How to get rid of a possum?

[gawildlife]

I am having a hard time trying to find out how a possum is getting into my chicken coop. I have walked the perimeter and cannot see any place were the possum is getting in. I am finding broken eggs in the nesting boxes. I have found several eggs on the ground unharmed, but recently found one outside the coop broken. I have mostly large breed chicken, but do have a few smaller cochin and quail mixed breeds that I worry about.

My sister in law has caught a possum and killed it. However that didn't solve the problem. I don't feel like live trapping will solve the problem either because there are obviously more of the buggers around the area.

Please help.

I'm thinking rats on this but grinners can squeeze into the smallest places. I guess that why I keep getting calls to hack into walls and voids where they like to get stuck and die. Honestly I can walk into a home on a d&d (deodorize and disinfect or lovingly known as dead and disgusting) and almost immediately identify the not so recently deceased sight unseen just by the bouquet.

Back to your grinner issue look for holes three inches or larger on all areas from ground to roof peak. Also be aware some materials have enough give that an animal squeeze in and out without leaving sign as the material springs back into place. Vinyl soffit material is notorious for this.

 

[jetdog]

Not something you want to advertise. Mind you I don't have a problem with it and I know a little something something BUT it is not accepted by the AVMA as a form of euthanasia and the wrong sort of people could make trouble if it were known. Strangely though blunt force trauma is acceptable as is shooting, throat cutting and neck breaking. Properly exsanguination and cervical dislocation.

Guess I'm not up to date on the AVMA acceptable way to get rid of a opossum, I'll have to reread the manual, if you want to latch onto a upset opossum to cut it's throat of break it's neck feel free, I'll stick to my way, thanks anyway.

 

[centrarchid]

Opposums are ugly and mean looking but they do not deserve to be "thinned" or killed because they are getting into a chicken coop.   A well designed coop/run will keep out any opossum.   Opposums are active and hunt at night when chickens are not free ranging.   Simply close up your well built/fortified coop at night and there should be no problems.   You can kill predators as they come and keep coming......    or you can fortify your coop/run and live in harmony with nature.   I choose to live in harmony and my "opinion" reflects that.

Here are a few facts about Opossums

• Opossums help gardens by eating snails, slugs, insects, snakes, rats and overripe fruit.
• Opossums are not a public health threat.
• There is far less of a risk of infection from opossums than from house pets.
• The opossum's greatest enemies are cars and domestic pets.
• Another predator of opossums is people, who hunt them for food, sport, and pelts.
• Opossums are not territorial and move to wherever food is available.
• Opossums do not have good eyesight or hearing -- they rely mainly on their sense of smell.
• Opossums are very clean animals and groom themselves much like a cat does.

This approach needs to be promoted. I am one that can and killed varmints with my bare hands but prefer not to kill at all. Study how the hunt and move about, then make so birds are protected better either when confined or on the roost.

 

[Folly's place]

As an owner of both chickens and horses, I'm not feeling the love for opossums expressed here at all. As long as they aren't around the barn, fine. Near my stored hay, or in the coop, no way. And it would be good for individuals who want to relocate wild critters to check with their DNR first. Michigan is a do not relocate state, except in very limited ways. Basically only on your own property. Then you have a trap wise chicken / barn loving animal to deal with. At least you won't have delivered him to my place! Mary

 

[centrarchid]

It is not a love a oppossums, rather it using your human brain to outsmart them so fewer losses are incurred on all sides. Going strait to killing is simply being lazy.

 

[John123john]

During my war with possums i use this repellent from https://stoppestinfo.com/239-how-to-get-rid-of-a-possum.html and it's work well.