Do skunks kill chickens?

Skunks are mammals of medium size and they are known because of the capacity they have of spraying the liquid that have unpleasant and strong odor. There are four types of skunks. The skunks can live in the agriculture land, grassland and woodland. The skunks are nocturnal animals and they search for the food at dusk and when it is sunrise, they are going to retire in their dens and this may be a ground borrow under a rock pile or a building. When the skunks get the access to the coop, they can feed on the eggs and they may kill or hurt the chickens. The skunk may kill some few adult birds and when they kill the poultry, they may kill one or even two chicken and they are going to maul them in a considerable way. The skunks can also kill the mice and the rats in the grain storage buildings. The skunks are known to be nest robbers. The eggs get opened at one end and the edges are crushed so that the skunk can put the nose in the hole in order to lick what it is found inside.



To protect the chicken, you have to ensure that they are put in secure coops that run with the right fencing. Small chicks have to be kept in the secure brooder. The skunks do not like to break the fences but they can get the access through the weak spots and in the loose places near the buildings or the fences. The skunks are good diggers and they may get access to the chicken when they dig under the trees. The skunks can be attracted by the shelter, water and food. To prevent them against coming in your home, you should not leave the pet food where they can get to them. Use paving slabs near the perimeter of the coop and bury or run some few inches of the hardware cloth or the welded wire on the bottom of the fence so that they do not dig and enter in the chicken coop. When you raise the chicken to get eggs, when you lose the eggs to the predator, it can be discouraging to you. There are many animals that can eat the eggs like jays, crows, dogs, raccoons, opossums, snakes, skunks and rats. The skunks are going to leave some telltale shells around. If it is the chicken that was eaten, the abdomen may be missing but not the skin and the muscle and there is always a lingering odor in the air.

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