Possum gave birth on the coop

[Krugerrand]

Yes, you need to find your local wildlife refuge or game warden. The local police can also help tell you who to call. We have a possum that lives in an old coal wagon on our property. We leave him alone, because we know they are great tick control experts. Thank goodness, we've never had one in the coop. He has come out for Trick or Treat the one time and earned his name, "Henry." It was really weird having him come right up to me and look up as if looking for a hand out. I just pointed away from the children and told Henry to go back to bed. Thank goodness Henry listened to me and wondered off in the direction I pointed. The children and parents thought he was a pet! I told them he is a wild animal and can not be petted or fed.

I was sad when I first learned that opossums eating ticks was a myth:

https://extension.psu.edu/do-chickens-guinea-fowl-or-opossums-control-ticks

The authors concluded that opossums do not act as "ecological traps" for ticks, and likely do not consume many ticks at all.

But it's a great lesson in two points: 1) Just because something gets repeated frequently does not make it true. 2) Just because a scientist says something is so does not make it so.

We have to constantly check for ticks on the kids. Deer ticks can be so dang tiny ... smaller than a poppy seed. If you think about it, an animal would have to be pretty small to effectively feed on something like that.

 

[Kjb]

I just got off work and came out to collect eggs and check on the chickens and I was surprised to find a big turd in the coop. I cleaned it up and looked around. I spotted a possum curled up in a corner by the nesting boxes nursing babies. Oh my goodness! I thought I had a secure run. She must've come in this morning when the door opened. I have no idea what to do at this point. Any suggestions are welcome. Please!

I had a possum in my coop and caught it in a five gallon bucket and let it go on the back of my property. The next day I had another (or same) possum in my pen so I relocated it about a mile away by the river. Two days later there was another one who had grabbed one of my ladies (Cinder) at midnight but let go when I allowed my dog in the pen. I trapped it and relocated it to the river. I'm hoping this was a family and not a possum who makes it's way "home". I like possums, just not in my coop.