I like our Premier One Permanet. I really, really like it. But, since I have lost 4 pullets in 5 days to one dirty, stinking, filthy so-and-so skunk who is either bulletproof or can dodge bullets like Neo from Matrix and who can get through/under the fence in spite of a consistent 8,000 volts running through the permanet, it’s obviously not perfect.
I watched legions of raccoons splash at the pond night before last. Raccoons aren’t getting through my fence and killing my chickens. It’s a skunk. One single bird each night. Raccoons would kill several each. The fence does a good job of keeping the raccoons out but can’t keep a determined skunk out. It also failed to protect us from a mink once. Neighbors are nice but they need to respect my property. This kind of wanton property destruction and outright theft can not be tolerated. Murdering a chicken is a capital crime if you are a skunk or a mink. Skunks who murder and eat four chickens in five nights bring out the worst in me.
So I camped out at the pond, flashlight and gun in hand. Just a tarp, an old blanket and the lumpy ground. 400 chickens make a lot of noise. No skunk showed up to party. I had to move the East side of the fence yesterday to continue moving the chicken tractors so maybe I filled in the unknown gap the skunk was using. Maybe he smelled me. Maybe he died a horrible death from a great horned owl. I don’t know. I won’t sleep well until I know.
The fence is not a perfect solution but it mostly gets the job done. When it doesn’t, it makes for a long couple of nights and days of guilt, discouragement and stress. At least it’s not cold out. Or raining. Yet. Fortunately, the fence is 99% reliable.
Oh. It’s raining now. Well, that’s good. It hasn’t rained in about a month. Maybe the skunk will catch pneumonia.
Chism Heritage Farm 
wow, that sucks, as my teens would say. Hope it’s over now. Can skunks dig? Did he go underneath maybe? We lost 4 chickens to a raccoon reaching through the wire of the pasture pen two years ago, so I can kind of relate. Be glad it wasn’t a mink.
We have been down mink street.
No. I didn’t get him yet. Last night he got two birds. I’m going to have to step up my game…somehow.
Is it time to camp out? I could try. If it gets too uncomfortable for these old bones, I could just go home. What stage is the moon in?
The moon won’t come up till 1:15. I suspect that’s about the time the critters will be out.
I camped out Sunday night. The weather was nice, the bugs left me alone but the constant noise generated by 400 birds is almost intolerable. Oh, and the ground was lumpy.
See this is what you need teenagers for – I could lend you mine – they’re night owls anyway :). Seriously, good luck with this – is the aim to catch the varmint or just prevent more loss? Maybe the dog could help?
I like the dog idea, except our dog has already shared skunk oil with me on the way out the door to work. Problem is, I have no ability to smell anything. I had no idea she had met a skunk. My classroom must have been terrible for my students and not one said anything! A coworker spent the morning trying to figure out where the smell was coming from and then sprayed me and my classroom down with Fabreeze.:-)
LOL…ok, not the dog then…
I should point out that mom has no sense of smell…lol.
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