Opossum Attack!!! Thank you for all the replies...

[Rogalamy56]

I need advice on what to do with some minor chicken wounds. On occasion I let my chickens out to free range and forgot to put them back in, they are usually okay and I never have any problems. Last night my chickens were not in their coop. My parents noticed and went out to investigate because they were carrying on. I'm a 23 year old college student, I work a part-time job and live at home so I'm not a kid and I should have known better, My dad saw a coyote so he got his gun out and shot it off. My dad and handicapped mom helped me out by taking care of my chickens and putting them back in my coop and the propped wood up against the coop so nothing could get in. Well......needless to say they trapped a opossum in my coop. My mother came down and woke me up and said the chickens were making noises she's never heard and that my rooster was carrying on. It's 4:42 am, I work at TSC at 9. I can't sleep! I got up, went outside and saw the opossum at the cage door trying to get out. My chickens were all iced up from the attack, so I brought them inside into my dog's kennel and put a oscilating heater on them. When I went to investigate I ran back inside grabbed my Ruger LCP and racked a bullet into the chamber. I was ticked! I locked the opossum in the coop, and pardon me but I'm putting a bullet in his head tomorrow. He's just gonna keep coming back for a "free meal" They are all exhausted, and I gave them some happy hen treats. I UNDERSTAND it's a mistake on my part, but I've never had a problem leaving them out because their coop is in my fenced in backyard, and I have many dogs. I have americaunas, and a very friendly rooster. That opossum, was shaking like a leaf in the corner, and looked looked like he was scared out of his mind!!! All of my chickens were accounted for. THANK GOD I had a rooster!!!! They could have all been dead if he wasn't around!!! His bravery saved him from the pot this spring, because I live in a campground and noise complaints were an issue last year!

My rooster's comb looks bloody and my mom thought she saw a wound on his neck? What do I do? I have all sorts of farm animal medical supplies. How do I look over a chicken for wounds? Is there a specific way? Do I put blue-kote on the wounds? What about bloody combs?

Did I do the right thing?

 

[paridisefarm2009]

Yes your doing the right thing I can't even start to tell you how many raccoons and possum's Met there maker in my yard ,
Do protect your chickens One night I asked my husband if he locked them up , and he said yes and well he didn't the next morning I went out to find a massacre 7 Dead birds all over the coop area So I said so when you said you Locked them Up YA really didn't HU ??? Well needless to say 2 Nights later the culprit was Taken care of, And I know Better now I always check even if he said yes they are locked up .

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Maybe some hydrogen peroxide to clean and then something like neosporin in the wound. He should be fine.
It's amazing the number of animals that come out at dusk.
possums, coons, coyotes, foxes, rats, owls and on and on.
I trap frequently and have really cut down on the coon and possum visits.

 

[Mattemma]

I do antibio cream after a spray with blue kote.Keep traps set.

 

[Rogalamy56]

Thanks everyone! It was an extremely long night, I just can't keep my eyes open, I called into work and said, "Hey here's what happened.....Is it okay that I don't come in...I need to take care of my animals." according to my parents my dad ran a coyote off as well. The noise of the chickens being harassed by a opossum was just too tempting. I am exhausted! I feel hung over but it's just lack of sleep. I trapped coons all summer, 12 coons in 2 weeks! I would release them 5 miles away.

My Rooster's comb is a little bloody and he wouldn't hold still for me to cleanse it, so I rubbed antibiotic ointment on it. I'm glad I have him, or otherwise all my hens might be dead. He fought the possum! I'm so proud of him!

My hen's were all covered in ice during the commotion they got soaked to the bone, and then their feathers all froze solid. Their backs are missing some feathers, but I think that's partially due to "spring fever" on the rooster's part. It probably didn't help that the possum attacked them as well. Since I locked the possum in their coop I spent the night with chickens in my dogs kennel, 7 am my rooster started crowing before my alarm went off.

 

[cashela]

I would not use Hydrogen Peroxide, it is my understanding that it damages good tissue as well as the bad. I've used diluted betadine to clean wounds. When my turkey was injured I was told by those here to use the blue kote, it worked great.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've always used HP on my own wounds as well as my animals. I'm still here.

 

[centrarchid]

All damage to head is either self inflicted as relating to posssible frostbite (rooster) or rooster grabbing head and neck as part of mounting process during mating (hens).


If oppossum caused damage, then places to look are on flanks, especially around abdomen and the lower neck. If oppossum damage detected then be aggressive with treatment both externally (topical treatments) and internally (antibiotics). Oppossum bites in my experience are prone to infection.

 

[sgtmom52]

I would not use Hydrogen Peroxide, it is my understanding that it damages good tissue as well as the bad. I've used diluted betadine to clean wounds. When my turkey was injured I was told by those here to use the blue kote, it worked great.

Also ~ stay away from anything with "pain killers" in them like the triple antibiotics with pain relief in them as they can actually kill your chickens.

 

[cashela]

That is good to know about the pain killer, I didn't know that. I've used Hydrogen Peroxide hundreds of times myself and am still here as well But I've changed up my wound treatment after reading about it.