Possum?

[Mskatu]

Bif sounded the alarm tonight. After a quick looky-loo, I found one possum in the nesting box and another in the run.....the flashlight on my cell phone stunned them....boarded up the nesting box so that one couldn't escape...boarded off the main entrance so the other wouldn't come in.....frightened it into the canopy part of the run where Bif was.....didn't see Sirius (yah, he's black)...the poor thing should never have come into the coop....Sirius didn't kill it, but it sure took a long time to move....the other one I managed to scoop out of the nesting box with a pooper scooper....it ran after it hit the ground and just barely escaped Sirius.....Bif was not easily cajoled back into the main coop after the boards were dismantled....but all is quiet now. I should have checked for eggs before supper. (only lost one egg).


The coop has been predator free for almost a year........now I am worried.....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you build it, they will come. Predator proof for a long time doesn't mean much. We raised chickens here since the 1870s and never had a mink attack in 9 coops and hen houses. Last summer mink killed every chicken in 6 buildings.

There can't be a hole anywhere in the coop as large as 1". Shoot for 1/2" or smaller. If you don't close the coop at night, then the same holds true for the run. That means hardware cloth over every opening.

 

[Mskatu]

Thank you. I was lucky my dog was there.......have a great deal to consider and do this weekend, but I know what I can do. Thank you!