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SKUNK and babies in the barn

10K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  anndankev 
#1 ·
This is not my farm, I take care of the old farmers horse in exchange for keeping Elwood there. I have suspected a skunk for a long while, and have been seeing her frequently for a couple of months.

The last few weeks almost every evening, once moving a baby, now she's out and about every evening while I ride. I thought she was mainly staying in the smaller barn up near the house, not in the old cattle barn where the horses are. I told the farmer about it last week and he asked if I would shoot it (I can't shoot).

Day before yesterday his mare had obviously been sprayed, but not Elwood. Last night when I got there Elwood was not in sight, and the mare who usually is first to greet me and check for carrots as standing stock still facing away, not even as much as turning her head toward me as I approached. So I looked where she was looking, and that was not a pile of poop about 30 feet away near the wheelbarrow, but a skunk! Apparently the mare is part Pointer :).

I went to get my camera, the mare followed and the skunk was gone when I got back, so I guess she was holding it at bay from a safe distance.

Then I went to get Elwood, and he had been sprayed, did not want to come in the barn. Must have been full on in the face, as once I removed his fly mask most of the smell came off with it, lucky for him. As I left the skunk was hanging out by my truck and the gate. I was looking for her because I have found her there before, so I climbed the fence further down, snuck (sp?) up on my truck and got away clean.

My questions: how do I get skunk smell off the fly mask, and off the horse? What can I do to make this skunk and her family move away or otherwise get rid of her.

On an offshoot, the farmer has a dog that kills cats, therefore there are no cats in the barn but there are a lot of mice. Do skunks hunt/eat mice?

Thanks
Ann

 
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#2 ·
Ick! Our dog got one last summer and she smelled horrid. She had alternating baths of tomato juice and peroxide. Took a good week to de-stink her. Good thing she prefers being outside, though she was mad she didn't get to sleep in my bed at night for awhile.

I'd learn to shoot or find someone who can. You could set a live trap, but I wouldn't with a skunk as you will more than likely end up sprayed yourself!
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#3 ·
Ann, I had a skunk and I bought this trap:


The trap is manufactured so that the skunk can't get its tail up and spray.

I haven't even used mine, since my skunk either voluntarily located or it died.

You can use them to trap possums, too. I got mine at Northern Tools.
 
#6 · (Edited)
TSC doesn't carry them, they only carry the Hav-A-Hart traps which won't protect you from a skunk spraying.

Northern Tools has an online store, and you can buy from there. They're pretty good about getting things to you in a timely manner.

Their website doesn't indicate any brick and mortar stores in Ohio, though. Sorry.
 
#7 ·
We have a donkey and he is very territorial. He loves our horse and is now good with our dog (because he knows him) but he will chase anything else that comes into his territory away. He is good with people but he really protects his territory against strange animals. I suppose it would be impractical for you to get a donkey when you are boarding................we really enjoy our donkey. He is the neighborhood mascot.
 
#14 ·
I have a friend who had a skunk make its home in her tractor shed. She called a trapping service, and they suggested that she try another method first. That was to use lighting, a radio (talk radio better than music), and putting ammonia soaked rags around the area. The point was to make the shed unpleasant as living quarters. Unfortunately, I can't see that being pleasant for cats or horses either, but at least they wouldn't be afraid. Maybe the music and lights could be discontinued after the skunk was gone, but keep rags around to act as a deterrent.
 
#17 ·
Thanks! The hawk did get away, and he got a cut on his cheek for his efforts, but he was quite proud of himself regardless lol.

Yup, Cailean is his name, not his breed, all my dogs have ridiculous gaelic names. :lol: His breed is an old fashioned Scotch Collie, as are most of my dogs. :D

My barn cats do the trick for small time pest control, but both of them are very petite sized cats themselves, so they can't handle much more than your average mouse.
 
#20 ·
I will try the moth balls too, for a while at least, I keep an open box in my trailer to keep mice away, don't care much for the odor myself, but at least they don't 'spray', don't know why I haven't thought of it for the barn mice problem already since there are no cats there.

I have discovered a bit more about my skunk, there appears to be only one, a half grown cutie with so many coliks in his fur he almost looks spotted instead of striped. No more spraying since each horse got a first dose, but they are definitely edgy and on the lookout for him, as am I. What if he sprayed my saddle?!? Or me, if I surprised him.

It is much smaller than the first one I was seeing, and there was a road killed one about a quarter mile up the road about 3 weeks back, That may have been it's mom and would explain his generally unwise behavior about coming out into plain sight and looking for food every evening while a person is about. Am I putting too much human characteristics on him??

Anyway I don't want to kill him, and moth balls are cheaper than a trap which I would still need to figure out how to release him from. Maybe the trap comes with directions, but still moth balls are cheaper. So I'll go that way first.

I soaked the face mask in diluted peroxide overnight and it's ok now. Elwood rubbed a spot low on the side of his face trying to get the smell off. I've put vaseline with Tea Tree Oil on it and it's healed nicely, and he has otherwise aired out, but as I said before he is still a bit jumpy.


Indy - your dog is very handsome, Collie's are my Mom's favorite, and sorry about the loss of a good rooster.
 
#21 ·
There was a skunk once in a self-serve barn I was at. It left on it's own, so I can't give you any good advice on how to get rid of it. What I would suggest, if you haven't already done so, is make sure your horse has had its rabies shot. I have given my horses one annually since that skunk incident.
 
#22 ·
If any one is still in need of a de-skunk formula that works, my Veterinarian gave me this one.

Mix:
1 qt. 3% Peroxide
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1 Tbs. Liquid Soap


Shampoo, rinse, shampoo and let sit a bit, and rinse again.
Of course keep it out of your, or your dog/horses eyes.
It worked really well on our dogs. I did find that if they got damp outside the odor kept re-emerging for awhile, but not nearly as strong.
I repeated it about a week later.





 
#23 ·
Be careful with moth balls. They have been linked to many health problems in lab rats as well as humans, including cancer. We used to use them to keep the field mice at bay until the vet advised against it.

They contain:
PARADICHLOROBENZENE Vapor irritates skin, eyes and respiratory systems; large doses can cause injury to liver; suspected carcinogen linked to Hodgkins lymphoma & nasal cancers.
NAPHTHALENE Damages liver; prolonged vapor exposure has led to cataract formation.
 
#24 ·
Thanks for all notes of experience, the formula, the alert about moth balls. I wouldn't think amonia rags could be much better, would they? Doesn't urine in bedding create amonia that is bad for horses upper respiratory wise? I remember being told to get down near the floor of the stall to take a whiff of what a horse is smelling while eating and having his head down. And isn't the vapor created by mixing amonia with bleach deadly even in small amounts?

Didn't see the skunk today or yesterday, but has been raining. The day before the whole area behind the feed trough was in disarray. Trash can knocked over, grooming tote dumped, bale of hay askew, loose flakes knocked off. I went up to the farmhouse to see what they knew of it, they think maybe the dog was after the skunk.

There's a Great Horned Owl lives in a tree in the far field, always a treat to hear or see him (rarely), much prefer him over the skunk as far as living near wildlife goes. Plus I know HE hunts and eats mice.

And of course the barn swallow babies will be learning to fly soon enough, always fun to watch. The barn is pretty much open and they zoom in and out Waldo Pepper style, it's a hoot.
 
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