Skunks are omnivores, which means they feed on both vegetation and meat. They also happen to be opportunistic scavengers, consuming any edible thing they come across. And when food is scarce, those that live near humans invade homes and farms in search of anything they can ingest.
And that includes chickens and eggs.
Yes, skunks do attack and consume chickens – just one of the many reasons those who keep poultry have such a prickly relationship with them.
In this article, we’ll be discussing why skunks eat chickens and what you can do to protect your poultry from these animals. So keep reading!
What is a Skunk?
A skunk is a mammal belonging to the weasel family. It’s best known for its dark fur, the white stripe running from its snout all the way to its tail, and the foul-smelling chemical concoction that it sprays at anyone or anything it feels threatened by. When fully grown, this medium-sized animal measures about 2 feet long, which includes a tail that’s 7 to 8 inches long.
Skunks are normally found in North and South America, though they’ve also reached northern Mexico and southern Canada. They prefer living in grasslands and woodlands but can also set up shop in agricultural lands and urban areas. These mammals make their homes in empty burrows and hollow logs as well as under large rocks. They’re even known to stay in abandoned buildings.
As mentioned above, skunks observe an omnivorous diet. They generally prefer insects and other tiny invertebrates to plants. However, when options are limited, these mammals invade human settlements, where they rummage through garbage and compost piles for edibles. And if there are any chickens or eggs they can access, they’ll go after those, too. Which brings us to…
Skunks: A Threat to Chickens
Various creatures prey on chickens, including foxes, coyotes, and raccoons. While skunks are less of a threat to chickens than these animals, it’s still in your best interest to secure your backyard from them. After all, even in the absence of chickens, skunks may raid your garbage, dig holes in your lawn, and/or burrow under your house to ruin its foundations.
Typically, skunks prefer eggs, as these are tasty, nutritious, easily stolen, and convenient to eat. However, skunks also kill chickens to consume their meat.
As skunks aren’t the most vicious predators around, they’re more likely to attack and snatch a chick or pullet than a full-grown chicken. After all, these mammals are smart enough to realize that mature chickens are capable of defending themselves using their beaks and claws.
How skunks kill chickens
As harmless as they look, skunks have sharp teeth and claws that they use to kill small prey. Nevertheless, these animals only resort to violence if they’re confident they’ll come out on top.
Of course, the skunk has another weapon in its arsenal: the offensive-smelling liquid in the gland beneath its tail. When it sprays this liquid at its enemies, the stench is so awful that its victim’s eyes water profusely, blinding and immobilizing them and thus leaving them exposed to the skunk’s assault. Though this spray isn’t harmful, it can reach distances of up to 10 feet!
When a skunk attacks a chicken, it usually goes for the head or neck, biting down hard on flesh and bone alike. Sometimes, it rips out the throat. At other times, it tears the head and neck off the body. Once the bird is dead, the skunk will consume as much of its flesh as it can before danger arrives.
If you wake up one morning to find a partially eaten chicken or bloody chicken parts in your coop, then a skunk may have paid your yard a visit the previous night.
Why skunks eat chickens
In general, skunks prefer easy prey, such as insects, worms, and small reptiles. However, if such prey is scarce and the opportunity presents itself, they’ll attack and devour chickens, too.
Chickens are an incredible source of nutrients such as protein and fat, which skunks need to stay healthy and build muscle mass. Additionally, these birds have soft, easily digestible meat. For these reasons, chickens make tempting meals for skunks.
4 Signs A Skunk Has Raided Your Chicken Coop
How can you tell if a skunk has been visiting your chicken coop? Keep an eye out for the following signs:
Injured or dead adult chickens
Are some of your chickens wounded? Are feathers strewn haphazardly inside or around the coop? These are good signs that a predator has raided your coop and possibly even attacked some of your poultry.
Is there evidence that one or more of your chickens have met a violent demise? For example, did you come upon a headless chicken, a chicken with its throat ripped out, a chicken with parts of its body consumed, or various chicken parts such as entrails lying around? These offer obvious proof that a predator has attacked, killed, and fed on some of your birds.
Missing chicks and eggs
Because the skunk isn’t the best of hunters, it often targets food that can’t defend itself, such as an egg, a chick, or a juvenile chicken.
If you’ve been counting your chickens’ eggs and young offspring, then you’ll know if some of them have gone missing. And missing eggs, chicks, and pullets are usually a good indication that a predator has been making off with them.
A terrible stench
So you’ve discovered a few missing chicks and a couple of dead chickens. The thing is, these birds could have been harassed by any kind of predator, such as a fox or coyote. So how can you be sure a skunk was the culprit?
If there’s a god-awful stench in your yard, then the perpetrator was extremely likely a skunk. This animal shoots out an oily, stinky substance from the gland beneath its tail whenever it feels threatened, such as when an adult chicken attacks it.
This unpleasant odor can last for days and is exceptionally difficult to get rid of. It’s also a clear indication that a skunk has been pestering your poultry.
Holes in the yard
As excellent diggers, skunks tear up the soil whenever they’re searching for insects or worms to eat.
If a skunk visits your yard looking for food, expect it to dig up the ground. The sneaky devil may even dig its way into your chicken pen. Either way, its activities can result in potentially costly property damage.
Some skunks are even known to dig under houses to create burrows, where they’ll stay temporarily as they terrorize the neighborhood. This can result in severe damage to a house’s foundations.
How to Protect Your Chickens from Skunks
Are you tired of skunks harming your chickens? Then you have to take steps to deter them from visiting their coop.
Check out our quick guide below to learn what you can do to prevent skunks from hurting your poultry!
Clean your coop
Skunks are drawn to the stench of a filthy chicken coop. Therefore, you should always keep your coop clean. So get rid of chicken poop immediately, regularly remove eggs, and put chicken feed in appropriate storage spaces.
Also, regularly empty your trash and garbage cans, and keep them locked up where your skunk can’t access them.
In addition, don’t leave any pet food lying around your yard, as the smell of food and water can attract skunks.
Secure your coop
Surround your coop with a fence to prevent a skunk from gaining access to your poultry and their eggs. Ideally, this fence should be made of hardware cloth or welded wire. Also, remember that skunks are great diggers, so bury the fence around 18 inches or more beneath the ground to prevent a skunk from digging under it.
While skunks generally don’t break through fences, they do squeeze through weak spots, so make sure this fence is secure all the way around.
Also, remember that chicks should be placed in brooders, which should also be placed within the fenced-off area.
Use fox urine, ammonia, or cayenne pepper
Certain substances can be used as skunk deterrents.
You can, for example, soak wet rags in fox urine or ammonia (which also smells like urine), then position these rags around the coop. The scent of urine is extremely strong to skunks; if one of them smells it, it’ll grow uncomfortable as it becomes convinced a predator may be nearby. This can scare the skunk off so that it doesn’t approach your coop and hurt its inhabitants.
You can also sprinkle cayenne pepper on the ground surrounding the coop. Its spiciness and heat can irritate skunks’ nasal passages, discouraging them from approaching said coop. Don’t worry about your chickens, by the way; they don’t have the receptors that would allow them to be irritated by spicy stuff.
Get a dog
Have a dog guard your yard and chickens. Skunks are scared of dogs and won’t take the risk of entering any place where one lives. A dog will deter other kinds of predators, too, such as foxes and raccoons.
Lay a trap
If a particularly brave skunk keeps invading your property, you may want to consider setting up a live bait trap for it. This won’t hurt the animal but keep it from hurting your chickens. You can then surrender the captured animal to the proper authorities.
Conclusion
Skunks indeed kill and consume chickens. While these mammals prefer insects and worms, they’ll eat a chicken if they have an opportunity to do so. However, skunks are more likely to target eggs, chicks, and juvenile chickens, as adult chickens are more capable of defending themselves from attack.
If you suspect a skunk has been raiding your yard, look for signs such as holes in the ground, injured or dead chickens, or missing eggs or chickens. And if any of these signs are accompanied by a foul odor, then you have some good evidence that a skunk has been on the prowl on your property.
To prevent any harm coming to your poultry, you should secure their coop. So clean up after your chickens; keep your garbage cans locked in an area skunks can’t access; use deterrents such as fox urine, ammonia, or cayenne pepper; and/or have a dog guard your yard. And if a skunk has been regularly raiding your yard, you can even use a live bait trap to catch it.
Don’t let a skunk hurt your poultry – skunk-proof their coop!