Dealing with Opossums and chickens

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

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.

Good point

 

[Ursuline Chick]

@BigBlueHen53 these are great ideas. However some of us live in the city and cannot control who leaves cat or dog food out at night. Some neighbors leave food out to attract the possums and raccoons, which also attract coyotes in my neighborhood, as we are walking distance to a 1200 acre park. So owls, eagles, you name, I live in the country when it comes to animals, but with city laws. It means protecting my hens takes some innovative thinking.

 

[cassie]

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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.

If a possum could have walked in, so could have a raccoon. Since both raccoons and possums are largely nocturnal, the only thing I can suggest is shutting the coop earlier. Consider the possum to be the canary in the coal mine. It is a warning to bump up security. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[Julz555]

Its either him or your birds, You choose

Not true. You don't just have to kill an an innocent animal if You can safely pen your chickens!

 

[Julz555]

Not true. You don't just have to kill an an innocent animal if You can safely pen your chickens!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

But ... if you leave your chicken coop door OPEN, you still need to find a way to keep the varmints away.

So, @All4Eggz , how's the 'possum-repelling going?

 

[All4Eggz]

But ... if you leave your chicken coop door OPEN, you still need to find a way to keep the varmints away.

So, @All4Eggz , how's the 'possum-repelling going?

Seems as though he has not returned, from what I can tell. We set up the trap a few nights in a row and caught nothing.

He might be gone for good .

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Seems as though he has not returned, from what I can tell. We set up the trap a few nights in a row and caught nothing.

He might be gone for good .

Sometimes you will not see another one for a few weeks they are territorial. So now you have opened a spot for a possum or raccoon to move in.
Try putting the trap out for a few nights in a couple of weeks. Good luck

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What did you use for bait? We caught a raccoon once (years ago). I think we used tuna. Since that was successful, we set the trap again using the same bait. That night we caught a skunk! I have heard that raccoons like marshmallows but skunks do not. I do not know whether this is true. I have no idea what opossums like, specifically. I do know that long ago when I first moved here, the family used to keep their trash on the back porch and one exciting night there was both a raccoon AND an opossum tearing into it. We don't keep trash there any more.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

We use plate scrapes leftover from dinner.