Dealing with Opossums and chickens

[Ursuline Chick]

I showed my 3 year old niece the possum.. and shockingly, she drew this later that night.

View attachment 3023194
*Face blotted out for privacy

I see she drew a male possum. And did a really good job of it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe some small critter got in your trap and ate the bait. Like a rat. Or ... a snake, or a mink. Something that fit through the bars. Tripped the trigger but got out the way it got in.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Your neice, at age 3, is a pretty good little artist.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Overdose him.

If it was an extremely large possum or other large animal, the closure gate may have left room for the animal to hold the door open with it's tail or back end and been able to squeeze out. Try hanging the food container from the top of the trap on the inside. And only open the container part way, so the animal will have to move more of it's body into the trap to eat the food. Make sure the food is as far back in the trap as possible. GoodLuck

 

[cassie]

If your chicken pen is so insecure that a possum can get in, you have a big problem. It is easy to keep out possums and skunks. If either one of those can get in, a raccoon certainly can and a raccoon can wipe out the whole flock in one night. Ask my neighbor.

 

[HollyBerrie]

Opossum and Possum are two different animals:

 

[AGeese]

It's just "Possum" in these here parts.

 

[All4Eggz]

I see she drew a male possum.

 

[All4Eggz]

If your chicken pen is so insecure that a possum can get in, you have a big problem. It is easy to keep out possums and skunks. If either one of those can get in, a raccoon certainly can and a raccoon can wipe out the whole flock in one night. Ask my neighbor.

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Again, my coop was NOT YET CLOSED for the night, therefore an opossum could’ve just walked right in. When my coop is closed, nothing would be able to get in.

My original question was how to deter possums.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

original question was how to deter possums.

The best way I know, Ben, is don't attract them. So ... don't have food scraps of any kind anywhere near your coop or run. This may mean not tossing your kitchen food scraps out to your birds, or at least no more than you know they will clean up, and raking up what they leave before dusk. Have a compost heap? Locate it as far from your birds as possible. Got trash? We keep ours locked in a cinder block well house. Gather eggs a couple times a day. Keep your chicken feeders locked up in a safe place at night and bags of feed also locked up. Again, ours is in the well house. Don't feed your cats or dogs outside and pick up what they don't eat. Opossums are omnivores and are opportunistic feeders. Don't give them an opportunity, and they will go hunting elsewhere. Good luck!