Will skunks eat chickens??

[Farmlife16]

Skunk ate 2 of my chickens, they were old. The skunk dug into the coop. Now I put boards around the edges of my coop so they can't get in.

Thanks! Could you post a pic of the boards?

 

[Farmlife16]

Yes, had it happen last year.

One got into the chicken run early this morning, woke up to screaming chickens at 4 in the morning.
My mom, & dad beat me to the coop. No causalities this time, the birds gave it a pummeling.

Thanks! What have you done to prevent them? Looking for ideas

 

[boatagor]

I had a skunk kill a chicken last year, in daylight. We were rebuilding our run and the coop was secure, but they were out in a fenced area during the day. Snuck under the fence and got the hen. I also think the skunk was rabid, there are a lot of them here that are and it continually tried to attack my husband and I. We eventually killed it with bricks. We were in a neighborhood and couldn't use a gun or anything. Animal control refused to test it and just told me how to dispose of it.

 

[Farmlife16]

I had a skunk kill a chicken last year, in daylight. We were rebuilding our run and the coop was secure, but they were out in a fenced area during the day. Snuck under the fence and got the hen. I also think the skunk was rabid, there are a lot of them here that are and it continually tried to attack my husband and I. We eventually killed it with bricks. We were in a neighborhood and couldn't use a gun or anything. Animal control refused to test it and just told me how to dispose of it.

I might need to set some traps

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thanks! What have you done to prevent them? Looking for ideas

Blockades, like scrap wood, bricks, or rocks. But I believe this one managed to climb the fence this time. First one borrowed into the run.

 

[kcult]

As far back as 10 or so years ago, skunks populated an area about three or four miles down the road. I figured it wouldn't be long before they got to my neighborhood.

Last year, I started seeing roadkill only a mile from the house. And last night, my neighbor's two dogs got sprayed. Granted, the neighbors and the dogs were golf carting in a neighborhood about 1/4 mile away, but that's telling me they are pretty much here.

My enclosure is in inside a fenced in backyard, but I feel the need to revisit the integrity of the enclosure.

There's not a lot I can do about nighttime shenanigans, but during the day, especially if im home, I do have, in my opinion, a proper dispatching tool.

 

[Red Horse]

Last year I had skunks burrowing under my house (and spraying under there!!). We trapped skunk after skunk after skunk... they had apparently made it their big communal winter den. We ended up taking out 8, but more just kept finding ways to get under/around the hardware cloth and under the house every week. It was a nightmare, as the house smelled like burning tires all the time. I read that human urine works to keep fox away if you pee right into their den, so I made my husband give the entrance a good hosing. The next morning there was an exit hole dug out from under the house, so he did it again that evening and no skunks ever came back. We had tried so many things before that... cayenne pepper, mothballs, predator urine (coyote and bobcat), loud music, floodlights, and nothing fazed them. People pee really seemed to offend the ones in our area, if you have some that keep coming back it might be worth a try to fill up a throw away fast food cup throughout the day and then douse the area in the evening.

 

[Mattl12]

Two skunks visited my chicken coops today (during daylight). I've known that there are skunks in the area as they leave their smell behind . Are they a threat to my chickens? I have a two mama hens with chicks that I'm particularly worried about as they spend they day in a non-predator proof run. Do you see this as being a problem? My gut says "yes," but I've never really viewed skunks as predators. Any thoughts??

Yes. Look into "Dog Proof Traps" last I looked they can be had for $25 per often less. Shoot! Do NOT catch and release and make it someone else's problem. Be that skunk, coon, possum, etc. A trapping license where I am is $25 and there are people who will pay for pelts, check the laws where you are. Where I am "Catch and Release" is specifically prohibited in the written law.............. As it should be.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I ended up trapping my skunk last year, I called wild life management to ask where to let it go, and they told us a wilderness road a few miles from our house. When we had it on the side of that road, it stayed in the cage a bit, so we had to wait for it to leave the cage, a couple of cars with look-y loos came by and asked what was going on, and we tried to wave them on saying "SKUNK!" they drove out of the area, but it was like -"Get out-a-here!"

 

[Red Horse]

This is the trap we used to get the skunks out from under our house:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00VE3BDVC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

They're great because you can't take a head-on spray from them and they stay more relaxed because they can't see you. But you do have to let them out in order to shoot. You have to make sure you use bait that cats usually don't like or you will catch them instead and it's really hard to get a proper visual through the window on top. We caught a big pretty black one the first time (we didn't shoot it!). I have found that raccoons don't like to go in this kind of trap but you never know. I baited with soft boiled eggs that I cut in half to expose the yolk. For some reason they didn't go in for the hardboiled ones... my husband made fun of me so much for timing a skunk egg but hey, they were their last meals!