Pest control

davidlt89 · October 02, 2011, 06:35:50 PM

A good friend of mine who is a pediatrician bought a nice farm last year about a mile and half from me. He really wants to get into raising animals and started off with some chickens. He was given 4 by another farmer who he lets hay his land, those 4 "disappeared". Being new to raising chickens, I had told him he needed to keep them inside at night or he might find them missing. He later attained 6 more chicks and when they got big enough, he put them in the henhouse. Now, at the same time, he seems to have been having a little skunk problem. I was over there last week and we never could get the light on the skunk to get a good shot. The night before my last visit he had something actually lift up the lid to the chicken coupe and eat one whole chicken and decapitate another. The perp then went into the barn and left his calling card. So tonight it was on, operation "DIESKUNK" was a go!!!! I got over about quarter after eight and did a "perimeter sweep", but no dice. I went in a got my buddy who had attained some brand new flashlights for the above mentioned mission. We did a sweep around the house and came around the other side when we noticed 3 sets of highly glowing eyes on the west side of the estate. My buddy was just dumbfounded, keep in mind he is not a hunter and does not know much about animals, but he holds one mean flashlight. while he was asking questions on what the hay the eyes could be, I perked up and told him they were raccoons and that he needed to steady the light on them. I perched myself up on a tree and figured the raccoons were about 50-60 yards away. I had my savage mark II .22 and only have it sighted for 20 yards since it my go to gun for rabbits. I had a hard time picking up the raccoons but I took a shot and thought for sure only two ran off, but I was wrong. We walked up to where the raccoons were and nothing was there. as my friend shined the light right on the edge of the woods, the eyes of the raccoons stuck out like sore thumbs. they were held up right of the wood line. we swung over to the left and noticed one on the stump of a tree and I told my buddy to get the light steady. I took the shot at about 15 yards and felt good about it. we tried to catch the other ones with the light but they were gone. we walked up the tree where I had taken the shot and no raccoon, not even a drop of blood!!! Now, this tree is hollow at the base so my friend crept up and looked inside then "jumped" back telling me something was in there. I went up with my light an sure enough the raccoon had climbed in and plopped himself down in there. I could tell he had been hit with the labored breathing I heard, and the fact he was just laying there. we also spotted some blood. the raccoon expired about 30 seconds later but he was far enough down there I could not reach him to pull him out. my buddy went to his barn and got a hoe and I got him rolled over enough that my friend could grab some of the hair and pull him up enough so I could grab him. I then told him the raccoons were probably responsible for the chicken murders and we would get the rest of them later. we went back to the house and took a picture of the prize! I estimate this little fella weighs around 20lbs or a little more, he was really fat!!!!!! one of the other ones is much bigger, hopefully will have pics of him soon. God Bless.

Daryl (deceased) · October 03, 2011, 04:08:38 AM

Good job, David. Looks like you're going to have fun for a while.

EVERY predator of any kind will kill a chicken. Even a stray cat will if they can get ahold of them.

I built pens here that are made to hold predators out, and once in a great while one STILL gets in. I started with 6' woven horse wire (2"x4' squares), then went over that with regular chicken wire. The purpose of the horse wire is to prevent larger critters from shredding the chicken wire, and the chicken wire keeps the stupid birds from poking their heads through it, thereby becoming vulnerable to anything outside the pen.

Then I covered the top with chicken wire, and laid a 2" wide piece of horse wire along the bottom on the outside, and attached it with hog rings (also used hog rings to attach the outside layer of chicken wire to the horse wire underneath it).

And we STILL have a critter that gets in, much to their own demise. One they're in, they usually can't get back out. One bobcat went in through the top, shredding the chicken wire to enter. Trouble was, he couldn't climb it or jump through the hole in the lid from the inside.

I've killed several bobcats, 'coons, foxes, coyotes, and maybe 50 skunks around here over the past few years. An' you know what? There's still plenty of stuff trying to get into those pens. I see tracks and signs of digging pretty much any time I look, so it's a constant battle. We've lost relatively few chickens (most being when that danged bobcat managed to get inside (30 or so died)), but it's a constant thing to keep up with ADC work around here.

Good luck, and have fun!

Edited to add: I consider a live, cage type trap a necessity for raising chickens. Have your friend get one large enough to hold a big coon, and he'll be amazed what shows up in it. Using this type trap to drown a skunk by submerging it in a tank of water is the absolute best and cleanest method for skunk removal. Just dump it out, bury it, and reset the trap.

Daryl

bowhunter 51 · October 03, 2011, 06:10:19 AM

Oh yeah!...A live trap is a good investment when raising poultry...I've got hens
that've never touched the ground...they live their whole lives in inclosures that
ar so "vermin-proof" that nothing can get to them...including myself...and still
they try...I've a friend that caught a bobcat in a live trap that was packed in so
tight it couldn't even turn around....
.................That's a pretty good size coon, davidt.......................................................BH51.

gitano · October 03, 2011, 07:26:55 AM

Nice 'coon! Did you save any 'parts'? Like the skin or skull?

QuoteEdited to add: I consider a live, cage type trap a necessity for raising chickens. Have your friend get one large enough to hold a big coon, and he'll be amazed what shows up in it. Using this type trap to drown a skunk by submerging it in a tank of water is the absolute best and cleanest method for skunk removal. Just dump it out, bury it, and reset the trap.

Daryl

Couldn't agree more.

If your friend is 'getting into chickens' for fun, you might suggest that he look into raising 'heritage' chickens. There are some truly extraordinary birds to be had. Some are very pretty. These are birds that have been in captivity for hundreds of years, but because of the commercialization of chicken "ranching", are in danger of going extinct. Their value lies in their genetic diversity. The big chicken farms practically 'clone' their birds for specific commercial traits like fast growth or egg production. That's 'fine' for a mass market, but there is NO genetic diversity, and the lot can be (and are sometimes) wiped out by a single disease event.

Anyway, if he's interested, have him check out Murray McMurray Hatchery http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html?aid=cpc_brand_keywords&gclid=CNrls_bozKsCFcsaQgodHCTR2A I've done business with them and have no complaints. It was with one of their chicks that I won Best In Show at the Alaska State Fair one year. (It was a little Black-breasted Red bantam game cockerel.) He can find "heritage" chicken information here: http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html

Paul

davidlt89 · October 03, 2011, 06:40:17 PM

QuoteI consider a live, cage type trap a necessity for raising chickens.

I hear ya on that, we usually get together on tuesday nights and hash over some scripture. I will mention it to him. I have experience with these traps! I believe they are called "have a heart" traps, so you can "relocate" the animal. I have used one at work for groundhogs because it is in town and I cannot discharge a firearm. I was using a pellet gun, but I don't think my coworkers were "on board", so we used the trap. Great thing about my friend, he will "be on board" with disposing of these pests!

QuoteIf your friend is 'getting into chickens' for fun,

I believe he did! they wanted to collect eggs and such, don't think they are for eating. I will pass the information on to him. right now he has been getting chickens for free. "we" plan on getting a couple cows next year and i would like to "house" some chickens at his house since "hades" will freeze over before my wife lets them on our property!

QuoteDid you save any 'parts'? Like the skin or skull?

I did not! I did toss around the idea of having it stuffed but was not willing to fork out the money at this juncture. Since it was pretty late at night, I decided not mess with it. to be honest, the only thing that crossed my mind was having it stuffed, I had not given any of the things you mention any consideration. BUT, now that you mention it, I cannot stop thinking about it, thanks:bulb2:!!!!!!!!! Skull would be "cheap" to do and I still have enough materials left over from my kit to do it! I know how to skin bear and deer enough not to "ruin" it for a mount, but have never full taken the hide off of anything. But then again, why should that stop me, figure this may be a good opportunity to learn how to do it. A pelt would look good downstairs beside the coyote:grin:

gitano · October 03, 2011, 08:58:52 PM

'Coon-skin 'rugs' are not bad when they come from a good specimen. "Parts" is pretty much ALL I think about when I get ANY animal. Even domestic ones. By the by - look this up - racoon baculum. You'll be surprised to find out that people pay for them.

Paul

davidlt89 · October 04, 2011, 10:42:07 AM

Quoteracoon baculum

Seen them for sale on ebay! person was selling 6 and the bids were up to 6.50. If I could sell about 500, I might be able to get a new rifle! I think I will start with a pelt and the skull. I tossed the "live trap" idea to my buddy and he is fine with it as long as I am the one to "clean up". I told him I could do that for him. Should not be long before we have another raccoon. Has anyone ever skun a skunk? God Bless.

gitano · October 04, 2011, 01:56:03 PM

No different than any other critter EXCEPT that you have to be careful NOT to cut the scent glands at the base of the tail.

Paul

recoil junky · October 04, 2011, 03:48:08 PM

Skunk pelts were worth more than muskrats when I was a kid. I can see why. You "case" them like a rat or fox. I tried to skin a couple, but I kept puking.

RJ

davidlt89 · October 04, 2011, 04:05:51 PM

Quote'Coon-skin 'rugs'

head for cover and batten down the hatches,

my wife thinks she might like a coon skin rug! News at 11:00!!!!!! God Bless.

gitano · October 04, 2011, 07:33:30 PM

YEEHAA!

Paul

branxhunter · October 05, 2011, 02:10:37 AM

Someone told me once that you could use an air compressor to skin a cat - make a small incision in the skin and push the thin end of an air gun fitting under the skin, then let 'er rip. Never tried it myself, but might be one way to skin a skunk.

My grandfather was a great fan of the live cage trap - called possum traps here in Australia. He didn't have an aversion to shooting, just to brush-tails raiding his orchard.

Marcus

gitano · October 05, 2011, 02:18:36 PM

I've heard about the 'compressed air' method too, but I've never seen it or tried it myself. "Sounds good", but I wonder...

Paul

RatherBHuntin · October 05, 2011, 04:32:42 PM

hmmm, has a 80 gal air compressor...need varmint

davidlt89 · October 05, 2011, 05:42:39 PM

QuoteSomeone told me once that you could use an air compressor to skin a cat - make a small incision in the skin and push the thin end of an air gun fitting under the skin, then let 'er rip. Never tried it myself, but might be one way to skin a skunk.

sounds like an experiment waiting to happen, more to come!!!:bandana: