Skunks... Are they a threat to my hens?

[Mrs Stumpgrinder]

For the past couple of days, I have gotten a wiff of a skunk....

so I know there is one close.

Is a skunk a threat of my chicks and chickens? How do I get rid of him without get hit with a big stinky?

Mrs Stumpgrinder

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Skunks are definitely a threat!! Not only will they eat your chickens, they'll eat all of the eggs. Don't know how you get rid of them without getting sprayed; so you'll need to predator-proof your barn. Good luck

 

[bobbi-j]

They're definitely a threat to your chicks, chickens and eggs. If you can shoot it, you may be able to stay far enough away to not get sprayed. If that's not an option, I have no idea. I've been told that you can live-trap them, throw a blanket or tarp over the trap and then drown them, but I've never tried it, nor did the person who told me about it. Neither one of us is willing to do that experiment!

 

[Love my Critters!]

Yes!! Make sure everyone is locked up tightly at night. Skunks are horrible preditors and can fit through small spaces. Where I live, if you catch one in a live trap, you can call the sherrif's department and they will come get it and "take care" of it for you. We have a baby monitor out in our coop and if I hear something going on either my husband or I go out and take care of it with a 12 gauge

 

[Mrs Stumpgrinder]

Maybe I'll set the trap... I can't find where it is, only smell him. I have notice broken eggs lately so I checked for holes along the fence and fixed that. can they climb trees? I do have trees limbs hanging over the pen, but I have netting up...

 

[Friar_Tuck]

Never heard of a skunk climbing a tree, so I think you are safe there.
There are very few ways to kill a skunk without it smelling for ages.
The only way I know for a fact that works is a live trap, with a pole syringe.
Talk to the trapped skunk and calm him down, while you slip the syringe in and give hime a shot behind the front leg.
The little stinker will just look at the needle, walk away, and drop dead.
Make sure it is legal to do so in your area.

 

[SaltLakeSpice]

For skunks in the past, I have set a live trap in a tipped over garbage can with a rope tied to the handle. Once the little bugger is in the trap, I just pull the garbage can upright with the rope and then throw the garden hose in and fill the can with water. This has been very effective for me so far.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

IME, use a small trap for a skunk.
If you can prevent it from lifting its tail, it wont spray.
Trust me . . . .

They even make a spray-proof trap that I finally ordered, its basically a length of 6" pipe with 1 blocked end and a trapdoor at the other.
Before I got this trap, I would cover my wire trap with heavy duty cardboard and duct tape the seems, then cover that with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
Only the trapdoor end and the mechanism and handle were on the outside.
It kinda worked, but even if you dont get sprayed directly, just being close to it makes it soak into you and your clothes.

Did you know that the best bait for a skunk is the "perfume" from another skunk . . . ?


http://www.amazon.com/BRAND-NOT-SPECIFIED-ADC6-Spray/dp/B0033HQDLW
I believe a place called jtanimalcontrol makes it.
Its worth every penny of that $60 . . .

I also need to tell you that skunks are the #1 animal to be worried about having rabies, DO NOT LET IT GO KILL IT.
A trapped skunk can be drowned but I prefer a shotgun to the head, its way easier on the skunk AND me, and for those who know, the spray is an actual liquid, so when mixed with water now you have gallons of skunky water soaking into your ground, much better to just get the final squirt.
If you have to shoot it from a distance, theres not much you can do to prevent the spray, but be comforted in the fact that it will be the skunks last spray.

Also, I might add that its amazing the size hole a skunk will fit into, they always go for the same spot here(cause it already smells like skunk) and the gap they fit into is less than 3 inches wide.
I guess I could fill the gap, but this happens at my work and I get $25 per skunk, so it gets quite lucrative around this time of year, and the property backs up to a creek, so theres always access for them.
I have already made $150 since Feb, last year my total was $525.