I don't get it....NOTHING attacks my chickens!

[Peeper7]

OK, I've got hawks, coons, possum, and cats. Nothing has bothered my birds -- even the bantams. In summer we did have a coon rip a head off through the cage of one of my meaties, but no problem since. we did trap 4 coons.

Don't be hard on me, my preference is not to have my bantams loose but at the moment I have a family emergency which has stopped my building plans for the birds for awhile.

Last night took the cake. I went to the barn and there sitting up and eating chicken feed WITH the chickens AND the cats was a good size possum. It turned around and looked at me as if to say "hi" but it was not scared.

Have I just been lucky? I'm sure that's the case but it is giving me a false sense of security. I will continue with predator-proofing as I build, but I find this all peculiar.

Any thoughts?

 

[SarahFair]

The only thing I have had come after mine is the neighbors dog..

 

[LynneP]

You have just been lucky...Oh my...

 

[emys]

When they are hungry enough, they will try testing your chickens. When they discover chickens taste good and don't fight all that well, its all over. Keep building.

 

[mdbokc]

Sometimes we are lucky....4 years with chickens up north and in the second year here. Haven't lost anything to predators yet but the day is coming. I had a possum living beneath a barn until storm destroyed it (dropped two trees into it). Never had a problem with him.

 

[kcardella]

Yes, you have been lucky. I have lost chickens/guineas/ducks to raccoons (during the day), hawks (1 chicken when I first got them), and to foxes (guineas that do not come in at night). I also recently had the neighbors pit bull climb on top (4ft) my night duck pen and get through 1/2 hardware cloth to kill my entire (save 1) flock of ducks (9 were killed).

My sister insisted she had no predators when she got 6 ducks, simply because she had not seen any. Of course, they eventually found her birds, and killed two. She now locks them up securely every night, and the free-range during the day. Unless birds are locked up 24/7 in VERY secure pens, they are suseptible to predators.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
With easy food the possum won't eat a chicken, when the food runs out there will be a problem. Possums are lazy and if there is food they'll eat it, when they get hungry and a chicken is available - they'll eat that.

 

[PhilErvin]

I haven't had anything attack my girls yet but I have an electric fence charger that I am gonna install anyhow. I'm gonna crank it up full power with hopes of frying anything that goes near my girls. I have opossums and coons but so far they havn't been a problem.

 

[mdbokc]

Yep, I would have lost to the raccoons for sure if the electric fence had not been up and running. They tried and got fried! Twice that I know of. I figure my girls will get hit someday while they are free ranging.

 

[claud]

I'd say you are lucky.

I've had possums sneak in the coop to eat the eggs but they never bothered any of my chickens. That being said I probably wouldn't trust a possum living with my chickens - chickens do little to protect themselves especially at night and might just seem like a warm chunk of meat to a possum.

Your bigger worry is that if a possum can get to them so can other predators.