Opossum moved in...help!

[annanicole18]

My husband put hard wire under the coop and brought it out about a foot past the edges ,he bent it down into the ground and covered it with dirt. We have coons and possum and they never ate through the wood. Buy a live trap from tractor supply and put a dish of cat food in it ,we've caught family's of both nite after nite. We then take them 6 miles away and let them go

Do not encourage people to trap and release vector animals! You soft hearted law breakers just pass your problems on to someone else. If you can't handle dispatching predators get rid of your chickens. To the OP opossum are not too bad to get rid of and I haven't seen them do the destruction that other nighttime predators do. Worst I have had is trashing a nest of eggs under a broody. Trapping and killing the pest is the best way to end the problem because it looks like you are not able to securely lock the birds up behind almost solid wood at night. I am leery of the quality of craftsmanship of the prefab coops and would do the double wiring like another poster suggested.

 

[lazy gardener]

My husband put hard wire under the coop and brought it out about a foot past the edges ,he bent it down into the ground and covered it with dirt. We have coons and possum and they never ate through the wood. Buy a live trap from tractor supply and put a dish of cat food in it ,we've caught family's of both nite after nite. We then take them 6 miles away and let them go

In almost all areas it is illegal to transport live trapped animals for release on any property other than your own, unless you have the land owner's permission. Transporting a varmint, and releasing it where it can become someone else's problem is IMO irresponsible.

1. The varmint is being introduced into new territory. Existing varmints will not take kindly to the visitor, and will most likely try to kill it. The varmint, if he does succeed in becoming established will have to find new housing, new feed sources.

2. The varmint has already become habituated to seeking food at the expense of human livestock or other food sources provided by the human. He is now trap wary. He will be even more of a problem in his new habitat.

3. While you may think you are releasing it far from habitation, the truth of the matter is this: If you were able to drive on a road to get within a mile of where you released the varmint, you are in some one else's neighborhood. I personally would be infuriated if some one drove "out in the country" to release a problem varmint that then ended up in my yard.

Do the responsible thing. If you trap it, you kill it. If you don't want to kill it, then don't trap it.

Make your coop/run predator proof with appropriate skirt, well attached welded hardware cloth over all openings greater than 1", cover over top of run. Shut your birds into secure coop every night if your run is not predator proof. A coon can breach any latch that a 2 year old child can open. Electric fencing is a wonderful thing!

 

[aart]

Do the responsible thing. If you trap it, you kill it. If you don't want to kill it, then don't trap it.

Ditto Dat!!^^^

 

[Folly's place]

I agree with all of the above two posters! Trap and shoot, or don't trap. Make your coop and run predator proof! Or get rid of your birds before they are killed out there.
Mary

 

[vamiot]

Hmmm, they can't get into my when house, they never did, the problem is they sometimes come before dark and mine free range and I don't shut the coop up till they are all in, I really don't want to kill them cause they have a right to live. So I guess I'm damed if I do and damed if I don't. And where I live houses and properties are far and few in between. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong, guess I thought wrong

 

[vamiot]

Do not encourage people to trap and release vector animals! You soft hearted law breakers just pass your problems on to someone else. If you can't handle dispatching predators get rid of your chickens. To the OP opossum are not too bad to get rid of and I haven't seen them do the destruction that other nighttime predators do. Worst I have had is trashing a nest of eggs under a broody. Trapping and killing the pest is the best way to end the problem because it looks like you are not able to securely lock the birds up behind almost solid wood at night. I am leery of the quality of craftsmanship of the prefab coops and would do the double wiring like another poster suggested.

They have never gotten into my coop ,we have hard wire on Windows and doors and it's not prefab it's home made

 

[Folly's place]

Having a safe coop and run, and never having any food outside, will pay off. Also, when we lock out birds in at night, we always inspect the coop to make sure there's not an unwanted visitor inside! This has happened here, so be careful about that too. It's why I've never done an automatic coop door!
Mary

 

[vamiot]

In almost all areas it is illegal to transport live trapped animals for release on any property other than your own, unless you have the land owner's permission. Transporting a varmint, and releasing it where it can become someone else's problem is IMO irresponsible.

1. The varmint is being introduced into new territory. Existing varmints will not take kindly to the visitor, and will most likely try to kill it. The varmint, if he does succeed in becoming established will have to find new housing, new feed sources.

2. The varmint has already become habituated to seeking food at the expense of human livestock or other food sources provided by the human. He is now trap wary. He will be even more of a problem in his new habitat.

3. While you may think you are releasing it far from habitation, the truth of the matter is this: If you were able to drive on a road to get within a mile of where you released the varmint, you are in some one else's neighborhood. I personally would be infuriated if some one drove "out in the country" to release a problem varmint that then ended up in my yard.

Do the responsible thing. If you trap it, you kill it. If you don't want to kill it, then don't trap it.

Make your coop/run predator proof with appropriate skirt, well attached welded hardware cloth over all openings greater than 1", cover over top of run. Shut your birds into secure coop every night if your run is not predator proof. A coon can breach any latch that a 2 year old child can open. Electric fencing is a wonderful thing!

 

[vamiot]

They are not getting it into my coop my Coop is homemade there is hardwire under it hard wire on the doors hardwire on the Windows nothing has ever gotten in my Coop and got my chickens the problem is they come before the chickens are all in because I free-range my chickens I live in the wilderness state game lands and when they come before all the chickens are in that's when they're getting them please don't assume my coop is not predator-proof, they sometimes come before all the chickens are in , and I really don't want to shoot them I never thought that transporting them was not a good thing after all everything has a right to live

 

[Folly's place]

That's exactly why transporting many varmits is illegal!
Mary