AH! POSSUM!

[TheOLDNewChick]

Well. I got home from church tonight & went out to the brooder to check on the babies, and I turn on the light, sitting across from the brooder, talking to them, when I happen to see this set of eyes and this ball of fuzz on the outside/backside of the cage that doesn't belong. It takes me a minute to realize it's there, and even longer to realize what it is. I started screaming at it, pushing it against the wall, poking it & beating on it with a stick. It made terrible noises, and it was a young'n too. I feel really terrible I hurt it, but he wasn't about to try to make a snack out of my babies. So what in the world can I do to keep these things away?!

 

[BirdBrain]

A .22 pellet gun comes to mind.....but that is probably not what you were thinking.:|

 

[bayouchica]

If ya can get a soft trap & bait it with some chic feed or cat food or an egg. You may want to cover the trap so the stinker won't steal the food thru the wire. You can either kill the possum or relocate it far away from your place.I usually relocate them myself, there's nothing but farmland where I'm at.
Possums will not stop... we have them bad here,too.but I have a dog that will tear one apart if given the chance.

Good luck, next you know you'll have coons as well

Just make sure your babies are secure at night.
You might want to invest in a baby monitor so you can hear what's happening at night in the coop, just a thought.There's a few folks here that have them.
Miriam

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

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Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but I wasn't risking leaving them to run back inside the house.

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

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I've been waiting on the possums, and the coons, I'm just suprised there haven't been more. Ah, baby monitor.. Good idea. And I'll ask my dad where his traps are. Thanks! :]

 

[silkiechicken]

Sadily, possums are so slow and dumb from my expereince that I have been able to catch really young ones by the tail. Then the adults, wow, I've had the bset luck catching them by just setting the havaheart against the fence and it walks right in without bait! A 1000fps bb rifle is what I use. Be sure to get it right behdind the head, they have very small brains.

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

My first instinct was to grab it by the tail and throw it in an old rabbit carrier I have, and take it somewhere way away, or just kill it. But he looked kinda angry, wasn't sure I felt like getting bitten. Thanks for the information on where to shoot them, very helpful. :]

 

[Buckguy20]

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They go great with sweet potatoes or even regular potatoes.-------- Thats why when I kill them I bury them in the garden.