Skunk sounds

[Pele]

Hi all,

I was blissfully sleeping two nights ago when I was jolted awake by the most godaweful hellspawn shriek I've ever heard outside of a movie-theatre in my life. It came from right outside my window, which faces the back yard.

I was terrified for my chickens and pelted outside, only to have my nose assaulted by the smell of skunk (gah!). I pelted back inside to avoid getting sprayed and nervously aimed my flashlight at my coops to make sure the stupid skunk hadn't gotten into them.

Thankfully, most of my coops were designed by a paranoid type A (moi), and remained solidly locked and undisturbed.

We do, however, have an obnoxious plum tree that is currently covering my yard with plums, which I assume drew the stupid skunk in the first place.

My question is this: Did I somehow miss the memo growing up in the country that skunks make horrible spinetingling aweful banshee shrieks as a 'howdeedo"? Or do I now have to worry about ANOTHER animal snooping around out there? Because lord knows, the last thing I need is something big and bad enough to make a skunk scream like a demon-possesed girl lurking in my yard.

Maybe it's skunk mating season and that's it's version of 'hey there, what's your number?" brrr

 

[luvmychixandducks]

Maybe what you heard was the skunk being taken by a predator- solving your problem.
Rabbits scream when being threatened/killed. A skunk doesn't just spray for no reason-
possibly an owl (a skunks only real natural predator) scored a meal and your problem will be if it comes back, finds no skunk, and settles for chicken.

 

[Pele]

Maybe what you heard was the skunk being taken by a predator- solving your problem.
Rabbits scream when being threatened/killed. A skunk doesn't just spray for no reason-
possibly an owl (a skunks only real natural predator) scored a meal and your problem will be if it comes back, finds no skunk, and settles for chicken.

Hrm, I didn't know that owls ate skunks. That is entirely possible, and it is definitely the scenario that I hope happened. I don't really worry about most predators other than raccoons. Those jerks are obscenely good at figuring ways around coop defenses.

But I don't think a raccoon would make a skunk shriek like that.

And I don't think the skunk sprayed, the scent wasn't that heavy. It was just the regular "I produce the world's worst stench, and it gets on me sometimes" perfume that they carry with them. It cleared out within minutes of me opening the back door.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

Greart Horned Owls are the primary predator for skunks- because most birds cannot smell, the spray has no olfactory effect.
However, owls can still be injured by skunk spray- they can be blinded by getting sprayed in the eyes.
Google skunk predators for additional information.

I hope your skunk is gone for good.
I had a bad time with skunks in the past. Had a predator digging into my pigeon loft and eating babies. Next night all the eggs were gone.
Third night I set havahart traps outside, and a single leghold trap inside my loft.
A while after midnight I had a visitor- Mr skunk was in the leghold, digging in to hide.
Got rifle and had a shootout with skunk- we both shot and neither missed.
My carpool was not happy with me that morning.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

You could also google Do skunks eat baby rabbits?
The campers report a scenario similar to yours, and all of the facts fit. Scream plus skunk odor.