Smelling skunk around the chicken coop. Should I be worried?

[K-12 Chickens]

I just started smelling skunk around and under the chicken coop(the chicken coop is raised off the ground)! I'm worried the skunk will get ideas and start hanging around. All of the windows on the coop have hardwire cloth firmly attached to them and the nest boxes and main door are securely locked at night. The major concern is I keep two pullets in a dog carrier at night in the run(which is locked at night)because the big girls still have to get used to them.

 

[chicmom]

Sounds like you've got everything nice and secure, so you should be OK, but you're right to be worried because a skunk will eat a chicken, that's for sure. They can tear right through chicken wire, but you've used hardware cloth, which is very strong. Things should be OK for you.

 

[Kudzu]

Are you sure it is skunk you smell? It could be a fox; they also leave a strong scent. We had a fox visit our coop last night, we smelled him way before we got a glimpse of him. Went out hoping to shoot it, never saw it again. This is the second time we know a fox has tried to get in the coop. We have fortified the coop and it seems to be working for us.

 

[appychick]

Make sure you do not have any eggs laying around for the skunks to find as that will keep them coming back. They will eat chickens if they get hungry or lazy....Not to mention the odor one has to deal with.......Wouldn't hurt to put your carrier of pullets up higher or cover it up so they weren't in sight of the predator......

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
Fox has a skunky smell, but a little nicer. A little less latexy.

The big difference is that skunks are bold. They will approach you in a sideways stance and threaten you. A fox, you may never see though they are watching you while doing the math, figuring out your height, speed to the coop, trajectory ...

 

[MetalSmitten]

yes. skunks are predators, they're maybe not as bad as raccoons in that sense but why take the risk. best way to deal with skunk is to get a live trap, and cover it with a wet blanket before setting it at night. that way when you catch one, if it sprays, the blanket gives some protection. i might recommend a blanket you don't intend to use ever again

 

[K-12 Chickens]

I've smelled skunk before and the scent I'm smelling is unmistakable.

Even if the girls are safe, I still don't want one hanging around. Thanks for the info though!

 

[Redcatcher]

Quote:
The fox that I trapped and killed reeked of skunk. I'm certain it wasn't musky fox BO, it was skunk. She had to have gotten sprayed by a skunk. At first I thought it was a skunk that was getting my chickens because that is what I smelled out there after the attacks.

 

[Kudzu]

Quote:
OK, if you say so, good luck.

 

[Kudzu]

Quote:
The fox that I trapped and killed reeked of skunk. I'm certain it wasn't musky fox BO, it was skunk. She had to have gotten sprayed by a skunk. At first I thought it was a skunk that was getting my chickens because that is what I smelled out there after the attacks.

No, thats the way they smell.