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SPUCK · 05-09-2010, 05:15 AM

We have chickens and fight endlessly against the rats that come for their spilled feed. We've taken to leaving the gate to the pen open at night after closing them in their coop. This provides access to the local cat to hunt the rats that spend the night trying to squeeze, climb, or chew their way into the coop.

Last night our son was laying out on the brick walkway looking at the stars when hideous animal screams started from the coop about 10 feet away. Simultaneously he got a whiff of skunk and saw a bright shooting star.

He was right on the path to the pen and feared he'd have a panicked skunk running into him so he got up briskly. Looking in the direction of the recent commotion he saw a skunk carrying a very large rat in its mouth farther into the heavily planted area of the pen.

We had no idea skunks were rat predators! We are quite happy about it too.

05-09-2010, 05:15 AM	#47
SPUCK Professor Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,911	We have chickens and fight endlessly against the rats that come for their spilled feed. We've taken to leaving the gate to the pen open at night after closing them in their coop. This provides access to the local cat to hunt the rats that spend the night trying to squeeze, climb, or chew their way into the coop. Last night our son was laying out on the brick walkway looking at the stars when hideous animal screams started from the coop about 10 feet away. Simultaneously he got a whiff of skunk and saw a bright shooting star. He was right on the path to the pen and feared he'd have a panicked skunk running into him so he got up briskly. Looking in the direction of the recent commotion he saw a skunk carrying a very large rat in its mouth farther into the heavily planted area of the pen. We had no idea skunks were rat predators! We are quite happy about it too.