friendly farm opossum makes rounds around coop

[lazy gardener]

Agreed, a possum hanging around is not a good thing. If it was my yard, I'd be doing some target practice. If he can get in your coop, he will sidle up to a chicken on the roost at night, and he will eat her as she sets on the roost. They are agile climbers, and can fit through amazingly small places.

 

[Cryss]

1/2 inch hardware cloth wrapping my run, no gaps. They will climb so cover the top if you can. And really important, lay a 2 foot wide apron aroun the whole thing. I have my coop inside my run. I have an apron around the run but also one around the coop JUST IN CASE a critter makes its way inside the run! You could bury the hardware cloth down 2 feet standing uprite. Possum, fox, raccoons, all will dig under fences and coops but will give up if the mesh stops them.

 

[drewskimac]

First reason the opossum should be destroyed is because they are not a native species of North America. They were brought over from Europe. Other than vehicles I don't know of any predator that eats them. They have such repulsive stink on them that of caught in a leg hold trap, unless the trap is reboiled nothing will get close to it except another opossum. Thirdly not only do you enjoy your tazty chickens, they destroy game bird nests.

They are the most nasty foulest smelling worthless fur bearing animal in the world. I dont like opossums.

I don't think it's accurate to refer to them as worthless. In fact, they are very beneficial to the ecosystem. If you do some basic research on the opossum, you will learn a lot about them and have a better respect for them. Here are a few main things that I find very interesting as well as beneficial:

- Opossums are immune to snake venom, and love to eat snakes - including venomous ones.
- Opossums also eat lots of vermin and insects, thus reducing the prevalence of those critters around my house.
- Opossums will also scavenge and eat dead animals.
- They also make fun pets, speaking from experience. Although they look and smell mean, they are quite docile and if you approach them slowly and pick them up, it doesn't take them long to curl their tail around your arm and simply sit there like a cat.

With all of that being said, they will eat your chickens under the right circumstances. It has never happened to me, but they have stolen many of my eggs. So, as other posters have said, it would be best to predator-proof your enclosure to protect your birds. They need to eat like any other creature, and that may mean that your chickens look like food to them. I personally try not to kill them because I know how beneficial they are to the environment, but returning guests begin to turn into targets.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Mr. Snaggles is hungry, not friendly. Possums have a legitimate place in nature, but not around chickens you want to preserve.

x2. Exactly. They done their major damage to many a chicken.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Never relocate. Aside from usually being illegal, it's also cruel to the animal to drop it off where it isn't familiar with food, water, shelter, or being in another animals territory.

I had to look up if opossum were native to north America. Turns out there is one called the Virginia opossum that is native and the only marsupial species native to N. America.

If it weren't for having chickens, I would consider them garden friend because of eating bugs, mice, and rats. My dogs caught one once and I thought they had killed it before I was able to stop them. Then I realized it might be playing possum and returned to check it. Sure enough, it was breathing. That was before I had chickens here. So I just left it alone and yep it was gone several hours later.

With lots of research though, I knew what I had to do for my coop to beef it up. I know it's a possibility... but I don't really worry about break ins and we have way more raccoon than possum, at least that I'm aware of. My dogs aren't LGD, but they still patrol and let me know when they hear something going on so I can respond. So it's layers of security.

Also, possum DO have natural predators. This is a copy and paste..

"The opossum has a number of natural predators in it's environment although the main predators of the opossum are birds of prey such as owls and eagles, dogs, foxes and cats. Humans are one of the main predators of the opossum as they hunt them for meat but the opossum is also commonly killed on the roads by cars."

I still agree with everyone who says dispatch that possum and don't give it the opportunity to eat or maim your chickens.

Nice catch and good luck!

 

[Bonniebooboo]

opossum, are scavengers as well as hunters. They do have their place in the ecosystem. they are part of the clean up crew on dead things. However they will kill your chickens, I am very aware of that. personally seen this more than once. They are out at dark or just before, have caught them in the chicken pen as early as 3:30 pm and right at lock up time at dusk. I don't go out hunting opossum, but they don't live long when in my yard, either by me or my dogs. I have never seen a opossum afraid of any of my cats, have never seen a cat mess with one, maybe a wild bobcat will, but have never observed that. They look for the easiest way to get in or reach through the wire if a chicken is setting to close to it, have seen them pull on that cheap chicken wire, but never dig to get in. Coons are much more apt to try many routes to get in, checking and testing everything.
Wish you the best.

 

[Cryss]

Remember, chicken wire is meant to keep chickens in, not keep predators out. Raccoons and probably possums can rip chicken wire like tissue. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth wherever a critter can reach through with a paw and grab a chicken. I use it up to 4 feet high on my run. The rest is 1inch by 2 inch wire or smaller. Critters climb and squeeze through anything smaller.
*(EDIT: Oops! I meant anything bigger!)*

 

[Zoomie]

I sympathize. Possums can be very cute, and yes, they are native to North America. I kept a young female as a pet for a while and she did not smell bad at all, she was super easy to train to a litter box and was generally a very pleasant animal. Not very bright, mind you, but quiet and easily cared for and quite clean.

But you know what, they DO kill chickens. That's how they are.

My suggestion is, better the devil you know than the one you don't. If your coop is in the range of this particular possum and so far it's been OK, simply make sure your coop and run are super, duper tight. If you kill this one, another one will move in to the territory, although possums don't seem to mind sharing at least a little... still, there are way more out there. Sounds like this one is young; full grown possums are fairly big animals. You at least have the parents out there too as well as any siblings. Maybe the presence of this one will keep down the competition.

 

[Doc McCluckins]

I would ensure that your coop is predator proof. An opossum is a threat to chickens but if he can get in, it is very likely raccoons, weasels, foxes and other predators can as well and they won't make their presence know before cleaning house (literally).

First reason the opossum should be destroyed is because they are not a native species of North America. They were brought over from Europe. Other than vehicles I don't know of any predator that eats them. They have such repulsive stink on them that of caught in a leg hold trap, unless the trap is reboiled nothing will get close to it except another opossum. Thirdly not only do you enjoy your tazty chickens, they destroy game bird nests.

They are the most nasty foulest smelling worthless fur bearing animal in the world. I dont like opossums.

Opossums are very important to the ecosystem. I've never known them to smell particularly bad unless they are dead and rotting or have just eaten something that was. They will eat chickens but in my experience they are more likely to suck eggs when available. I am notorious for not collecting my eggs so this has happened to me several times, never lost a chicken to an opossum but I know they will eat them. Opossums are my favorite misunderstood critter. I have rehabilitated two in the past. Very curious critters.

That is apparent, but they actually have a very beneficial aspect. They are major consumers of ticks and help to hold down the spread of Lyme disease. They also eat grubs, mice and other problem critters.
Opposums- Killers of ticks

They are great little creatures, not welcome in the coop, but very important!

I love these little overgrown rats. They are so ugly they are cute to me. I've been fortunate to work with my vet and rehabilitate some in the past. They are such unique animals. I don't welcome them in my chicken coops, for obvious reasons, or in my horse barns as they can carry a disease transmittable to horses, but they are very important. They are often misunderstood.

 

[theoldchick]

Listen to the growling!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...-noises.html&usg=AOvVaw3Vwjl7169vH1dWGadvXeh7