I guess my daughter is the Possum queen

[Chicksdigit]

I have always thought that my youngest had a way with animals, but this one threw me. A few minutes ago She came running in to tell me as she was gathering eggs from under the nestbox ( some of the hens like to go there to lay their eggs) something big licked her hand. I went out to appease her and see a chicken that would lick her or maybe a cat. When I moved the nestbox a large Possum looked up at me I was stunned to say the least....... I was sure that a possum would have mauled or at least bit her hand, but no..... he licked her. He was eating eggs and for some reason just licked her. I prodded him in the back and he ran out of the Chicken house I could have left him there and went and got the gun but I felt like one good turn deserves another. I just wanted to share this with BYC it is rare to hear a good Varmint story....... oh yeah all the Chickens are fine he just wanted some eggs.

 

[HennyJenny]

That is really an incredible story. Very cool.

 

[bantybev]

Opossums are not usually agressive by nature, unless sick or diseased. My husband has petted young wild ones in the woods behind our house. They are very docile creatures and usually "play possum" when confronted with anything larger than them. They can be mean when they have young to protect and as teenagers.
I found 6 tiny baby opossums in the middle of the road a few years ago. There was a cat eating a 7th in the weeds beside the road. No mother opossum in site. I couldn't leave them there with the cat stalking them....so I picked them all up and took them home. They were very tiny and I nursed them on kitten replacement milk. They were easy to raise and grew to about the size of a small cat when I took them to a wildlife rehab center. They were as tame and friendly as kittens.
I wouldn't put up with them eating my eggs, though

and I have heard of them eating chickens since I joined this forum, but in my experiance they are more prone to eating small mammals and rodents, or scavaging already dead animals.

 

[plumberroy]

He was just seeing if she taste like chicken , and he'll be back for more egg too
Roy

 

[Chicksdigit]

Quote:
Yeah I let him off this time Had he been a Coon or a Skunk he wouldn't have got a second chance.

 

[12GAGirl]

i would not trust a possum around my chicken kingdom. I have seen what they can do to full grown chickens and it is not good!

 

[CoopCrazy]

I have to say I would have done the same .. THIS TIME... He didnt harm your DD so he got away Unharmed .. Next time not so much..,.

 

[Chicksdigit]

Well he did return last night and I got close enough to smack him with the shovel and he ran off but I didn't hit very hard so I don't think it will deter him from coming back. I am glad I have a fairly possum proof coop. I would have shot him tonight but I didn't think I could get him without doing some damage to the coop itself so.... I'll wait until tomorow maybe I'll go get a trap.

 

[baltimoreharps]

Quote:
He came back, so that isnt good news and getting that close to smack him with a shovel isn't the best news either.. He knows where easy eating is, and he or she is going to return again and again and get bolder and bolder.
Traps are a great idea and so is keeping an extra eye out tonight. Possums can and will drop chickens off the roost while sleeping and eat them.
Good luck to you, we had a possum hanging around a while ago, but it was young and once it was threatened, it didn't come back. The threat of 5 humans, screeching thier heads off, one going after it with a deathly hard tree branch waving it around like a crazy person at the thing, (me) two other children yelling and whacking the poor apple tree trying to get it to get OUT of there and poor dh, trying to get us all to calm down, finally throws a plank of wood into the tree, whacks the possum, who falls out ot the tree and waddles off as fast as it can, only to have me yelling at him that I could have killed it, now it's going to come back again!!


It never did come back....my bad. *blush*
But my run has been improved and that could have been the reason also. I just don't think that was why the possum didn't come back, it just didn't want to mess with the pack of crazy humans defnding their flock!

Good luck and well wishes to you!

 

[Chicksdigit]

Quote:
He came back, so that isnt good news and getting that close to smack him with a shovel isn't the best news either.. He knows where easy eating is, and he or she is going to return again and again and get bolder and bolder.
Traps are a great idea and so is keeping an extra eye out tonight. Possums can and will drop chickens off the roost while sleeping and eat them.
Good luck to you, we had a possum hanging around a while ago, but it was young and once it was threatened, it didn't come back. The threat of 5 humans, screeching thier heads off, one going after it with a deathly hard tree branch waving it around like a crazy person at the thing, (me) two other children yelling and whacking the poor apple tree trying to get it to get OUT of there and poor dh, trying to get us all to calm down, finally throws a plank of wood into the tree, whacks the possum, who falls out ot the tree and waddles off as fast as it can, only to have me yelling at him that I could have killed it, now it's going to come back again!!


It never did come back....my bad. *blush*
But my run has been improved and that could have been the reason also. I just don't think that was why the possum didn't come back, it just didn't want to mess with the pack of crazy humans defnding their flock!

Good luck and well wishes to you!

I'm not so sure getting close enough to hit him with the shovel is such a big deal I have caught and picked up several by their tails in my life. Possums are not extremely smart I mean one of their main forms of defense is to lay down and play dead..... or to "play possum" ........ Think about it if you are a predator and something lays down and play dead wouldn't your first thought be yea free lunch.