Whew! THAT was close!

[bobbi-j]

Went to town to watch fireworks tonight, so obviously didn't get home until well after dark. Stopped at the coop to close it up before going to the house. DH had the headlights pointed at the coop/run. I had the people door to the coop open also, so I went to that first. Shined my phone flashlight around in the coop to make sure I wasn't locking anything in that shouldn't be. Suddenly, DH yells out the car window, "There's a skunk!" OK, he likes to tease me, so I lovingly shook my fist at him and headed to the gate to the run - until he yelled it again. So, I hustled over to the car, asking, "For real??". He told me that as I went in the people door, it came out the pop door and hid behind a board I had leaning up against the coop as a hiding spot for the younger birds when I integrated them. So, we went up to the house, got the .22 and a proper flashlight and locked up the dog. (He's already been "skunked" twice in the past few months...) Went back down to the coop, looked behind the board, shone the flashlight around the run, and inspected the inside of the coop. The little bugger was gone. The birds didn't seem any too upset, so I think we squeaked by this time.

 

[donrae]

 

[bobbi-j]

Yeah, that's probably how I looked when I realized he meant it!

 

[lazy gardener]

What timing, and what a blessing you didn't loose any birds, or get the inside of the coop skunked. He'll be back.

 

[pauleberly]

I wouldn't shoot a skunk. They sometimes will still release their spray. I would put out a live trap, then you can safety relocate it 5 miles away from your house

 

[aart]

I wouldn't shoot a skunk. They sometimes will still release their spray. I would put out a live trap, then you can safety relocate it 5 miles away from your house

Sure, we'll bring them all to your house
Relocation is not a good thing for many reasons...if you trap it, you kill it.

 

[pauleberly]

Sure, we'll bring them all to your house
Relocation is not a good thing for many reasons...if you trap it, you kill it.

Ha, better not! We have a lot of wild life preserves so I take mine there, far away from my place.

 

[lazy gardener]

Sure, we'll bring them all to your house
Relocation is not a good thing for many reasons...if you trap it, you kill it.

I agree with you aart. Even if the critter is taken to a remote location, it will eventually find its way to someone's home. And if it has been a pest for you, chances are very good that pestiness is in it's nature.

 

[aart]

My view on relocation of chicken predators and/or any wild nuisance animal.

It's really better to kill them...for many reasons.

-You've just introduced trap savvy pest/predator animals into someone else's 'backyard'.

-The spread of disease is a very real aspect and why it's illegal in many states to relocate trapped predator animals.

-Releasing an animal into another animals territory could well sign it's death warrant anyway, in case you were thinking of 'saving' the 'poor little creature'. Probably a worse death than a quick shot to the head or even a 'trashcan drowning'.

Since we've displaced their habitat (and more importantly their natural predators habitat) and fed them to overpopulation with our garbage...IMO, it is our duty to become the 'apex predator' and kill them when they become a problem to the extent that we need to trap them.

 

[donrae]

I wouldn't shoot a skunk. They sometimes will still release their spray. I would put out a live trap, then you can safety relocate it 5 miles away from your house

Right, cause it's not going to spray while you're transporting it? I don't get that.

I'd rather have it spray out in the open where it will dissipate than in my car or even the back of the truck.

Plus, I'm with everyone else on the relocation. We just don't do it here, for all the reasons mentioned. Oh, and my time. I don't need to spend the time to do it. I can dispatch the animal and problem solved and get on with my day.

Bobbi-j, I'm sure I would have thought my Honey was joking also, men have a weird sense of humor sometimes