Skunks Under the Chicken Coop

[Daydream Believer]

Fun on the farm this morning. It never ends...truly....:lol::lol::lol:

I moved my hens this morning from an open field to a shaded area for the heat wave we are having. It it a simple matter of hooking it up to my truck and pulling it after I disconnect hoses and stuff.

I had noticed that my egg production had dropped dramatically the last week or so also. I thought it was heat possibly or hens getting ready to molt...was not sure...but it was baffling.

So this morning I hook up the truck, bang around the coop tidying up before I moved, got in my truck and pulled forward. I looked back to the left in my mirror (I was turning left) and there were three skunks I had uncovered who were nesting under the coop which is on skids. I was at a safe distance so I stepped out of the truck and WHEW...PE YOU....one had sprayed. Thankfully it had not gotten my coop or anything that matters but it will be a while before I quit smelling skunk stench on my farm.

Now I know what happened to my eggs...it finally makes sense. Also I found a chicken off from the coop a ways with it's head chewed off a few days ago...clearly the work of the skunk now also.

So never a dull moment on the farm...What a way to start the day.

[JSwan]

:lol::lol::lol:

Never a dull moment, is there. :)

[2DogsFarm]

I'll trade your skunks for my colony of Disney Rats in my non-movable coop (former metal toolshed).

They moved in this Fall after the nearby fields got cut & seeing as there is a Free Buffet of layer pellets have seen no need to relocate.

I tried poison bait pellets and, of course, the first day after I dropped them down the holes I saw my chickens playing keepaway with a dead rat.
Which I took away from them...imagine the neighbors seeing me doing that :rolleyes:

Being bloodthirsty little raptors I figured the chickens would put the kibosh on the rodent invasion.
Nope.
Both species are coexisting peacefully.
I can almost hear them singing Kumbaya...

I stopped leaving feed out at night.
And so far no eggs or chickens have been hurt, but I can hear the little varmints in the walls and they are not at all shy about making an appearance in broad daylight to raid the feeder in the coop.

I tell myself if they had stubby tails & a stripe down their backs I'd think they were cute.