possum in the coop!

[chkinut]

i woke up to a possum in the coop! i went outside to open the door (i close it every night) and i could see that there was an intruder, but i couldn't see it very well cuz it was still kinda dark outside. i figured it was possum though cuz i had seen one around before.....eating my cat's food on the porch. so i have been taking the cat food away every night. well, now it's after the chicken food! i only have 2 hens in the big coop right now, the rest of my chickens are babies and are in a smaller coop. anyway, i let my Boxer out and he cornered the possum....but he couldn't get to it cuz the possum was wedged behind a bucket full of stuff. then i woke up my 17 year old son and asked if he would kill the thing....i told him he didn't have to if he didn't want to....but what teenage boy wouldn't want to? lol! anyway, he took a pitch fork and got it up against the wall with it, but couldn't really kill it cuz of how the possum was positioned....then it somehow got out and played dead on the ground (outside of the coop) and my son took a shovel to it....about 5 times....it was a female cuz it had babies (which was kinda sad) they were about as big as a nickel. my 2 chickens were VERY disturbed about the whole business once my dog came out to bark at the possum. but they made it out ok. i didn't see any signs of digging around the coop, so i know it got in by climbing to the top. it's really a make-shift coop made out of a lean-to.....the lean-to is very nicely built, but not predator proof.....i live in town and i normally have one of those red flashing lights outside the coop for predator control....but lastnight i forgot to put it back by the coop (the coop is in a shady place....so every day i have to bring the solar powered flashing-light-thingy out into the sun).....i guess it works....cuz i have never had a problem before now. and what do you know, the night i forget to put it back in place, a possum comes. i'm so glad it's dead now though. i'm an animal lover, but still, i love my chickens more than the possum!

 

[Wild Trapper]

You're lucky you caught it in time, I had a possum kill and eat the head and neck off one of my DIL's hens last week. I trapped the possum and dispatched it the next night when it came back for more. I like animals too, especially my chickens, but I hate possums.

 

[Ashayami]

Are you sure it was a possum, Wild Trapper? I had the same thing happen, but I set a trap and caught 2 possums and 2 cats. So I'm not sure which it was.

 

[weekend farmer]

I usually leave my chickens roam during the day and go out at dusk and close them in. Last week we had a few warm days and I noticed the chickens hadn't gone in yet so I went out and there was a possum in the nexting box rooting around. I grabbed the pitch fork and took care of it, just part of having living food for the critters. The only thing I can do to prevent it is not let the birds out but they love to roam. So just keep the pitch fork handy! Good luck!

 

[Sparky2726]

I have actually seen them hide in a chicken house for a while before they are found.

I personally HATE possums. They stink worse that skunks, screw up a good fox set, and just generally are a neucience, with no redeeming qualities at all.

Lee

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Seems to be the time of year for them. So far this year I have found 2 in the chicken houses (one tried to bite me) and 2 in the trap I set out back.

Steve

 

[GarlicEater]

Quote:
They don't stink worse than SKUNKS IMHO but, I have no love for them.

I live in a .... well, it would dignify it unnessisarily to call this thing a trailer. It'd fall to bits if it were "trailed" anywhere. So anyway, it has numerous holes and porosities, some of which, the draftier ones, I've put patches on. But there is a sort of hole on the side the leads to under my sink, and actually, right to my drawers including my silverware drawer! I was wondering why my silverware was always so dusty! I discovered this when a determined possum kept trying to dig through to make a nest or something. The spoons etc would rattle. I banged on things, poured Clorox around, nothing really discouraged it. I finally put the hav-a-hart out and caught it, disposed of it, and put a sort of patch at least somewhat isolating my drawers from the outside. Yeah he was a big ugly bugger.

 

[chkn]

I had something out in my wood pile last night I suppose I've got some little beezelbub of my own to deal with.

 

[GeneJordan]

I can see why I was told to bury the fencing a foot down to discourage diggers

 

[Wild Trapper]

Quote:
Possums will kill a chicken at night and eat part of it on site. They will return to eat the next night. A chicken on the roost is easy prey for a possum. They will sneak in and pull the chicken off the roost and eat part of it right there, not bothering to try to drag it off, not messing with any of the other chickens. I hate possums.