Imagine my surprise....

[lesa]

when I opened the coop door this morning, and a skunk fell out!! I am not sure who was more surprised! It looked small, so I am guessing a baby. I hadn't changed the time on the automatic door- so I am guessing he came in and couldn't get out. All the chickens were fine. Unfortunately, he took refuge under the coop. So, I am trying to trap him. The area is also the fenced in dog yard. So, I am having to keep the dogs in the house. Dh is worried about his bees. Skunks will eat bees by the thousands. Here's hoping he likes cat food and peanut butter and we can put an end to this chapter quickly...

 

[thistlebloom]

Good luck with the trapping Lesa! And this is the perfect opportunity for you to post us some pictures!

Like, this is me before I got sprayed...this is me after I got sprayed...

 

[Nyboy]

Good luck, if it's a baby you might have a whole family around.

 

[digitS']

I recall as a small child how my grandmother dispatched the skunk under the chicken house.

She had Dad hook up the exhaust from her Merry Tiller with a flexible metal pipe of the right diameter. The pipe may have been attached to a regular garden hose since the exhaust would cool, several feet from the tiller.

The exhaust was fed under the chicken coop and all exits were blocked. Several hours and a tankful of gas probably passed. So, did the skunk.

Steve

 

[desertlady]

hope he didnt spray his lovely perfume at you!!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i noticed that small coming from my coop the other day while i was working on insulating for noise. every 30 minutes or so i got a small whiff. i didn't smell it today so i hope all my noise has made it crawl away to somewhere less noisy and where my dog won't bother it.

 

[897tgigvib]

Good luck with all the critters.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Oh! I bet that was a surprise! I am glad it just rolled out and hid instead of expressing it's surprise all over you. I hope you get it trapped and relocated soon.

 

[lesa]

I trapped it last night. Peanut butter and cat food did the trick. I found that skunks can't hold their breath any longer than woodchucks... Hated to do him in- he really wouldn't hurt the chickens, but they are crazy for bees. Since they are unaffected by the bee sting, they scratch at the hive and just sit there eating your bees... I figured it was get rid of him now, or later- and he was already in a trap... Hoping the rest of his family members set up camp somewhere else....

 

[digitS']

Guard your Garden, Lesa!

And, your chicken coop & yard & lawn & . . .

Steve

- Why does a chicken coop have only two doors?
- If it had four, it would be a chicken sedan.