I have been aware of something getting into the egg coop, where the peacocks presently reside, and eating the old eggs that the hen abandoned. When eggs get broken and eaten, it is normally a skunk. Other animals tend to kill the birds. A skunk is generally not dangerous directly, and some may likely question where this story is going, so let me explain.
Sure, I don’t know for sure if the skunk would ever go for the birds, or for their recently hatched chicks. I have never seen one do it. A skunk might. But probably not.
But there is one thing a skunk will do, and that is burrow in night after night looking for food. And that is the problem. The skunk is finding every weakness in the fence, and exploiting it, then leaving it exposed all night for any other hapless predator who comes along, and makes it easier for them. A Mink or a Raccoon will happily kill away at the birds. A Raccoon will at least eat them, but a Mink will do it just for the pleasure of killing. No other reason!
And even if not the case, besides, those eggs are mine! They do not belong to the skunk. It is on my territory. I would not eat the peacock eggs, but when those run out, the next place to find its way into is the chicken coop, where our family eggs are laid. I have to protect those, too.
I am not specialized in catching and releasing live skunks, so I do it the sensible way, and kill any I find in the coop. If you have never dealt with the scent directly, then you may be amazed at how well a skunk can protect itself. It is enough to make a person sick.
So, I went out to the coop last night before bed, pellet rifle in hand, and who do you suppose was wandering around in the coop just as plain as day? I got to clean up that guy this morning. I also got to patch the holes he made to get into the coop. My daughter helped me bag the body, and put it in the bins out for the garbage man to collect, luckily only about two hours later!
I am not happy about doing any of this. I don’t like it. I have had to do it enough times to become a bit indifferent to the act, but I still don’t like the result. I have petted a scented skunk before, and they are lovely little animals, really. It seemed to me like it was kind of half cat, half squirrel. They are curious animals, and are just looking out for themselves as they check things out, and explore what is around them.
Today was a gloomy kind of day. Normally I would mean that it was the kind of day where I was depressed or down in the dumps for whatever reason, but today was literally gloomy. There was so much smoke in the air, and the light coming in the windows of the house was a bit orange. I have seen far worse in California itself, but it brought back the memories. The West just keeps burning, and the latest fires, which probably produced today’s smoke, have nearly burned down the town my mom was born in, which then puts her into my mind, and next thing you know, the literal gloom becomes metaphorical. Who needs that?
I am a bit mad about today also because it was the coolest day in weeks this summer, and I was feeling like I had been repeatedly hit by a madman in a small car. It felt wasted as I did not get done all I wanted to do.
Well, that is how the cookie crumbles.