Skunk problem

[Sphinx]

A couple years ago, I had a problem with rats holing up under my shed. My shed is connected to my henhouse, and the chicken run winds around it. I set out poison after trying everything else, and it quickly took care of the problem.


Recently, I noticed the holes re-appearing under the edge of the shed and thought the rats were back. I set out poison, and it eventually disappeared, but the "rat" holes kept re-appearing.

A couple nights ago, I went to tuck in my chickens and close the run and discovered a skunk happily eating an egg in the henhouse. If you're on the unofficial backyard chickens fb page, there's a pretty hilarious drunken accounting of it.

I filled in the holes and hoped that would be the end of it. My neighbor called me at 4:30 am yesterday to tell me that he saw a skunk burrow under the fence between our yards and into my henhouse.

Lightbulb moment. Maybe it's NOT rats under the shed.




So. Obviously I need to bury hardware cloth under that last bit of fence. But, I don't want to make the chicken pen skunk proof if the skunk is sleeping under the shed during the day. So, I need to get rid of him first.

I'm going to bait a humane trap tomorrow, but any ideas as to what to do in the meantime?

So far, I haven't lost any chickens, which is pretty shocking considering I have a tiny frizzle that is broody on the floor in the henhouse.

 

[HappyChickenLover]

I agree, set traps for rats or skunks. Then I suggest killing it quickly!

 

[Sphinx]

Oh yeah, when I catch it, it'll be disposed of very quickly and humanely.

I suspect there's a few feral cats in the area, and if I happen to capture one of them, I'll take it in to be spayed/neutered.





I set the trap last night, and the little bugger managed to steal the cat food I baited it with but didn't set the trap. I just put a little more catfood out there, along with an egg.


All of my chickens are still alive and well. Maybe because there's so much fruit around the area that's dropping to the ground, it isn't at all hungry?

 

[123RedBeard]

Sounds like your using a havahart type trap (live trap) if it has a door on each end, leave one closed, put the bait past the trip pan, so it is forced to step over/on the trip pan.

I caught nine one summer ... Most were let go in a big field, and shot when they got out of the trap, most of them would stop 5-10 feet from the trap, and look back at it, then I shot them with a 1000 fps pellet gun! Quiet, and the stink was away from my house!

Put a garbage bag or towel over the cage before picking it up, it will keep them calmer, and usually not spray! They will squirt when shot though!

I did drown one once, I just put the whole trap in a rain barrel, just made stinky water!