Big ole' male possum..

[cackle]

Quote:
They eat more than baby chicks. I had one kill 2 full grown silkies last week. My husband dispatched him. We are going to set live traps because I have seen signs of others around. But we will not relocate them like said above they will come back looking for that easy meal.

 

[Boyd]

trapping and relocating is illegal in most states.

Just trap it, and poke the barrel of a .22 between the wire. Pop it and walk away. Let the less kindhearted remove him from the trap. Otherwise that 1 male possup will breed hundreds of babies all hungry for poultry.

 

[Ducklove334]

I'm not only worried about the birds, I'm worried about the litter of kittens I most likely have coming the next few days, one of my cats I've had since SHE was born, is showing signs of either having been lactating or is getting milk in..I've heard of possums killing the mother cats then eating the babies..

we probly will kill him, thats what MIL is talking about.

what would hapen if we threw him at our pit mix...hmmmm, he would love to tear the crap outta something, he was going crazy last night.

ETA: we've also had something coming into the coop, but it has to be at some point during the day, and stealing eggs while the broodies are off the nests, it's not any of the other chickens, because we got rid of the only egg eaters we had, plus there are no tell tale shells laying around of am egg eater, the eggs just disapear, we had a big rat around here last month but I think the cats took care of him.

MIL thinks we have a weasel around, what are signs of those?

 

[Boyd]

missing eggs? I'd start looking for snakes.

I've got a boxer/pit mix, I wouldn't have him toe the line to a possum or a racoon. You've basically got a domesticated dog going against the scrappiest of the street fighters out there. Size and power of your dog may win in the end, but the cost is too high me thinks.......

PS, a 30lb racoon can kill a much larger dog easily, a possum is almost that mean.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
May I make a suggestion? Perhaps you should invest in some good quality electric fencing to guard your perimeters. Unlike those of us who are "urban chicken people," you are in a unique position. It sounds like you have a nicely established buffet going out there, and the local critters have caught on.

Something to seriously deter the wild things is needed. One of the very best, non-lethal ones is an electric fence. It sends the message, in no uncertain terms, to STAY AWAY.

Nevertheless, a set of traps and a battery of the right guns ought to be high on your tool list, long about now. These things have always been part of the country living repetoire for some very good reasons. People have gotten the notion they could change this in recent times. But the reasons still exist, no matter what we think.

In reading your comments, I get the feeling that you haven't been in your present location for long. If that is so, or you have recently expanded your chicken efforts out there in Critter Central, you have to face up to the next step:

You must now take charge and teach/show the wild creatures that they must avoid your place.

This isn't work for the squemish or light hearted; you must harden yourself to it. This often becomes killing work for those beasts that are previously accustomed to coming and going as they please, and that is never wholly pleasant.

So, if I may, this gets bigger than a few wayward critters showing up in the chicken coop. In fact, I'll bet they are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the electric fence and other tools mentioned, may I make another suggestion?
You would be wise to accept that your "hobby farming" days are coming to an end: you owe it to those creatures you steward and your family, that you protect them from harm. And once you start, you cannot let up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, what steals eggs from nests and leaves the chickens unharmed? Snakes come to mind, and they dont go far so can often be readily found. Dogs are notorious egg stealers, depending on if they have access to the nests. Weasels? Perhaps. They could manage it.
Back to traps and vigilance

 

[Boyd]

 

[wanda047]

Davaroo,
Great posting! Thanks for putting into words what many of us wanted to say. I don't like taking a life of anything, but will and do to protect what I am responsible for. I don't raise chickens to feed the wildlife. I raise them to provide food for my family.

I've had kittens snatched right out of my backyard by foxes and coyotes in the past. It's heartbreaking. The coyotes are so brazen they'll show up in broad daylight. I do not allow my chickens to free range for this very reason. At night, they are locked up tight.

Coons and possum are a major threat in this area and when they need to be dealt with, I deal with them. I have a boxer/bull dog mix and he's wonderful in keeping the wildlife away most of the time, but I've also seen him run with his tail tucked with the coyotes start howling.

While I have two neighbors who have lost their whole flocks to wild critters... I have yet to lose one bird (yet). Not bragging, just stating the fact. I just take extra precautions and keep my gun handy at all times.

 

[Polish Chickens]

It is better to kill him

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Kill it. I just lost a silkie hen and a brown leghorn hen to either a possum or a raccoon. I put up an electric fence yesterday and....voila...no chicken deaths last night.

We put boards around the bottom and bury the fence...they still dig under. Staples all the wire good and tight...they pull it out and get in...

I agree with Davaroo...when you have chickens that you put in the coop for safety, you must be willing and able to dispatch ANYTHING that tries to destroy them.

I wish the electric fence I got would kill them instead of just shock them and run them off. But I think that would take 240 volts

 

[Ducklove334]

I agree with what you all have said, I wish NO harm to the birds, those babies in that chick room, I'm as good as the most protective momma hen, they're "my" babies, and just as if I were momma, they come to me, most of them even sit on my lap, Templeton and Elliot, are the first two ducklings I've EVER had crawl into my lap for pets, if anything happened to them,I'd go off the deep end.

we have THREE outdoor dogs, two of wich, if they could, WOULD get in the chicken coop and kill every single bird there, one who IS a chicken killer, but they're all tied. they do a good job of keeping the foxes away, the foxes come no closer than the barn at the end of the field,coyotes no farther than the nieghbors field, I've yet to see a coon come anywhere near the house, last night was the second time i'd ever seen a possum here.

we're going to get a trap tomorrow and set it, in hopes of catching him, then it's up to my mother in law what happens to the possum.

me, no I havn't been in THIS house for but a year and a half, but I know how country living works, lived in the country for years when I was younger, and then even in the city, I spent more time in a section of woods, than at my house.