard goose".

 

[emvickrey]

Ever think of shooting it?

 

[RAREROO]

Well, most all of my pens, I skunk could get into fairly easily if it wanted to and I have pens scatterd out every where so elctric fence would'nt be practical for me. I think they are mostly nocturnal and usually I have already collected my eggs before dark, but if they start getting in during the day and eating eggs, that would be a problem since I sell hatching eggs from my Speckled Sussex and Barred Rock, and I can't afford for anything to eat them all up, plus I have young chicks on the ground and it wouldn't be hard for one to get in with them either.