Look what's lurking around my yard...

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[Spongegirl]

Well I haven't been taught to kill. But when its a question of them or my birds, they are the dead meat, not my birds. It's a matter of them or the chicks. My chicks have value, the predator does not. An animal comes to my property, it is looking for chicken dinner and eggs for breakfast. I will kill them. If I let them live, they will have more babies that will kill future generations of birds. It's that simple. Now if a bald eagle were to swoop in, ok, take a chick...your chicks are better than my chicks, Mr Eagle. If a person were to come to kill my kids or take my stuff, they would be dead too, assuming that I own and know how to use a gun. It's a matter of defending what is mine. I don't care if the animal wants to live, too bad. Our eating animals want to live but we raise them to kill them to eat. So waaaa, if the ratty opossum or the sneaky coon dies. Just because they want to live doesn't mean I need to have compassion for them when they are after my livelihood. We are more important than they are. This has nothing to do with being American. This has to do with loving my chickens. I don't really care what the law says. Let a judge scold me for killing one of those nasty varmits when I show him the value of what Im protecting.

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[CWhite67]

Well id shoot it but if you catch it in the trap put him in a bucket of water to drown it.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Just catch it in your trap, put it in the car and drive to the bush where it belongs. Its not the Opossums fault you put your house where its home used to be. I know how annoying wild animals can be and even pets for that matter but moving it is easier than having to kill it and dispose of the body and will make you feel better as well.

WRONG ANSWER! Do not transport wildlife unless you have contacted fish and game and determined it is legal in your state; transportation may spread parasites and diseases to new areas where they were previously unknown.

Opossums roam downtown San Francisco from time to time; and that area has been developed since the middle of the 19th Century. It isn't always a matter of people moving into where the animals were living, the other way around is just as common. Bambi, for example, loves suburbs because there is no hunting. Bobcats enjoy living under backyard sheds in Bellevue and Redmond, WA, where they thrive on a diet of rats, domestic cats, and small dogs. Coyotes live in downtown LA. Cougars haunt California suburbs, as do raccoons, skunks, and the ubiquitous opossums.

Our method is to live trap, then place two blocks of dry ice in a garbage can and pour a little water on it to start the carbon dioxide gas evolving. I place several layers of cardboard to make a platform for the trap to avoid causing freeze burns to the animal, making sure that there is room for the gas to flow easily around and into the trap. I place the animal, trap and all, in the garbage can, and close the lid. This suffocates the animal and is generally accepted as humane.

Nitrogen gas is even better, except for those burrowing animals who are capable of detecting lowered oxygen levels.

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[nitter]

Actually a better way would be to put a tarp over the trap and run a hose from an exhaust pipe (lawn tractor, car) under the tarp. Let the engine run for awhile and... Problem solved! They actually sell a funnel with clamps on it and garden hose theads just for this purpose

 

[The Yakima Kid]

If they are native they have a right to be there. Every animal has a right to life no matter how insignificant the animal is. The attitude if just killing what is bad and dangerous has got us where we are today with some of the worlds largest predators on the brink of extinction.

Now i am not saying possums are going to go extinct but you should at least give it a chance to live. I am not sure about the area where you live but moving an animal back into there natural habitat or environment is not moving the problem on to someone else unless there is a hill tribe living in the forest with chickens.

What do you think used to be in downtown LA or California before there was human habitation there? these area were occupied by nature and wildlife i was not talking about a 6 year old possum but the species that lived there before we destroyed it all. I don't understand how people can love one animal so much yet despise another for doing what is instinctive? Kill any animal and that blood is on your hands. You won't forget it.

Please read what I wrote. In most states it is absolutely ILLEGAL to relocate trapped animals due to the risk of spreading diseases and parasites into new areas.

Now, I don't appreciate your assumption that rural residents are a "hill tribe." You ARE moving the problem to someone else since habituated animals seek out human habitations. You are also spreading diseases.

BTW, I sure hope you are a vegan with your attitude, because if you even drink milk or eat eggs, you are a pious hypocrite. Just what do you think happens to male dairy cattle and cockerels?

 

[6of6chicks]

Deleted 7/24/2014.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

This whole thread makes me very sad . Some animals have "value" and others do not? Seems we're all here for the same reasons, to live our lives - however diverse they may be.

One of the reasons I held off having chickens for a few years, was because I knew that just about every critter out there like to eat them ! I have woods all around, and a very sturdy coop for sleep. There have been some visitors, but so far, so good, even though the girls roam free each day.

Having been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, an especially tough winter ( when I lived up north ), dictated that a baby opossum I had saved, bonded to me over winter, and I ended up using her for education. She was uniquely affectionate, and never tried to hurt me. With all the animals I've had in my life, she remains one of the most special. North America's only marsupial - NOT a rodent , by the way.

Most of their hissing, growling, and baring of teeth, is done because they're terrified and trying to scare you, or your dog, or whatever, away. If they're cornered, sure they'll try and defend themselves - wouldn't you ? If all else fails, they can play "dead", going so far as to drool, turn their gums blue-ish, and give off fowl breath, to avoid becoming someone's meal. Of all the wild critters, they're the least likely to carry rabies, or any other disease, and are meticulously clean. They die in great numbers due to cars, and large predators , yet they manage to exist in most places - even cities.

Please people, I ask that you reconsider, when thinking about wiping out all the animals that might be after chickens. Look for a local rehabilitator ( ask at a Vet's office too), who can help you relocate someone to a safe spot. We get our pets, and then become enemies of all those animals who share our territory. And essentially, we're putting out "bait", and expecting that no one will notice. It needn't be a war - but it'll take a little caring effort on your part to avoid one.

No one here is "wiping out" all of the animals. However, we do resent histrionic and wild accusations directed at us by people who allegedly are "wildlife rehabilitators" and think that relocating is a good idea. It is illegal in many states since fewer than half of the animals survive, and it has caused epidemics when animals exposed to domestic animals diseases carried them out to wild populations that lacked resistance.

And please don't imply that those of us who have dispatched predators don't put "a little caring effort" into predator handling. I have live trapped and frightened animals to get them to stay out of the yard - including skunks. Unfortunately, some don't learn, and then my choices are limited.
Opossums are very good at coming into yards and tearing up dogs.