Little skunk aka egg thief

[Hippie Saint]

Hi, I have 7 hens who lay regularly. I've noticed this week I only got eggs once. I've also discovered eggs in my strawberry patch. Tonight when I went out to shut the coop, there's a baby skunk in the coop eating my eggs! He is mighty comfy too. Any suggestions? I don't want to hurt the little guy, I would just like my eggs. ​

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Baby skunks turn into big skunks and big skunks eat chickens as well as eggs. They also have families. He will keep coming back as long as there are delicious groceries to lure him. A couple of things:

1. fix it so he can't get in. Is the coop inside a fenced run? Make the run skunk-proof. Use hardware cloth (hwc), not chicken wire. Bury the hwc in the ground a few inches and spread it out around the run about a foot and a half in an "apron" so he can't dig in. Or lay it on the ground and cover it with rocks.

2. Gather eggs throughout the day so there are none for him. Get the last eggs out well before dusk, when he'll come shopping.

Good luck. If that doesn't deter him, come ask again, but "not hurting" the cute little varmint may no longer be an option. I will tell you now that live-trapping and relocating should not be a choice as you'll just be making him someone else's problem and that's not very neighborly for one thing, and you'll be sentencing him to a very bad death for another. Other skunks in the area you relocate him to will welcome him, not with open arms, but with open teeth.

 

[Hippie Saint]

Just a little update.
Baby Pepè has been caught. ​