skunks

[Ricks Chicks]

I have had a couple skunks coming by my house to rummage through the compost pile ,dig in my garden and I am guessing searching for grubs or worms in my lawn . Should I worry about them trying to get at my birds?

 

[spook]

As a general rule, skunks will eat grain drink the water, eat eggs...leaving the shells behind! lol. If a skunk gets in, eats a bird, then it was a sick/dead bird.
It is something you do not want to encourage, but it is easy enough to "fence" them off, 2 foot high wire will deter them. I also use dehyrated, sterilized blood. It is a powder you spred around. It does not smell, stain red or anything like that. I broadcast it around with my hand, for some reason skunks do not like it and it will not attract other preditors, but will not keep them away either. Each time it rains heavy, you will need to put more out.
Good luck, keep your girls locked in the evening and night to prevent anything from bothering them.
If you get sprayed, Lever 2000 soap...it worked for me when I got sprayed...ugh...

 

[CritterHill]

Quote:
Good to know seeing as I seem to have developed a habit of chasing them around in the dark with a flashlight

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=81515

 

[Mini Coop]

Don't get me started on skunks. I consider them vermin and I trap and kill them. They usually won't kill your chickens because chickens roost and the skunks don't climb.

 

[purplebaby]

i keep smelling them in my area. i haven't seen them yet, but my dogs scared one (luckily did not get sprayed), cause boy we could smell him. good to know what to do to keep them out.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Skunks killed plenty of my neighbor's healthy birds.

 

[Mini Coop]

They will kill whatever they can get their teeth on. They'll kill more than one at a time and barely eat them. They are nothing like the skunk on Bambi.

 

[tlb]

Oh, yeah, skunks do indeed kill chickens. Two skunks killed 3 of my rhode island reds a few weeks ago. I've since taken better steps to keep the skunks out and they haven't messed with my hens again.