Do possoms kill chickens!

[chickenjones]

YES We had a possum get in our CLOSED coop at night and kill our four pullets. Bit all the heads off first and then started eating one. He did not walk away. He just sat there as my husband opened the door. We were new to chicken keeping and you can bet we re checked and revamped and made darn sure they next batch were safe. We have had problems with dogs (as you may have seen on other posts) but not with possums since then. Now when we were out of town our friend was taking care of the chickens and he happened to come over to close the coop. This was after we had some new chickens. It was dusk and the chickens were in the coop on the top roost being very silent. There was a huge possum on the ground eating their feed. Well our friend made use of the nearest shovel as well. Worked great. Last one we have seen (in our yard anyway). DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE them!

 

[A1 Steak Sauce]

Ok, little_grey_bantam, kindly give me your address so my friends and I can release all our chicken killers on your land so you can deal with them; that is exactly what you just suggested doing to someone else. If you don't want things eating your chickens, why the heck do you think someone else would want your predators and theirs too? I don't mean to sound snippy but I've dealt with a lot of that crap before, more than you can imagine.

Answer to the original question: YES! They will kill chickens, shoot him before he does and please don't make it someone else's problem by releasing him elsewhere.

 

[jjthink]

The only way to solve a pred problem long term is to have a secure coop. Killing every potential pred that comes along is a never ending task because every time a habitat niche is created by the extermination of a pred, it will absolutely be filled by another (wildlife management background here) and then the chicken keeper is right back where they started. I am certain I have a pred proof coop (unless bear decide to inhabit this area) and so I rest easy at night and never have to contend with nocturnal preds. It is sooooooo much easier this way.

JJ

 

[Ridgerunner]

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I agree with this. I don't 100% trust my run but once I lock the chickens up at night, I am confident they will be there the next morning. However I believe predator density matters. The heavier the predator density, the more likely one will locate a food source on your property. Once a specific predator locates a food source, they will return. I believe you are better off removing predators from your property if you see evidence of one. Removing a predator does not make your chickens safe, but it does make them safer.

Let me give you an example. Last summer a raccoon was eating my blackberries as fast as they ripened. After I removed that specific raccoon, I got the rest of the blackberies. There are other raccoons in the area, obviously, but none located that specific food source.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

Went out to feed/water my chickens last night and there in one of the nests was a Possum!! I had no eggs left but all my chickens were alive! Called the neighbor and he brought his pistol over and shot him and then took him home for his cats to eat!
My run door is not shutting properly because of the ice/snow built up and I had the chickens out in the run so the pop door was open, I opened that about 6:30am yesterday so I don't know how long he'd been in there with them but could have been all day!
I got lucky, he was very healthy looking so he wasn't ready for a chicken dinner thankfully for me!!

 

[LALADY1101]

YEP!! Although I haven't had a problem, my neighbor has lost a few to opossoms. He has killed 8 of them in the last month or so. A couple of weeks ago, he walked out to the coop and a oppossom was IN the coop waiting for the girls to get there.

 

[matthewschickens]

Yes!

 

[bigstack]

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WRONG!!!! I used to hunt possom and coon. Don't let them fool you! They are as fast as any other Predator! Just because they don't dispence energy unnecessarily don't be fooled. They also have a mouth full of needle sharp teeth! Aswella s carrying alot of disease as most predator/scavangers do! Because they eat mostly trash and roadkill! They are animals of opertunity! Chickens all neat and stuck in a cage, seems like a good oppertunity to me!

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[12GAGirl]

I don't want to be a butt. BUT you thinking wild animals KNOW better than to eat your chickens is not a safe way of thinking for your flock. Wild animals will get a meal anyway and everyway they possibly can and your flock would be such an easy food source for them. I am not all about killing wild life but before I let them feast on my chickens or any of my animals I would most certainly take care of the problem before it happened. Wild animals only KNOW they have to eat, drink, sleep, and mate.
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