# Skunk for breakfast



## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

My morning routine started off as usual until turning the dogs out of the back door. Coffee in hand, instinctively breathing in the morning air and normally settling in and sipping the cup while waiting for the dogs to come back in a few minutes.

The morning air was so thick with skunk perfume it permeated nostrils, eyeballs and sense of taste. My eyes started to water, nose burned slightly on the inside, the dogs sneezed, shook their heads, and did a u-turn back into the house. Skunk stink was lingering in fur, clothes and realized later my house, while coming back in from the front yard with the dogs. That coffee was dumped down the sink, it tasted like the smell we had been exposed to minutes earlier.

Game plan was to get the outside feeding and watering chores done, then address the skunk stink when finished. Well, the goats come trotting forwards and stopped short of the gate, raised upper lips, snorted and stomped a hoof, turned around and walked away. My thoughts started calculating how much tomato juice would be needed as I cleaned the lot while the goats stayed far away the whole time. First time ever and they are 3 years old soon.

Usually a skunk travels in the darkness, so figured the visitor more than likely had been napping close by and got defensive when we stepped onto the deck. I am going to hold on to the speculation the varmit was just passing through and would leave about dusk. Officially the back door has become the "no go zone" until at least tomorrow afternoon.

Currently waiting for a driveway drop delivery of deskunk product. Nothing except for the dogs will come near, they smell as bad as myself and don't notice it on me. And I changed my clothes to boot. It's clear there was no way I could go to town smelling like this. Even my own Mama plans to drop off the supplies 500' feet away from the house and leave without a backwards glance. She is a wise woman.

What type of strange, unexpected event happened between you and wildlife would you like to tell the story of to others?

:dazed:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Lucky you. At least no one was sprayed directly.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Yeesh, that's rough. Sorry (console)


NigerianNewbie said:


> What type of strange, unexpected event happened between you and wildlife would you like to tell the story of to others?
> 
> :dazed:


I once had a porcupine in our hen house. We got home late and it was dark. I went to get the eggs and seen something in the corner on the floor. (before we had lights in the henhouse) We had been training some new hens to sit on the roosts and sometimes they were on the floor, so I was in the habit of picking them up and putting them on the roosts...and just assumed it was one of them.

Thankfully, while I was bending down to pick up this "chicken", the moonlight hit it just right and I recoiled and avoided a....interesting doctor visit lol.


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## MidnightRavenFarm (Jun 4, 2020)

Around 4 am my husband wakes up for work. He let our dog out and she ran to our trash cans. A skunk sprayed her right in the face. She runs back inside and dive bombs on our couch. The living room smelled so strong it made your eyes and nose burn. After several shampoos of baking soda peroxide and detergent we finally got the dog less smelly. But our couch was completely ruined and we had to throw away our entire sectional


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## Cat Cborg (Feb 3, 2021)

NigerianNewbie said:


> My morning routine started off as usual until turning the dogs out of the back door. Coffee in hand, instinctively breathing in the morning air and normally settling in and sipping the cup while waiting for the dogs to come back in a few minutes.
> 
> The morning air was so thick with skunk perfume it permeated nostrils, eyeballs and sense of taste. My eyes started to water, nose burned slightly on the inside, the dogs sneezed, shook their heads, and did a u-turn back into the house. Skunk stink was lingering in fur, clothes and realized later my house, while coming back in from the front yard with the dogs. That coffee was dumped down the sink, it tasted like the smell we had been exposed to minutes earlier.
> 
> ...


Oh no! That's unfortunate


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

We had a skunk take up residence under our porch last year. I did a similar thing but unfortunately one of my dogs got nosey and got a direct full face assault. Needless to say it was no fun the house smelled, he stunk and I now keep a supply of tomato juice around.
I hope the air clears soon and you got a fresh cup of java because mornings are horrible without a steaming cup of joe


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

I love the product SKunk Off - it's saved me many times.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

MidnightRavenFarm said:


> Around 4 am my husband wakes up for work. He let our dog out and she ran to our trash cans. A skunk sprayed her right in the face. She runs back inside and dive bombs on our couch. The living room smelled so strong it made your eyes and nose burn. After several shampoos of baking soda peroxide and detergent we finally got the dog less smelly. But our couch was completely ruined and we had to throw away our entire sectional


Oh no that's horrible and costly...I'm sorry


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Reminds me of the time my grandparents were babysitting my cousin's border collie mix, "Chica". My grandparents lived in one of those swanky subdivisions crammed with stone McMansions in McKinney, TX. Well, dogs will find skunks even in the middle of paved suburbia. Chica saw that skunk in the yard and went full combat on it. It sprayed her directly in the face from a couple feet. It was so strong it set off smoke alarms and the neighbors on either side called 911 to report a fire. 

My grandma bought a ton of tomato juice and was swilling it over the dog on the back patio when my grandpa stepped out to supervise the progress. Unfortunately he left the door standing open. Chica, sopping wet and terrified, raced past him into the house and immediately sho-o-o-o-o-k that tomato juice all over their living room. They had all-white walls, carpeting, and furniture. They were able to get the tomato juice stains off the wall but the carpet and couch were never the same. The dog stank and a vague skunk odor still lingered in the air of the living room when I visited my grandparents a couple of weeks later. That tomato juice hadn't done a danged thing. Several home remedies and commercial skunk smell removal products had helped, but mostly it just had to fade with time.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh dear, that could of been a huge mess.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

MidnightRavenFarm said:


> After several shampoos of baking soda peroxide and detergent we finally got the dog less smelly.


That looks like a good tip and may need to use something like this on my hair still yet after being washed twice already.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

GoofyGoat said:


> I hope the air clears soon and you got a fresh cup of java because mornings are horrible without a steaming cup of joe


Am finally having morning coffee shortly before time to start getting ready for evening chores. Sat out lots of custard dishes full of white vinegar through out the house to absorb some of the odor. Smells a little like the inside of a pickle jar now though.

Decided to use a broom handle tomorrow to collect my pile of clothes off the deck, standing back as far out as my arms will stretch. Social distance rules for the far side. Pretty sure the clothes are going on the burn pile.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Oh joy lol. We had a skunk issue last night. My husband and son went out to look at somthing in his truck...my son had his dog out with him..of course Isabella saw the skunk and true to her nature got sprayed in the face all the while ny son trying to get her away..got sprayed lol..then hubs got near enough that they all smelled to high heaven!! Bad part of it all is it took place infront if the dryer vent..yup. the whole laundry room stunk and the dryer ..OMGoodness..had to run it several times with only a dryer sheet. Picture of Isabella..the sweet skunk attack instigator.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

happybleats said:


> Oh joy lol. We had a skunk issue last night. My husband and son went out to look at somthing in his truck...my son had his dog out with him..of course Isabella saw the skunk and true to her nature got sprayed in the face all the while ny son trying to get her away..got sprayed lol..then hubs got near enough that they all smelled to high heaven!! Bad part of it all is it took place infront if the dryer vent..yup. the whole laundry room stunk and the dryer ..OMGoodness..had to run it several times with only a dryer sheet. Picture of Isabella..the sweet skunk attack instigator.


Oh no! Cute trouble maker though.
I think the skunks know a cold front is coming, and they're out looking for the warmest place to shelter. I saw one in my front yard the other night when we were watering the goats luckily I just turned off the nozzle and shut the wooden gate and haven't seen or smelled him since.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

This is skunk breeding season in Ohio (and NC)! Amazingly enough, they are starting to look for mates and a good place to raise their kits.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Thankfully, underneath the back deck (think it was there) became a unfavorable place for raising kits. Ventured around to the back finally, peeked around all the corners, nooks and crannies. Found only a slight indentation where something laid down in a corner close to the foundation. Happy to report there were no trigger happy, stink producing creatures waiting for a defenseless victim anywhere. 

Made another discovery today, when you burn skunk scented garments, the aroma carries itself with the smoke.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Good news, once a skunk sprays its scent load- it takes a week to ten days for it to be able to fully spray again! So that skunk has its gun unloaded for a little while!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Dirt takes the smell off weirdly enough. Bury everything you can. 
You can't use tomato juice, it has to be whole fresh tomatoes, maybe fresh made juice, I've never tried it. I just smash tomatoes all over the dog, let it work for 20 minutes and then let him loose to roll. He'll come back filthy lol.
We used to have a lot of civit cats on the coast, I haven't seen 1 here yet. 
We do have egg stealing Gray squirrels though. Come to think of it, they steal everything lol.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

We actually had a mongoose in our goat pen. Destiny was about 4 months old and one night she just refused to sleep in her dog house. Even though it was middle winter. So in the middle of the night and growing tired of her incessant screaming, I go out and toss the dog house. Yes, Mr. Mongoose was curled up in there. It was tame so I thought it was some ones pet that either got out or escaped by accident.
Today, Mr. Goose lives under my house - in a natural burrow and he gets two raw eggs a day from me. He stays away from the goat and chicken pen and is living so happy. The vet says he is about 5 years old and has no major teeth. So I think some one grew tired of him and just released him. He is actually sweet though.


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## Boers4ever (Jun 28, 2020)

Tanya said:


> We actually had a mongoose in our goat pen. Destiny was about 4 months old and one night she just refused to sleep in her dog house. Even though it was middle winter. So in the middle of the night and growing tired of her incessant screaming, I go out and toss the dog house. Yes, Mr. Mongoose was curled up in there. It was tame so I thought it was some ones pet that either got out or escaped by accident.
> Today, Mr. Goose lives under my house - in a natural burrow and he gets two raw eggs a day from me. He stays away from the goat and chicken pen and is living so happy. The vet says he is about 5 years old and has no major teeth. So I think some one grew tired of him and just released him. He is actually sweet though.


Lol what a strange turn of events!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Do people put them against snakes in your country? Biting into venom sacks would destroy the teeth.


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## Boers4ever (Jun 28, 2020)

So we get skunks here quite frequently. Most of the time we let all the dogs out at night before bed and we’ll smell it. This is normally how it goes after that: 
Doberman wonders what the interesting smell is. Takes off into the night. We scream at him to come back. He’s gone for several minutes. When he comes back he either got sprayed, or got so close that he smells like he did but didn’t. 
This happened every couple weeks until he got sprayed directly in the face/mouth. He screamed so loud we though that something was attacking him! After that then this happens when we smell a skunk: 
Doberman runs outside. We all smell the skunk. Dog whimpers and tries to ram the door to come back in. We tell him “NO! Go do your business!” Dog very quickly does his thing and then curls up in a ball under the door to go back in. 
Guess it took a face spray to “Spray” some sense into him! Lol!!!


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

goathiker said:


> We do have egg stealing Gray squirrels though. Come to think of it, they steal everything lol.


Certainly seems that way sure enough. Around here it was tomatoes off the vines, only the ripe ones, they were picky. Funny as all get out watching one trying to carry a German Johnson up the 4x4 into the birdhouse (they steal those also) and constantly dropping it only to run back down to retrieve it, over and over again.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

@goathiker no. Its iligal to do that.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Yep, they run around and take one bite out of every apple, pear, plum, until they find the perfect one lol


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Tanya said:


> @goathiker no. Its iligal to do that.


Does this actually stop people? Desperate people do whatever they need to eat sometimes.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

About a week ago my son let his dog out about midnight. I was in bed, had to be up at 4am for work. I kept hearing him talking to her like she had been naughty which hardly ever happens. I get up and the smell hit me. 

Skunk.

She didn't get sprayed though, instead she had apparently wondered over to the road to inspect a dead Skunk and got the smell on her. It was awful, but not full strength thankfully. All I had was dish soap and baking soda, so he gave her a bath in that - big dog, little tub. Ugh.
I couldn't get the smell out of my nose, I kept smelling it in my jacket I wore to work and every little smell made me think skunk. Thankfully the house didn't smell very bad just a hint of it when I got home and I cleaned and Febreezed - bought the dog some deodorizer spray haha...


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

HoosierShadow said:


> All I had was dish soap and baking soda, so he gave her a bath in that - big dog, little tub. Ugh.
> I couldn't get the smell out of my nose, I kept smelling it[/QUO
> 
> The smell does linger, like it deposits itself onto whatever it comes into contact with. The odor takes up residence inside the nostrils or something strange like that.
> ...


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I went to the groc store last eve. (I go once a month or so). It's in a small town- but, still citified. Got out of the truck and walked towards the door- the smell hit me (or I hit it) like a brick wall! Skunk! right outside the groc. store- someone had hit one. None of the groc personel wanted to move it. Oh boy, that smell just hung in the air and in the store! I went to Walmart up the road, instead!


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Good choice to go somewhere else. You said it just right, that smell does hit like a brick wall. Turning around and going in the opposite direction seems to be intuitive. Have to give it to those skunk critters though, their defenses has the desired reaction in detouring a threat.

:imok:


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## KST Goat Farm (Jul 29, 2019)

We have had several skunk incidents here. The first one I remember was about 10 years ago. Mom bought 40 some chicks and we put 5them in our little chicken house. We thought it would be a good idea to bury hailscreen around the coop so that a skunk could not burrow under there. We found out a couple days later that we actually trapped the skunk under the coop. He chewed up through the wood floor and killed about 20 chicks. We trapped him in a skunk trap and carried him a down wind and my dad shot him. 

The next time about 3 years ago a skunk killed our new kittens and sprayed the side of out house about a foot from the front door. He also ripped all the feathers and alot of skin of of our mother hen. She lived and protected all 5 of her chicks. 

Last year we had 3 middle sized skunks in our chicken run. The little girls went down do do their chores at about 9 o'clock at night. They came back up and told everybody. We all grabbed flashlights and dad got his gun and we ran back down there. We carefully pushed them into a corner and dad killed all 3 in 2 shots. We buried them right there and then. Luckily they did not do any damage other than stink up the place.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Did not know skunk would go after chicken, am learning so much about how they behave from this post. The other day was my first close encounter with the striped odor creators. Sure, have driven by road kill and got an unpleasant whiff every once in a while that disappeared a little ways down the road.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

I’ve had to trap and kill an average of one a year knock wood this year I’ve been lucky. I use cat food in the traps and before I bait it. I hook a carabiner with a 40’ piece of paracord to the trap so I can drag it away from the house without getting sprayed. A well placed 22 shot usually takes care of it quickly. Then I let it sit for 24 hours and wear gloves get it out of the trap and bury it in a deep hole.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

GoofyGoat said:


> I've had to trap and kill an average of one a year knock wood this year I've been lucky. I use cat food in the traps and before I bait it. I hook a carabiner with a 40' piece of paracord to the trap so I can drag it away from the house without getting sprayed. A well placed 22 shot usually takes care of it quickly. Then I let it sit for 24 hours and wear gloves get it out of the trap and bury it in a deep hole.


You are very brave. Would have phoned a friend, or several, depending on getting turned down for skunk dispatch from some. Like the tip of using a length of cord to drag the trap with.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

NigerianNewbie said:


> You are very brave. Would have phoned a friend, or several, depending on getting turned down for skunk dispatch from some. Like the tip of using a length of cord to drag the trap with.


It works really well. Just hook it on the side away from the door. So far I've avoided any skunk perfume 
It's just my daughter and myself here so the unpleasant tasks fall on me. Sometimes though I really wish I had someone to call on.


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## Jazzy (Feb 12, 2021)

NigerianNewbie said:


> Am finally having morning coffee shortly before time to start getting ready for evening chores. Sat out lots of custard dishes full of white vinegar through out the house to absorb some of the odor. Smells a little like the inside of a pickle jar now though.
> 
> Decided to use a broom handle tomorrow to collect my pile of clothes off the deck, standing back as far out as my arms will stretch. Social distance rules for the far side. Pretty sure the clothes are going on the burn pile.


Activated charcoal absorbs smells helps kill off mold on windows, and once used it can be reheated in the oven and reused, do not throw it away! I have asthma so hate mold in the house, and have used it to get rid of the odd horrific blood smell spill in the fridge (when it gets in cracks or the drain), if you can be bothered you can even make activated coal saving paying stupid prices, especially if you have a rocket stove.
i cannot say for sure about skunks smell as I am from the UK and luckily we don't have skunks...thank the lord, but it has to be worth investigating.meantime I had a good laugh, so thanks for all the stories.The only skunk I know is the cartoon cat with a white paint strip and the skunk who falls in love with her.....LOL

Thehomesteadsurvivalsite gives real easy instructions you just need a bucket and a bbq and the wood in the bucket over the bbq


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Jazzy said:


> The only skunk I know is the cartoon cat with a white paint strip and the skunk who falls in love with her.....LOL


Are you referring to Pepe LaPew cartoons? Liked the cartoon consisting of the skunk cat as well. If the name of the cartoon is wrong, please tell me which one you're thinking of.


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## Jazzy (Feb 12, 2021)

NigerianNewbie said:


> Are you referring to Pepe LaPew cartoons? Liked the cartoon consisting of the skunk cat as well. If the name of the cartoon is wrong, please tell me which one you're thinking of.


Yes your right I saw it as a child and forgot the name.
Oh for the innocent days of Tom and jerry


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