How to Keep Skunks Away from Chickens
You can keep skunks away from your chickens by following a few simple steps.
What Are the Risks of Skunks?
The main issue with skunks, is that they will devour chicken eggs if they can get their paws on them. In addition to eating eggs, they will also raid any chicken feed they can access. Worst-case scenario, they can and will attack and eat chickens if they are hungry enough.
In addition to making your farm smell stinky, they can also carry rabies. Skunks are #3 on the list of animals in the United States most likely to carry rabies. It is important to note that the #1 cause of rabies in cattle is skunks.
Are There Different Kinds of Skunks?
Yes, there are several different species of skunks. Here in the United States, the most common is the striped skunk. Though you might see hooded, hog-nosed, or even spotted skunks.
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What do Skunks Eat?
True omnivores, skunks will eat both meat and plants. Things like small insects, rodents, eggs, fruits, and even snakes! In addition to eating eggs, they eat grain and will, if hungry enough, go after a chicken. You can see why a coop full of chickens would appeal to a skunk!
How to Tell if a Skunk is Coming Around Your Farm
This is kind of a no-brainer, but the first thing you will notice is the smell. Even if they don’t intentionally spray, they still carry a stinky musk with them wherever they go. You will notice a faint skunky smell usually right away in the morning when you are in your yard or around the barn/coop/etc.
Look for potential entry holes or burrows into buildings or in the sort of wilder places around your farm. When we had a skunk, I found a little well-worn path that came across the grassy edge between the back of our barn and the neighbor’s corn and soy bean field. The skunk came from somewhere in the corn, walked across the grassy ditch, and then came into our barn.
Another good option to finding out if a skunk is coming around your chicken coop, is to set up a game camera. You can get relatively inexpensive ones for around $45.
These are the kind we have at our house. They are actually great to have not only for nighttime predator monitoring, but for keeping an eye on your home and farm when you are away.
This model will stream directly to your phone and give notifications when movement is detected. We were once traveling and I noticed our calf had gotten out! I was able to call a neighbor and get our calf safely back in with her mom.
When are Skunks Active?
Skunks are nocturnal animals, meaning they come out and look for food at night. When we had a skunk roaming around our farm, I noticed it started to come out around dusk. In the morning, I never noticed the skunk around but I could always smell where it had been.
If you get cold winters where you live, skunks will not be around as much in the winter. They enter a state of torpor, which is basically a really deep sleep but not a full hibernation. If they are hungry and the weather is above 30 degrees F, they might leave their burrow and scrounge around for food.
How to Keep Skunks Away from Your Chickens
Skunks are adorable but having them around your farm, and definitely your chickens, is less than ideal. Here are some steps to follow to keep skunks out of your chicken coop and away from your backyard chickens.
Keep Feed Contained
Even though they will kill and eat a chicken, what their keen sense of smell has likely attracted them to is the chicken feed. If you’ve been scattering scratch or feed around your farm, keep it contained in the coop instead. Make sure any other feed, grain, etc. is stored in garbage cans or other skunk-proof containers.
Close Your Chicken Door
Hungry skunks will have no problem finding their way into an open chicken door, where they might raid any eggs left behind or grab a chicken if they are hungry enough. Make sure you always close your chicken door at night, or get an automatic chicken door if it’s something you often forget.
Secure Your Coop
Check your chicken coop for any areas that need maintenance. Skunks are smart and have adorable little hands that are adept at working into loose places. They are also excellent diggers, which means they can tunnel under or into buildings or pens quickly and easily.
Fence in the Chickens
As skunks are nocturnal, they aren’t a risk to your chickens or their eggs during the day. As long as you close them up at night, you shouldn’t have issues with skunks in the coop. However, if you do not close your chicken door regularly, consider having a fenced-in chicken yard to keep the skunks away from your chickens.
How Do I Trap and Relocate a Skunk?
Depending on where you live, it may or may not be legal to relocate a skunk. Thankfully, here in Minnesota it is legal to relocate them. Last summer I trapped and relocated one, which you can learn about here.
For the most part it is legal to shoot skunks, but please check with your local and state wildlife DNR to be sure.
