Farmall Cub

Think Indiana Jones on top of the "Well of Souls" scene when they pry off the big lid,
Skunks...Why did it have to be Skunks???. ( and Racoons, and maybe Opossoms ).

I'm not sure if this goes here or in the "off topic " area, but here are my two cents worth.
I have been doing a little research on the subject. I have surfed threds and posts on sites that cover: gardening, farming, ag, hunting, pets, amimal, trappers, animal rights, news stories, poultry owners, pest control, property damage, disease, wild game bird damage, etc. I have downloaded rabies studies from university and gov groups ( US and Canada ). Wiki acticles on poisons/chemicals. And here are some soultions:

Political Correct Police Warning: I waded through a fire strom of angry posts from people that love critters of all kinds. Whoa! people sure get fired up about this one. Some love to eat them, Some love to keep them. I don't want to upset anybody or get in to the, Kill Trap vs Live Trap, Shoot vs Relocate, Posion them vs Take away the food source and they go away, Buy more fencing vs Keep the dogs in at night. Tomato juice vs Baking soda and Hyd Preoxide for smell. Rabies shots vs foming at the mouth and biting people. They are only doing what nature tells them to do, or, its ok for you to eat chicken but not for a skunk to dine on them? Accidental pet/kid posioning. Seconary Posioning ( Eagle ate dead Racoon) Ohhhh boy! The best post I found was the guy that said his chickens deserve to be protected, just like his kids and his dogs. So you decide.

I didn't invent these, just passing them on. I know each one of these has limited results, or will be an epic fail. Its just a list. Relax.

1)LIve trap.
2)Kill trap.
3)Dogs.
4) Fence.
5) Radio ( talk radio, not music).
6) Ammonia soaked rags.
7) Moth Balls.
#8) Cover dens/dig holes.
9) Nails pelts to wall (scent)
10). Leave dead one near pen (scent)
11) Proof your pen/barn/coop.
12) Relocate/Shoo them away.
13) Urine (scent). (from fox, one guy said)
14) Electirc Current/Zappers.
15) Posion*** ( see note at the end of this).
16) Shoot em' ( Lead posion )
17) Drown trap.
18) Whack em'.
19) Road Kill em'.
20) Catch them by the tail. ( yes, people do this )
21) Cyanide or Sodium Nitrate smoke bombs in their den.
22) Car exhaust.
23) Move to another home.
24) Let them be.
25) Park a IH Cub next to their den. (they don't like red)
26) Bright lights.
27) Sonic noise blasters.
28) Feed them well so they don't go after your Chickens.
29) Catch, descent at the vet, release.
30) Put a one gallon milk jug with it half full of water in your yard to keep them away. ( from the neighborhood crazy lady ).
31) Sterilize,Spay/Neuter them at the vet. ( Thanks for the tip Bob Barker )
32) Turn them in to pets.
33) Get rid of your Chikens.
34) Give them as gifts.

On Relocating/Live trap: Some states/countries/cites require a permit, proffesional service only, or gov agency to relocate skunks. Some do not. Some forbid it completley. Check it out first.

On Kill trap: Some areas require a trappers lic, or hunting lic. Some places have a season ( just like deer). Others don't allow it at all.

On Posions: There are no Gov approved methods of posioning Skunks. Using Chemicals/Poisons "off label" can get you in legal trouble. Secondary posioning (pets, wildlife eating carcass), Accidental posioning (pets,kids). Funney how the Gov. is allowed to do it when they want to
One person posted that they had killed 18 skunks in one month. the guy used to kill them. The reply came from an angry lady that said he could be fined $10K per skunk and 3 years for each one ( thats $180K and 54 years in jail )and openly invited a "Fish and Game Warden" person to prosecute the person making the post. I have a long list, but won't post it.

Good Luck.

PS: A mature skunk can weigh 10 pounds. Measuring 30 inches from nose to tail, with an additional 7 inches of plumed tail, a skunk mates in February or March. About 50 days later, a litter of four to 10 naked and blind skunks is born. Nursing lasts six to seven weeks, after which the male rejoins the family, usually in July.

Skunks,raccoons,possums,,,anything near the coop gets whacked if I see them.Kevin

Update: So far, 5 dead skunks, and 1 Opossum. 1 racoon to go. For the coon, I will be using a Conibear trap with Anice seed oil ( smells like black licorice ) driped around and a piece of bacon skewered on the trigger wire.
Last of the chickens are dead and I sure miss my eggs in the mourning and seeing them walk around the place. Couldn't keep them safe enough, and the varmits are just so good at hunting.

I purchased two "Game Cams" and mounted them in camera tripods. It helped quite a bit to see where they were walking around and at what times of the night.
I would recommend buying one just to see who comes and goes at your farm when your not around.
Make sure it has a time/date stamp so it will hold up in court in case you catch metal thiefs.

I Recommend a skunk shampoo called "S.O.S" ( skunk odor shampoo) made by PPP (Professional Pet Products), of Miami FL 33172, that I bought on Amazon.com
We keep it right next to the back door at the utility sink so I don't have to walk through the house to get to the shower. Don't ask...she's not happy.

Hmmmm I wonder why Momma ain't happy You go chasin skunks

We have tons of skunks around our place -- always have. Never ever lost a chicken to a skunk. One or two to a coyote but never a skunk. You must have some real whoppers out there

Coons were my bane.
Year and a half ago, I lost 37 chickens in a couple days.

Coons!!!

I know how to catch coons. 40 years ago I ran a little trap line and coons were my main victim.
Still have several dozen traps overhead in the garage.

Nail a can of sardines to a tree, set the trap, instant coons.
That would have been my preferred method except for one little problem.

Bootsy.
Bootsy is my daughter's cat and I know she didn't want to change the cat's name to Bootless which would have been the inevitable result.

So, $40 for a hav a hart trap.
Caught 5 in about a week.

I relocated them.
To the end of my driveway.
Opened the door and relocated them to Raccoon heaven with the help of Mr Mossberg.

New flock of chickens with no loss so far
But.it's probably time to set the trap again

Except ffor food I will not harm an animal that is not harming me. Woodchucks that dig under my barn commit sucicide. Coons that ruin my wife's bird feeders commit sucicide. I no longer keep chickens but skunks will eat eggs. When whitetails dine in my garden I pray for a nasty winter. What the state won't let me do even though there is more deer here now than at any time in history mother nature will do. Too bad right now it is disease that nature is using to thin the herd. Man is a very effective preadator. Coons are heavily infected with rabies so relocating for me is not an option. To me anyone who eats meat but objects to one killing their own food, aka hunting and fishing, is a hypocrite. Hunting does need to be controlled however. Remember the passenger pigeon. Vern

Rudi: You go chasin skunks ?

More like the wife chasin me with a broom!

I have found that if you leave them in the trap for about 9 days that the smell is much less. But if you live in a warm area that might be a real bad idea.

Redcub wrote:I have found that if you leave them in the trap for about 9 days that the smell is much less. But if you live in a warm area that might be a real bad idea.

All my life growing up on a farm we never had problems with critters in the chicken houses. All of them came in before dark to roost, we then dropped a sliding trap door for the night that sealed the house tight. No openings so no losses I guess.

Always had hogs around too, they took care of those egg sucking biddy eaten black snakes.

Yogie, tell us about hogs and snakes. I been gone from the farm over 50 years.