Trapped a skunk in the coop... Now what?

[alex2083]

It's about two in the morning, I just heard a bunch of squawking from my chickens and went out to investigate. All the chickens seem to be ok (my rooster is missing some feathers, but no gashes). I have a fenced in/enclosed chicken run that they stay in at night, and a coop for roosting and egg laying. I didn't see anything in the run, so I looked in the coop and found a skunk. It had some deep cuts on its face, and my rooster had some blood on his spurs (not his) so I assumed he tried to fight the skunk. I moved the chickens into another part of my yard and tried to scare the skunk out of the coop but he stayed put. Not really knowing what to do next, I closed the door to the coop and trapped him inside. My next question is now what? I would prefer to kill it, but I'm not really sure how to do that without getting sprayed. Anyone ever had something like this happen before?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t know what you have to work with. My first thought is to call animal; control and see if they will handle it for you. Probably not but that would be my first call. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

I don’t know how feasible shooting it is for you. If you shoot a shotgun in an enclosed space you need really good hearing protection. That could permanently damage your ears. If you try another weapon, well skunks are mostly fur. There just isn’t much body to make a target. Aiming for the head is probably the best bet. If you can hit it where you instantly kill it then it should not spray, but wounding it would not be good. I realize for the vast number of people on here shooting it is not a viable option.

Do you have a live trap the proper size or can you get one? Animal control may let you borrow one. I don’t know what your facilities look like. You might be able to set the trap in there or maybe in the run with it trapped in the run. Then you could maybe just open the coop door and let it out. Some of the best baits for skunks are sardines, crisp bacon, or bread with peanut butter. If you get it in a trap we can talk more.

Last, the one I think you might try. Find a professional trapper and pay him to take care of it for you. Google may be your friend.

 

[alex2083]

Update on the trapped skunk: I decided opening the coop door to shoot it was a bad idea due to the likelihood of getting "shot" myself. So I figured out an alternative. I covered up all the ventilation holes and gaps in the coop with plastic and duct tape and stuck in a tube that I then connected to the tailpipe of my truck. 20-30 minutes later, dead skunk. Necessity is the mother of invention I suppose.

 

[bobbi-j]

That's how my husband got the skunk out of the neighbors' basement window well.

 

[MeepBeep]

Glad to hear it was resolved...

There are many that claim it's quite easy to approach a trapped skunk from behind and toss a sheet over the cage and carry it away... But. then you are left with disposing of it, I hear that head shots almost always result in it spraying so it's best to take a chest shot and hope for the best...

I had a pair that had taken up residency in my pole barn this last winter and after much consideration on trapping I finally decided to use 'gopher bombs' to get ride of the... So last month when they finally came out of their winter sleep I went to work... I plugged all their entry/exit holes one day, the next day I was then able to tell what was their preferred and recent entry/exit as they dug it back open... Took a branch about 3 feet long, taped 3 gopher smoke bombs to the branch, lit them up and pushed the branch into the hole and then covered the entrance... Death and burial all in one motion and no spray...

 

[Ridgerunner]

That was good innovation to rid of it. Well done.

Gopher bombs. I wonder how well they work on groundhogs. There have been a couple of times that could have come in handy. Covering all the exits could be a challenge though. Still it might be worth a try. I don’t like groundhogs.

I built this “box” to go over my trap. I also wired the bottom of the trap to a piece of plywood for stability. The only way to get to the bait is through the front door. I’ve caught seven skunks in it since the first of the year. I always keep a piece of plastic between me and this, but I transport the trap with the box over it on a wheelbarrow to where the skunk dies. None of them have sprayed. I don’t know how much I’d trust approaching them with a sheet but this box has worked well.

 

[MeepBeep]

Gopher bombs. I wonder how well they work on groundhogs. There have been a couple of times that could have come in handy. Covering all the exits could be a challenge though. Still it might be worth a try. I don’t like groundhogs.

They advertise them as working on ground hogs... My suggestion is to cover every hole you see as I did and the next day you will easily find the active holes, then light only one bomb initially and toss it in sealing that hole up, within seconds you will know if you missed a hole... In my first attempt at getting the skunks they snuck out a backdoor that was hidden behind some boards leaning up against the wall... I knew as soon as I looked up and saw the smoke billowing out behind the wood and the dog freaking out from undoubtedly seeing the fleeing skunks...

I ordered bigger bombs on Amazon initially but then discovered I can get slightly smaller ones at the local Walmart for nearly the same per/oz price, just double them up for bigger dens like skunks...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Central-Garden-Controls-Gopher-Gasser-.75-oz-6pk/35610010

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks. I'll check it out when I'm at Walmart tomorrow. See if they have them.

 

[MeepBeep]

Thanks. I'll check it out when I'm at Walmart tomorrow. See if they have them.

At my local Walmart they are out in the lawn and garden area or in the seasonal garden isle... If you have plug in your zipcode and choose a store on the site or download the app and set your store it will tell you if your store has them in stock and sometimes give you an idea of their location...

Or you can do what I do sometimes and just order it online and have them find it in the store and have it ready for you to pickup at the customer service or layaway desk

 

[ClearSkye]

Update on the trapped skunk: I decided opening the coop door to shoot it was a bad idea due to the likelihood of getting "shot" myself. So I figured out an alternative. I covered up all the ventilation holes and gaps in the coop with plastic and duct tape and stuck in a tube that I then connected to the tailpipe of my truck. 20-30 minutes later, dead skunk. Necessity is the mother of invention I suppose.

Way to [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588)]MacGyver [/COLOR]it