Opossums

[Imp]

I haven't had any problem with the possums going after the chickens or eggs, but the one that lives next door to the coop,(under the garden shed) likes Layena.
They can fit through some tiny openings, surprisingly tiny.
And they will come out during the day. It's not even that rare.
Last summer I was trying to catch raccoons, no luck with that, but caught 2 different possums multiple times, so in my experience they do not get trap savvy. Caught them on different bait, marshmallows, sardines, tuna and peanut butter.

Good luck,

Imp

 

[jclarke531]

I caught my first opossum this morning....now I have to be off to retrieve my pistol. We lost our drake Pekin (head was ripped off and a hold dug in his chest). I was told that it is possibly one of three critters; skunk, raccoon, or opossum. I am hoping that it is this opossum. The sad thing is that I know this isn't the only one.

 

[Folly's place]

You must have a predator proof coop for the birds at night! Finding dead or dying torn apart birds in the morning is very ugly and will continue until they are all safely tucked in every night. I do live trap predators who try my coop and run security, and the 22 takes care of them every time! I also have no feed left out, which really cuts down on unwanted visitors. Mary

 

[jclarke531]

I do have a safe place for them at night. They have tried to even dig under it...no success. So, I am happy about that.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If there is a nook or cranny in your coop or run where a possum can sleep the day away, a weaned baby possum can crawl through a small opening, hide in your coop or run, then grow up eating nothing but chicken feed and poo-poo. Opossums grow incredibly fast, with an amazingly short natural lifespan, and before long your chickens' resident possum graduates to eating chickens.

I haven't had any problem with the possums going after the chickens or eggs, but the one that lives next door to the coop,(under the garden shed) likes Layena. They can fit through some tiny openings......

 

[123RedBeard]

Just wack it on the head with a baseball bat or shovel HARD, don't need a gun for a possum!

 

[CrunchyMeatEatr]

Just wack it on the head with a baseball bat or shovel HARD, don't need a gun for a possum!

It might take a couple swings, opossum are hard headed and don't die from blunt force easily! I've lost quite a few chickens this year an have managed to trap 11 opossum 5 raccoons and a neighbors cat in the last two months. Tuna, sardines, canned chicken an dog food all work well for bait. If you have a smart raccoon you may have to disguise the trap.

 

[CrowHollowFarm]

I have had much more problem with skunks than all other pest combined. One skunk ate all my eggs and killed 3 young birds in two nights before I realized what it was. And once they get the taste they are unstoppable without eliminating them.

 

[Shannon bo]

Possums are not predators  but opportunists.  If they are able to trap a hen or get her while asleep they may do damage.  More likely they will go for eggs.  My only loss to a possum was a hen duck sitting on eggs.   Some people consider possum a delicacy--maybe you can find someone willing to butcher it.

I found an eviscerated hen inside my coop today, I know I have rats but I don't know if rats would do that? Could I have a possum issue?

 

[Folly's place]

If your coop isn't predator proof, it could be any critter who likes chicken. Make the coop totally safe, and set live traps around it, and shoot anything that you trap, unless it's the neighbor's cat or something. Rats are unlikely to kill an adult hen and are nearly impossible to trap. It could have been an opossum, but it's hard to be sure. Mary