Skunks!

[albinosilver]

I think I’ll be getting rid of my flock for this year. Next spring, I’ll look into rebuilding a better coop..

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

Is it your coop or is it the run part? In the city you might want to look into an air gun for dispatching unwanted chicken hunting critters. I have found only one use for chicken wire and that's making forms for spray foam or paper mache. Runs are best covered with 1/2 " mesh (hardware cloth) and fastened with washers and screws. Skunks, Coons, and weasles can pull with quite a lot of force so staples rarely are good for securing any type of fencing. I'm sorry you found out the hard way about skunks, but now you can make your run area stout enough they can't do any more damage.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I think I’ll be getting rid of my flock for this year. Next spring, I’ll look into rebuilding a better coop..

A difficult choice. I hope they will find good homes and that it will go better for you on the next round.

While there are many on here that know skunks, even rats, opossum, and others are chicken predators, there are many more that don't... just like you didn't. Maybe they will see this thread before it's too late. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Dennisi01]

The main reason hardware cloth is better than chicken wire is because some animals can chew through chicken wire. Not sure if skunks can though, I would guess likely not. I know coyotes can, and I wouldn't take the risk wondering whether coons can. Another reason chicken wire is inferior is because small birds like sparrows can and will get in, and can transmit diseases. If you can, I would spend some time and money adding security to your coop, rip down the chicken wire and replace with hardware cloth, secure the joints by the ground with bricks or landscaping barriers to keep diggers out (skunks, rats, coons, opossums, they all dig).

Can anything chew through 1/2" hardware cloth? Other than a bear..

 

[flyin-lowe]

It seems scary at first but an old friend of mine taught me how to catch skunks in live traps and deal with them. I catch a couple a year and have not been sprayed. After they are in the live trap I walk around at a distance for a while just so they can get used to me. Then, I have an old twin size dark colored blanket. I just hold it up and slowly walk towards them and lightly drape the blanket over the trap. I pick them up put them in the back of my truck and then you can do with them what you please. My friend used to charge people $30 a piece and would usually get a couple calls a week.