Need advice on a Skunk predator!!!

[MissJenny]

Um, excuse me... it's kind of a myth that skunks are known carriers of rabies. The truth is that they are no more likely to carry rabies than any other species, perhaps less so as they have very few predators -- less likely to be bitten by a rabid animal. Nothing wants to get hold of a skunk except birds of prey, which have a low incidence of rabies. I've read where deer have a higher incidence of rabies than do skunks. Skunks get rabies by eating dead animals who died of rabies -- ergo a raccoon or a possum, who are both predators and prey, have a higher rate of rabies than skunks.

Anyway, if something jumped onto your roof and onto a tree, it was not likley a skunk -- they are not especially agile animals. They are not good climbers. I don't doubt that a skunk is nearby, after all you did not mistake the distinctive scent. I just don't think the thing on the roof and the skunk that you smelled are the same thing.

Having said that, of all the things that are a danger to your birds, skunk is the lowest on the list -- raccoons, possum, coyote, foxes are vicious nasty killers. Skunks are mostly egg eaters, a nusance as compared to a danger. They will kill babies... if they can get hold of them. Mostly skunks are scavengers and opportunists -- they eat things that are already dead.

As for getting rid of the skunk, they tend to follow the same trails for generations. It has approached your place mostly by accident -- your place might be near enough it's trail that it has heard chicken activity -- or it's regular trail has been thwarted by construction and so it wandered off it's usual path. The other reason he may have found you is that he is a juvenile, born this past spring, and is now striking out on his own. In this case he will hunker down and hibernate just before the snow flies. As the days get cooler he will look for more food to tide him over the winter. I know this doesn't help get rid of the skunk, but it does explain it's behaviors somewhat. If he can't get into your pen fairly easily he will wander off in search of an easier dinner -- they are truly opportunists.

Sorry it got to be long-winded,
Jenny

 

[anngili]

A pest control professional I once knew used to live trap them (required in the city he worked in) but what he did was cover the trap with a tarp. I think he used bungee cords. Part of the tarp was held up over the entrance and then very slowly lowered after the skunk had already been trapped.

He had the best reputation for getting skunks into the animal shelter for euthanasia out of all of the pest control services, according to the local staff and AC officers. He could usually get them trapped, make the trip across the city, and into a noisy animal shelter without the skunk ever having sprayed. He told me a lot of it was just moving very quietly, being very,very quiet near the skunk, and keeping the skunk literally in the dark. He was authorized to shoot them out in the country and I believe he did just try to shoot them in the upper body. I'm pretty sure the "quiet" part applied because he and I were successfully unloading one until an AC officer who had more macho than brains decided to walk right by the truck with his police radio at full volume.

You can guess what happened!

At least almost all of it went on the tarp!

I don't know if any of this info helps, but I hope it does and I hope you get rid of the skunk (and coon if it was also trying to join in on the fun). I am a bit worried about the animal that took the roof/tree route to escape. That does sound to me to be much more likely to be a coon than a skunk. You probably have a skunk family nearby and it sounds like you may now have a coon in the neighborhood, too. If I were you, I'd find out everything I could find on BYC on preventing coon & coyote predation and hop to it tomorrow. Better safe than sorry!

Oh, I mentioned coyotes because I don't know if it's true up where you live, but where I live, if there are coons, there are almost always coyotes not far away. (Foxes, too, but less rarely here). That does include smack in the middle of several (if not all) of the major cities in Texas, too. The coons seem to be particularly adept at using the storm sewers and railroad right-of-ways as their highways.

Got to admire their adaptability, if not their view of your chickens and pets as dinner!

Ann

ETA: Sorry, got delayed while writing and just saw the question about the bait and the "cat" comment. Tuna or cat food will usually get them, along with just about any other opportunist, including coons and cats. One thing to keep in mind: young coons can look very much like cats at night from a distance. Their body shape looks different due to the different proportions and they're also about the size of a cat at that point. It might be a hungry, juvenile coon that's looking for a meal. Of course, it could also be a feral cat, but I'm figuring coon from the description.

 

[tfpets]

Whether your roof jumper was the skunk or not - you said you lost 30 birds previously - and did not say if you had identified that predator. No animal, even the same kind, is exactly the same as the next, and there is an exception for every "typical" animal behavior too. Animals are about as diverse as people, and they do strange or unusual things, even for their species. Maybe it was a skunk on your roof. Even if it wasnt, you have a serious threat nearby.

Perhaps it is not common for skunks to KILL a larger bird or chicken for a meal, but they can and do. And sometimes they are the only predator or menace in the area that dares to repeatedly kill...

We are dealing with our second infestation of skunks right now, having trapped and dispatched just one last summer...who had KILLED more than 30 of our birds over a two week period before we caught it...

Now we know we have more than one this time, having trapped one and dispatched it, and having caught the second one in the act of tearing the head off of one of my cuckoo silkie roosters - you cannot deny this skunk killed this chicken - he was soon dispatched also. (2 more chicken killing skunks - not eggs, not chicks, but full size, very large chickens)

They are not here by accident. They moved in. We have lived on our property for 10 years, and only had skunks for 2. They moved in 2 years ago when they realized we were providing a poultry buffet. And they can get in the slightest weakness in the locked coops, go through holes, dig under, and climb OVER as well.

We chased the skunk the other night, it went over a 4 foot chain link gate. Last year the skunk knocked our 14 pound rooster off the roost and killed him, dragged him away entirely.

Nothing is for sure except you cannot trust a predator to be anything but that - out to kill your birds. Skunk, possum, coon, coyote. Be prepared and do your best to manage.

Good luck with the skunk issue....it stinks having to deal with them!

 

[Evermore Ranch]

oh we have several coyotes and a ton of foxes in the area; which is why we had to quit free ranging. I saw a fox sitting just outside of my coop a couple of weeks ago and i got the dogs after him and he went to the fence row and sat there and watched us in the pasture. We have had several foxes and possums and the coyotes will walk with in a few yards of the coops until i started letting the dogs stay loose. Unfortunately last year we had to kill 3 foxes as they were so bold and quit running from us. we are in a very rural area and haven't seen a coon here for years but they are right down the road at my cousins (they wiped out all of his chickens) he is less than a mile from me. So I guess it could be a coon moved on into our area. luckily i have not lost any since the dogs are out at night. But have had something driving the dogs crazy. we have been smelling a skunk off and on for a few months, he just got much closer tonight. I feel better about the situation now and we will be picking up some supplies tomorrow to fortify all the coops. the guys are peeing by the coops and we have moved the stereo in the shed where the speaker is right by them. Dogs are loose and I keep a window open to listen for them to sound the alarm! Thanks again for all your help!!!

 

[cw]

Quote:
That's not true at all. DONT shoot the skunk in the head. Shoot him thru the lungs and he will expire in just a few seconds and chances are 50/50 he won't spray. If you shoot it in the head it is 100% that he will spray.

Besides that, skunks are known carries of the rabies virus and the virus is in the brain. If you shoot it in the head you risk exposing yourself to the virus if the skunk is a carrier.

OP- you can use hydrogen peroxide, bakiing soda and dawn dish soap to remove the skunk smell from your dog. If you google it, you can get the right ratio, but if I remember correctly it is one pint H2O2, one cup soda, and one tsp Dawn. You can't store it after you mix it, so use it all or discard any leftover.

I doubt it was a skunk you saw going through the trees. Perhaps a possum, most likely a coon. Possums dont moves very fast, much slower than coons, especially in a tree.

Trust me on this one, I've been a trapper for several years. I have alot of experience w/ skunks.

Hope this helps.

i dont nessicarly believe a lung shot will kill em in secs or quick enough to keep em from sprayin.(kinda think thats just part of shooting a skunk its gonna stink regardless of where he has been shot) but i do agree, and didnt think of the rabies issue, you are right, you would be better off shootin them in the lungs as the head as the rabies issue should be 1 of concern

 

[mmwb]

"ok those of you with live trap experience with skunks what is the best bait to use?"

What doesn't work? lol I can't keep them out of traps set for other animals, regardless of the bait.

Skunks have a high enough percentage of rabies to be a concern, though in many parts of the country both foxes and raccoons have a higher rate. Any mammal can contract and carry rabies.

 

[cw]

Quote:
That's not true at all. DONT shoot the skunk in the head. Shoot him thru the lungs and he will expire in just a few seconds and chances are 50/50 he won't spray. If you shoot it in the head it is 100% that he will spray.

Besides that, skunks are known carries of the rabies virus and the virus is in the brain. If you shoot it in the head you risk exposing yourself to the virus if the skunk is a carrier.

OP- you can use hydrogen peroxide, bakiing soda and dawn dish soap to remove the skunk smell from your dog. If you google it, you can get the right ratio, but if I remember correctly it is one pint H2O2, one cup soda, and one tsp Dawn. You can't store it after you mix it, so use it all or discard any leftover.

I doubt it was a skunk you saw going through the trees. Perhaps a possum, most likely a coon. Possums dont moves very fast, much slower than coons, especially in a tree.

Trust me on this one, I've been a trapper for several years. I have alot of experience w/ skunks.

Hope this helps.

i dont nessicarly believe a lung shot will kill em in secs or quick enough to keep em from sprayin.(kinda think thats just part of shooting a skunk its gonna stink regardless of where he has been shot) but i do agree, and didnt think of the rabies issue, you are right, you would be better off shootin them in the lungs as the head as the rabies issue should be 1 of concern

well acording to the north american hunting club we are both wrong it says to aim for the middle of the back to sever the spinal cord paralyzing the back end and preventing spraying of the scent.

they also comment on the rabies, as in the south east they are the primary carrier of the rabies virus

 

[Evermore Ranch]

the 30 birds we lost was over 2 nights about a week and half apart. the first night it was 26 young birds there was a very small hole dug under the side and absolutely no evidence other than that. all the birds were just gone, no feathers left in coop no blood nothing . . . just disappeared. We thought of maybe a weasel because the hole was so small. it looked big enough for maybe a ferret to get through. was shocked that the birds would have even fit through the hole. then the second night it was a much larger hole and much larger birds but again no feathers or blood . . . JUST GONE!

 

[cw]

wow, the birds disapearin dont sound like skunk at all, but more like a larger predator like a coyote or such. if the are being dragged off. what concerns me is just about any predator would leave behind feathers of some sort, my chickens cant fly from the roost without losing feathers, are you sure someone aint stealing your chickens and discissing the hole to make you think its a critter.?

 

[Evermore Ranch]

it was the craziest thing!!!! I sleep really weird hours and have Great Danes who scare most everyone. I really do not think someone stole them (although they were silkies from show stock) Even before I let most of the dogs stay loose i would shut them on the porch at night and the danes could and would jump off if someone or something came up. there were a few feathers but only a couple that were stuck on the wood in the hole and a couple around but literally only a few, and with that many birds gone at one time you would expected from a predator. We have not had anyting other than the foxes and an occasional coyote until this spring. Now we have hawks raising babies here and have seen owls, so many critters have moved in that i WILL NOT let anything free range except the Turkey. Oh yeah and with the mystery predator, it went right by my tom turkey who was roosting on the ground until the next night (he got on top of the other coop and has ever since but never before that night). they hole was less than 2 foot from his spot. They are logging down the road and i think that may be what started.