Skunk digging, best barrier?

[RedOkra]

I found a hole outside of my chicken coop the other morning, with a perfect footprint. I thought it might be a raccoon but after reading a little about behaviors I'm thinking its a skunk and we have a ton of them here so I wouldnt be surprised. My coop is quite secure and built off of the ground but I am worried about my new broody who I've moved to an existing structure with no real bottom (four posts and plywood with a swinging door). I'm sure a skunk could dig his way underneath, so I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions for a good barrier? I thought I'd bury 2 x 4's or 2 x 6's all the way around.

 

[calicokat]

We just had this problem with our coop and I put hardware cloth down and topped it with 30 pound pavers (4 x 8 x 20). You do want to do something because they can sure dig and will dig right under your structure. We thought it was a raccoon because of the digging, that is until DH shot it last night -- trying to dig into the coop some more.

 

[bgates1970]

I would place a 3 ft apron around the parameter. Just make sure to tie it into the fence itself.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

I strand of electric fence 4 inches off the ground 4 inches in front of the protected area does a very good job of detering digging preditors.

 

[chickathon]

My chicken run is lined with rock. It easy to find here is WV. You can't dig a three inch deep hole without hitting a rock. It's about 18 inches wide and 2 feet deep.

 

[mstrrlm]

357, 9mm, 7.62x38 they work well for me, if you are not a good shot use 12 gauge.

 

[gmachicken]

We've been having skunk issues as well.
My girls were also jumping our very short fence. (The roo made them do it.) I had a trapper come and convince me that my wild bird feeders were not helping any, they were about 40 ft away but I heeded his advise and got rid of the feeders.
We fixed that short fence with an extender fence of sorts, with a flap on the ground 6 -12 inches wide with brick and 2" X 6" X 8' so the hens are in the wild birds are gone. It is also 6-7 feet tall.
I was able to, a couple of times, to spray the little devils with a hard spray of water all the way to the neighbors. They seem to stay away, for a while. Our coop is in pretty hard soil but when ever I see a mark like digging it gets a brick. I know it is not really scientific but it is at least holding them back. I think.

A couple of things the trapper said was interesting. The female skunks have a 1 mile radius of their birth place. They have a routine of sorts. The Babies stay with them for about a year. The males on the other hand have about a 5 mile radius from their birth.

So those of us who have them are stuck with the little guys until they all die off or they get trapped or ..........

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I was thinking .22 short maybe a cb cap I am the quiet type

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
those numbers are not written in stone sometimes a little more or a little less but they are close it is kina like a family of coon living on something only 1/2 - 1 mile square and their territory will overlap its amazing they find food in something that small and I can see why they fight so much in the spring .

 

[ruffedgrouse]

I put rocks all around my run and burried the fence so nothing can get in... I had a coon dig, but didnt get in