Will a skunk attack a chicken?

[ajneal30]

I was half asleep at midnight when I heard some rattling in the chicken coop. Thinking it was just the deer eating the feed again, I ignored it. Until I heard one of my hens panic. I flipped on the porch light and ran out in time to see a large skunk fleeing my yard. I went back inside, got a flashlight and some slippers and went to check on the birds. One of my big cochin hens was laying on the ground in the middle of the coop. She was ok, just scared. No blood and she's not limping. I know skunks will eat eggs, but will they actually attack the chickens?
I set a live trap after I saw him lurking around and he even had the nerve to chatter at me. I am sure all I will catch is my stupid cat who was out there flirting with him, but who knows, maybe she will lure him back to the trap. If he comes back again, I am going to turn the hound loose on him.

 

[Sylvestor12]

Well if she was in the box where the eggs are the skunk may have "kicked her out" in search of eggs. I imagine if it gets hungry enough it will make a grab for a hen. The hound idea is a bad idea but a good one at the same time. My dog Yoda went poking around near a skunk and "got shot". He smelt bad for a month even after tomato bathing.

 

[GoodwinMaine]

I have heard that they will, also heard of a skunk recently killing puppies...

Not sure how true it is. Interested to see the responses here.

 

[Nicole01]

Yes. I have skunk trying to get in my run often. I can smell them for some reason in the morning at the coop.

 

[AnotherSusan]

You might want to assemble the materials to deskunk your dog. We don't even have a dog, but we do have our deskunking kit assembled in a dishpan in the basement. We even printed out instructions to store with it. Just a note, you can substitute vinegar for the peroxide if you are worried about the bleaching effect of the peroxide. We have both in our kit.

Good luck catching and disposing of the skunk!

 

[GoodwinMaine]

Sylvestor12, what are the birds on your avatar? I like em

 

[Sylvestor12]

They're my homemade mix.

Half pure white silkie bantam rooster for the lighter feathers, some boot feathers at the top of their legs, slightly smaller bodies, the head feathers, purple legs, silcky soft feathers, and the 5 toes. The one the couch arm is called Fly, her mom is an aracauna that is black 'n white which gave Fly her beard, higher feather density, and black, white, and some red highlights. Annie, on the bottom is hatched from a BB old english game hen, called Floppy Moppy which gave Annie her beautiful browns, even smaller size (which looks so adorable!), and cute tiny wattles that are purple. (from the silkie) They are half sisters. The silkie makes the feathers REALLY SOFT because feathers have hooks that hold the feathers tight and silkies don't have them so mixing nothing with average makes lower than normal hook-level feathers which = really soft feathers. The little topfeathers look adorable. They have one color one the outside and another close to the skin.
Annie and Fly are my pets. Annie is really easy to work with because she doesn't squirm when I pick her up, she just relaxes and falls asleep on my lap

. Fly inherited her mom's timidness so I have to bribe her with "tree honeysuckle" berries. I feel bad for Annie though. Since my bantam silkie rooster is so small, he thinks Annie is a full-grown hen when she still needs a few more weeks. Sorry for all the yapping, chickens are just ny favorite subject I could ever talk about.

 

[GoodwinMaine]

No need to be sorry. I love hearing chicken stories. They are beautiful girls. I have a little silver duck-wing (we think) who is just so pretty, I wanna eat her up... hahaha not literally! I do tend to pick her up more often, just to look at her. I adore the little ones

 

[Sylvestor12]

I'm thinking of getting 2 ducks if I build a pond in the future. I used to feed ducks behind a Cracker Barrel in Flordia when I was 5. lol We even rescued some chicks from the clutches of crows. ( my dad nailed the crow with a rock)

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

We have had a rash of skunks in our yard, some little kids. i am not sure if they are the ones who have tried to dig their way into our coops. i have heard they will kill and eat chickens. i have read they are opportunistic eaters and will eat mice, fruit, eggs, chicken feed, cat food, whatever they can find. We had a trapper come out to catch and dispatch some of them. Baited the trap with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and caught them one right after another. They weren't trap savvy at all. i know we have more out there but am adopting a live-and-let-live approach. If they keep their distance, they can live.

i'm not sure i would want my dog (if i had one) try to chase a skunk off. That could end very badly.