Yeesss! One skunk down.....

So I woke up yesterday morning, at about 5:45, smelling skunk so strong I could taste it. I frantically woke both the boys up and we went out with flashlights and the .22 but could not find any trace. We searched high and low. It's lingering presence was smelled until afternoon, so we knew it was still around.

Well, this morning at 5:30, Joel saw through the kitchen window, a skunk trying to get into the kitchen coop! (This is actually the third time we've seen or smelled this skunk and it is always at the same time! If it would have just gotten up a bit earlier, it could have accomplished its dirty deeds while we slumbered...) Oooh, nasty, nasty things. Have you ever seen the claws and teeth on a skunk? They are certainly not designed to be herbivores. The previous resident of our house had all 6 of his hens killed in one night by a skunk. It ate their egg ducts out and left the rest. Isn't that horrible??!! So, back to the story: Joel grabbed the .22 and chased the skunk through the garden where it eventually came to its demise in the raspberry patch. Oh my does it STINK right now. After we all took a closer look to admire it's vicious teeth and luxurious striped coat, and our kitties joined in too, in quiet curiosity, Joel then disposed of it in the dumpster because it happens to be trash day and luckily our garbage men come really early. In fact, they just came by and I bet they are wondering what is up with our trash today----the smell is strong enough to knock you over!
Aaah....what excitement owning chickens has added to our mundane lives. It has turned the simple nuisance of having a smelly skunk hanging around the property, into a personal "us versus them" battle to keep our hens safe. But for now, I think I'm going back to bed....