friendly farm opossum makes rounds around coop

[Ursuline Chick]

Great job, hopefully he has no other way out!

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

the grand opossum in question has finally been apprehended! after waiting for the snow to stop this morning i marched out to the coop set on finding something in the traps, but while Mr. Snaggles wasn't in said devises, he did give me a clue with a fine set of tracks. i'd tread along his path out to the field and back around the smaller buildings seeing little indents where he had taken refuge from the inclement weather but soon found myself at a drainage culvert down the road a little still on the edge of my land with both tracks of him coming and going. ran back to the house to grab two of my smaller live traps plus a flashlight and with a little persuasion managed to stuff a trap in both ends of that drain tubing, setting them took a ridiculous amount of time and lots of cold fingers but was finally able to achieve the goal. he's in there i can see him and it's only a matter of time before that frozen bacon strip starts to his name

How do you plan to dispatch him once you trap him?

 

[Folly's place]

sphkma; My Canter thoroughbred mare is cute and charming, and ATA approved, and had one nice Trakehner filly.
The next year she was bred, and then developed Potomac horse fever, and recovered, but aborted an early fetus.
The following year, rebred, and developed EPM. Aborted again, treated with Marquis, and recovered. Ridable, even.
I decided that she didn't need to add to the gene pool, so never bred her again.
Two years later, another (probable) EPM episode, treated with the sulfa combo, and again she recovered, although I don't think she's safe to ride. One of my 'pasture pets'!!! She was nine in the photos, and is now twenty-one.
Neighbors have had horses die over this disease (and Potomac) so she's a survivor, and very sweet.
Mary

 

[sourhernoldie]

My chickens have lived around raccoons and possum all there lives and I try to keep my pen safe for my babies. I keep thinking as a human bring I am suppose to be smarter then the animals we are placed in charge of LOL. There are time when they truly try my last nerve and I wonder; am I smarter????
The chickens are free range and have to be locked up around 4:30 at this time of year because that is about the time the critters come to life and if I forget there could be a lot of crying in my home.

 

[GemmaA]

First reason the opossum should be destroyed is because they are not a native species of North America.

I know I'm late to the party but this caught my eye. Opossums were not brought over from europe and are endemic. Opossums came to North America from South America during the Geat American Interchange, which happened millions of years ago. Opossums have been in the Americas long before humans!

 

[ChicKat]

First reason the opossum should be destroyed is because they are not a native species of North America. They were brought over from Europe. .......
They are the most nasty foulest smelling worthless fur bearing animal in the world. I dont like opossums.

From some research it looks like the opposite, if any are in Europe, they came from here.

I know I'm late to the party but this caught my eye. Opossums were not brought over from europe and are endemic. Opossums came to North America from South America during the Geat American Interchange, which happened millions of years ago. Opossums have been in the Americas long before humans!

You beat me to it....

Found this when I looked out this morning...they are so ugly they are cute...etc. They look like space aliens.

The trap wasn't even baited, and this or one like it has been circling the foundation of my house for about a year now, and every now and then, every here and there leaving a poop-calling-card. I was wondering what kind of poop it was.

I hate shooting them in the trap, because I have a .357 magnum pistol and it inevitably blows a hole in the bottom of the trap...ETA - I just checked the bottom of the bigger trap, and there aren't actually holes, where the bullet hits the bottom wire, it bends the trap. Thought I saw holes...:O( This trap is a bit flimsy compared to the old one. They always find ways to make things cheaper and less durable to increase profits.

So I guess I could call a pest control company, or try to drown it. I've never drowned an animal before. I have 25-gallon molasses tubs used for cattle feed, but don't think that they are deep enough. I guess I could use the giant recycle bin made of plastic.

Wish it would have just kept to the woods...
Luckily no chickens harmed -

and I even forgot to close one of the doors last night.

Or maybe it's been after the mouse population out there...and has been keeping the mice and snakes down, and I should just release it.

 

[Folly's place]

Get a 22g; works great, and you can shoot between the bars of the trap right into the head. Blowing the trap up is counterproductive...
Your 'cute' opossum will be happy to have a chicken dinner, with eggs added.
Any neighbors with horses will also thank you.
Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

Get a 22g; works great, and you can shoot between the bars of the trap right into the head. Blowing the trap up is counterproductive...
Your 'cute' opossum will be happy to have a chicken dinner, with eggs added.
Any neighbors with horses will also thank you.
Mary

Agreed. I've used .22 to dispatch a coon and a ground hog in a live trap. Works well, is instant.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Interesting thread. Last Sunday evening (it was dark) I came home to my nearly 7 year old Silkie rooster lying in the snow by the driveway! Needless to say I was quite shocked and upset. Picked him up and he was still alive (relief!) and ran him into my house. He was shivering and a bit wet from the snow but I didn't see any major wounds and thought it best to just leave him alone and let him warm up and de-stress.

So, the big question was, why on Earth would he be lying in 4 inches of snow?! He's always made it back to the barn before nightfall. We had a heatwave here and all of the snow melted and revealed in several spots in the back yard (he was found in the front yard) clumps of white feathers. That night an opossum got into our garbage outside. So, I'm thinking, did that opossum try to capture and eat my sweet old rooster earlier?! I can only hazard a guess that that was exactly what happened and am super thankful my rooster is still here!

 

[Cryss]

Interesting thread. Last Sunday evening (it was dark) I came home to my nearly 7 year old Silkie rooster lying in the snow by the driveway! Needless to say I was quite shocked and upset. Picked him up and he was still alive (relief!) and ran him into my house. He was shivering and a bit wet from the snow but I didn't see any major wounds and thought it best to just leave him alone and let him warm up and de-stress.

So, the big question was, why on Earth would he be lying in 4 inches of snow?! He's always made it back to the barn before nightfall. We had a heatwave here and all of the snow melted and revealed in several spots in the back yard (he was found in the front yard) clumps of white feathers. That night an opossum got into our garbage outside. So, I'm thinking, did that opossum try to capture and eat my sweet old rooster earlier?! I can only hazard a guess that that was exactly what happened and am super thankful my rooster is still here!

Oh my goodness!! I'm so glad to hear you found him alive! I hope he is doing well and has a full recovery, poor little dear.