Skunk?

[Rowtag]

I was wondering what the odds of a skunk killing a hen would be. I work at a facility that had one hen, who lived in the horse barn. The barn was locked up every night. There had been problems a few years ago with predators, which killed all the rest of the young birds. This hen has survived for many years in this barn with no problems. Over the winter she was injured by one of the horses, apparently she got stuck in a stall and was stepped on. Her wing was broken, and though it healed she was no longer able to fly.

Over the weekend she was killed. They found some feathers, no blood, and no hen. A day or two later the dog found a skunk. They assumed a fox, of which we have a few in the area (I live very nearby), had gotten the hen. The foxes have not posed a threat in quite a while (some moron feeds them) and I actually haven't seen any the last two years or so. Is it possible the skunk killed this hen, or are the foxes back?

While I feel for the hen, the main reason I am curious is I have young birds myself and my property is adjacent to theirs. While I am better prepared for predators than the farm I am working at, I still wonder if I need to begin worrying about whatever got the hen. The only thing separating her property and ours is a creek, which I know the foxes have crossed before. I am not sure if skunks swim?

Thanks for any knowledge or advice. And no, the dog that found the skunk did not get skunk'd.

 

[jhm47]

Skunks are notorious for killing chickens. They also carry rabies, and often transmit it to dogs and cats. You would be wise to dispose of it ASAP.