Dealing with Opossums and chickens

[All4Eggz]

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.

I used a can of tuna fish.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I used a can of tuna fish.

Well, if you catch a skunk, disguise yourself by holding a blanket in front of yourself so it can't see you. What you do beyond that is your call!

 

[Ascholten]

Possums like meat, rotten works too.
Coons are more towards meat, but very smart, hard to trap them.
skunks, trash food in general, meat, same for cats.

Aaron

 

[ColtHandorf]

My opossums must be very well-behaved. Occasionally they get into the barn before I lock everything up for the night. I've seen them sitting between chickens at the feeder eating with them before. I just scoop the hens up and put them on the roost and then walk the little guy or gal into an open trap and close the door. Then I can pick them up and take them somewhere else. The only time I've ever had an "issue" was when some young cockerels were being dumb and didn't go to bed on the roost. They decided to camp out on the ground outside the barn. An exceptionally large opossum must have come around the corner and ran into them. It killed one and was dragging it off when I saw it. It was honestly one less bird I had to worry about getting rid of so I wasn't that upset about it. He was poorly marked as well. Call it natural selection.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

You have been lucky! And I am glad for you. However after describing the large possum with the cockerel appetizer, I would be way more careful in the future. The possums know where the chicken dinners are served now.

 

[ColtHandorf]

You have been lucky! And I am glad for you. However after describing the large possum with the cockerel appetizer, I would be way more careful in the future. The possums know where the chicken dinners are served now.

That was like two years ago, and I haven't had an issue since then. I've had them in the barn, but they are content to eat chicken food because they don't have to climb up to get to the birds roosting. The last one I saw got trapped in a food can. It was a little bitty thing and it had been days. I let it eat its fill of cat/dog/chicken food and drink some water before I let it go.