Opossum in the Run

[Mark Armstrong]

Need to carry your gun and flashlight when you lock them up.

Making a rat guard for my feeder today...

JT

I normally do but when I went out last night it was near my bedtime, I was already out of my work clothes and unarmed, not anymore

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Need to carry your gun and flashlight when you lock them up.

Making a rat guard for my feeder today...

JT

I am so going to start doing this. It's about time for possum birthing so they will be hungry.

 

[tigger19687]

Wow, Not sure why our Possums are so small. Ours are about 30# plus ! except for the babies.

Hope that is the last you see of them !

 

[Mark Armstrong]

Went ahead and threw out some scratch a little earlier than usual, entice the girls in the run and maybe prevent a predator from getting in, all safe and sound this morning, guess I was getting a little lax because I haven't had any trouble lately, flashlight in hand, locked and loaded!

 

[Kessel23]

 

[jthornton]

Got all the holes plugged up today in the run, first day with no rain in a while. Started on the chain link fence putting wires in to keep the pullets from sticking their heads out of the chain link fence. Picked up a 1,000 candle power flash light from the store for early morning encounters.

JT

 

[jthornton]

While I was working on fortifying the run I removed the old long ramp and installed a porch after reading a suggestion from @aart and a short ramp to the nest box. Most of the pullets came out in the morning and walked down the ramp then hopped off the nest box. A couple just flew down from the porch. That change sure made a huge difference in how much room there is now and much easier to clean the dust bath.



JT

 

[chonsey]

So I woke up this morning at 4:30 and wandered down to the Beer Cave with my cup of coffee and was looking at the run camera and an opossum was eating out of the feeder! Just when you thought you had the run secure it showed me a spot I missed. I'll fix that this morning. The pullets woke up to gun fire a bit before they were supposed to get up but they didn't seem too bothered by it.

I have 100' of chain link fence around the chicken yard mainly to keep dogs out but after watching the opossum trying to squeeze through the chain link I'm thinking of some additional 1" x 2" fastened to the chain link with a skirt attached to that as well. I wonder how high to go with the 1" x 2" fencing? Would 4' tall and bent in the middle be a possibility or am I better off getting 2' and joining them with J clips?

JT

Opossums climb fences very easily.

 

[Howard E]

While I was working on fortifying the run I removed the old long ramp and installed a porch after reading a suggestion from @aart and a short ramp to the nest box. Most of the pullets came out in the morning and walked down the ramp then hopped off the nest box. A couple just flew down from the porch. That change sure made a huge difference in how much room there is now and much easier to clean the dust bath.
JT

Those short ramps are iconic and often seen in photos and sketches, but 99% of them are not needed. Saw a ramp on a different thread leading to a pop hole that was no more than 6 inches off the ground. Silly.

Birds can easily make the hop up or down. Mine routinely fly up to roosts than are nearly 4 feet off the ground. All they need outside a pop door is something wide enough to land on (a 1 x 4 is enough), they land on that, then they hop on in. Helps if they are kept inside to be trained to home to the inside of the coop........and when they are ready to leave the nest, they will....and then know where to return to as well.

 

[aart]

Saw a ramp on a different thread leading to a pop hole that was no more than 6 inches off the ground. Silly.

Yeah.....I hear ya!

My 'porch' was more for mounting a right angle ramp.
Coop is about 30" off the ground.
Most fly down and up from midway, but some of the heavier birds walk the whole thing.

That change sure made a huge difference in how much room there is now and much easier to clean the dust bath.

I'd have made a bigger porch(out farther), and hinged the long straight ramp off the porch for ease of reaching dust bath.