New clutch hatching, need a smidge of advice

[Ruler of the Roost]

Hey guys, another of our 100% free range hens has a clutch that started hatching. There’s two babies so far, and three more eggs. I want to let the clutch finish hatching before we bring them in, my wife wants to bring the nest in now before our resident possum has a chance to ‘harvest’ them. It’s getting ready to rain as well, and we always bring these birds’ clutches inside. I’m concerned that if we move the nest that Pepper will not continue to sit on the eggs that have not hatched yet.

 

[Debbie292d]

When I used to let hens hatch, I moved them as soon as they started hatching as their nests are four feet in the air. I found out later, momma would show them out to use the ramps, so it was unnecessary for me to move them to the floor. That's beside the point, I did it a few times and it worked every time.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Any reason to not “move” the possum?

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

Any reason to not “move” the possum?

Can’t find its burrow. I’ve been looking to harvest that miserable marsupial for months now. Set traps, the whole nine yards…just keep catching hares. Even tried sending the huskies after the bugger. That gave me an idea where he’s at. Called fwc, no help. But at the same time, I haven’t seen any mice since he moved in. Haven’t been so quick to continue the search since I put that together.

 

[RusticRocks182]

Can’t find its burrow. I’ve been looking to harvest that miserable marsupial for months now. Set traps, the whole nine yards…just keep catching hares. Even tried sending the huskies after the bugger. That gave me an idea where he’s at. Called fwc, no help. But at the same time, I haven’t seen any mice since he moved in. Haven’t been so quick to continue the search since I put that together.

What are you baiting with? Have you tried sardines, crack the can and pour a small trail of juice from the opening of your trap to past the trigger on the trap leave the can only cracked and put the whole can in the middle of the trap past the trigger, reason to leave it cracked they can reach through the trap and steal the sardines, make it hard for them. Possums and racoons will visit your trap.

 

[Ruler of the Roost]

What are you baiting with? Have you tried sardines, crack the can and pour a small trail of juice from the opening of your trap to past the trigger on the trap leave the can only cracked and put the whole can in the middle of the trap past the trigger, reason to leave it cracked they can reach through the trap and steal the sardines, make it hard for them. Possums and racoons will visit your trap.

Honestly, I don’t want to try baiting. We’ve been lucky for a lack of raccoons. I do not want to draw any trash pandas to the property. There is a symbiotic relationship with the possum, this property, and the lack of mice and rats that used to plague us. The possum does not mess with the adult birds and if he did my 50 pound turkey would likely end him, or at least chase him off. The free ranging birds also stay clear of the deck now, which means they are no longer using their ‘Ho Chee Mihn Trail” into the dog run, so they are safer for it. I can only assume that this means the marsupial’s burrow is under the deck. All of the feral cats have been captured and relocated, between the ravens that took up residence in one of our pasture palm trees, Drumstick, and my own ‘noise conditioning’, the hawks are steering clear of our airspace, and the stray dogs, foxes, and coyotes have been pretty absent of late since I’ve been spreading husky hair and manure around the back half of the pasture. We haven’t lost a bird to predation in a while. I think we are in a pretty good spot, and I can be tolerant of a trash kangaroo that’s benefiting my property by ridding it of rodents. Mouse and rat population have not been this low in over a year.we just have to keep the chicks safe from snakes, ravens, and the resident possum.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

There is a symbiotic relationship with the possum, this property, and the lack of mice and rats

This is kind of where we’re out with our possum population. I throw the occasional apple core out into the branch where I have seen it at night and so far it hasn’t wandered in the direction of the chickens. The trash pandas we have had to trap though. They were getting to close to MY house lol.