Suspected Striped Skunk Working Breeding Pens Under Oak Tree

[centrarchid]

I have been loosing eggs to something over last two nights. Whatever it is does not stir chickens in same pen and Scoob does not even try to track it. As matter of fact Scoob picks nose up when crossing known path no more than a couple hours old. Based on that last observation I am suspecting skunk. Critter reaches through fencing to get eggs and has capacity to eat many at a sitting. Tonight I intend to film, catch and dispatch critter. Survelance will be made from about 10 feet above in tree. Dog will be confined to house at about dark and will not be allowed to come out unless he barks. Cell phone will be used to contact wife in house in the event varmint not skunk and I will call Scoob to location.

Possibilities I can think of other than striped skunk include the following: raccoon bribing Scoob, oppossum using skunk scent, armadello, spotted skunk (should be too far east for it), some sort of rat, weasel, or alien that suck only light brown eggs.


Will be charging cell phone and camcorder and getting my 0.22 bullet into pocket without hole. Livetrap will also be set.

Should be fun.

 

[centrarchid]

Stakeout lasted until 0158 (1:58 AM) with visit from critter coming after I went back into house. At about 0445 Scoob made his scheduled patrol and hit scent near pens where I staked out and set live trap baited with bad eggs. I got rifle and checked what he indicated. Critter took all eggs used as lures for trap and consumed them. Then critter walked about 50 yards to pond, possibly for drink of water. Critter did not bother chickens themselves. It appears focused on eggs at this point. Will repeat tonight but shift stakeout interval to a about 4 hours later. Sleeping weather last night was assume! Still fun. Chickens do more than crow while in roost.

 

[zazouse]

You need a trail cam, works wonders for spying on critters

 

[centrarchid]

You need a trail cam, works wonders for spying on critters

Might go route of wireless webcam if signal can be boosted to 100 yards. Already interested in monitoring brooding hens 24/7 with sound as well.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

well good luck tonight trying to kill it. typically skunks rats snakes and opossums eat just the eggs so those should be your main suspects. hope you catch the critter soon.

 

[centrarchid]

well good luck tonight trying to kill it. typically skunks rats snakes and opossums eat just the eggs so those should be your main suspects. hope you catch the critter soon.

My oppossums eat chickens. Both are very flexible about foods consumed but skunk dig shallow for eats, oppossums do not dig, and armodellos dig deep (but do not seem to eat chickens).

 

[centrarchid]

Scoob was busy tonight. Red fox decided to take risk going for a small number of chicks and Scoob almost got fox.








A suspect in the egg theiving case was apprehended. Juvenile oppossum. Scoob crushed and carried all the way to house. He tends to do that with small oppossums. Likely to be more.

 

[centrarchid]

This is typical of when you are pursuing what is likely to be the wrong suspect. I thought a skunk was problem in part because chickens not targeted and critter was dragging material around perimeter of pens to get eggs. Scoob also would not track critter.

I am pretty sure this is the primary egg-eater working pens under oak tree. Sow coon, looks a little sucked down, and weighs less than 15 lbs. Scoob was so intent on getting coon in trap that he could have damaged his teeth. I do not like killing all that much and this is likely to cause loss of kittens as well. One of these days I would like to figure out a free-range roost and egg collection system that coons and oppossums can not get into. This will somehow take advantage of chickens flying ability.

 

[centrarchid]

Got another juvenile oppossum at dawn. Juvenile oppossums bite open end of egg and lick contents out. Raccoons bust up entire shell as contents consumed. There may have been as many as a dozen little oppossums to start with but Scoob has likely taken out at least a couple I have not seen. They seem to have really tight home ranges. They are plump and healthy.

 

[canesisters]

Scoob is a really cool dog. I'm sure that you are very proud of him.
My dogs chase the barn cats and stare a little too intently at the chickens. They never even noticed the fawn crossing the back yard a few weeks ago and hid on the porch when a raccoon was raiding the bird feeders. Lucky for them they're good at warming feet on cold evenings...