Possum in the run. Heartbroken

[Birdsong 82]

When I started my car this morning to leave for work I heard some noise in the chicken run as I started down there it sounded a little more high pitched and frantic and my rooster wasn’t crowing but making very odd noises. As I went down there I could see chickens on the ground running through the run. They never do that at 5 AM and my cat was running all around the run trying his darndest to get in. When I saw the rooster on the ground and not roosting I called from my husband and a better flashlight. Then I knew then something wasn’t right. I could barely see with the shotty flashlight I had with me. He was still in there to trying his hardest to get out. He’s out of there now. Guaranteed we won’t be seeing him again. I’ve always been so proud how are run is like Fort Knox so this was definitely unexpected. Heartbreaking to say the least. Lost one of my 22 week old Easter Egger and one of my three-year-old Rhode Island Reds was ripped down the stomach up to the vent with I’m not sure what hanging out with her. The injuries were too bad for her to be able to make it.

 

[Pugsabi]

I'm so sorry! You must be devastated! Thank goodness you heard a nose and decided to check it out before you drove off!

 

[staceyj]

Oh I am so so sorry what a horrible start to your day.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! It's likely that the opossum was hiding in the coop/ run when you locked them in last night, unnoticed. Happened once here too. It's why I don't have an automatic door out there.
Mary

 

[Birdsong 82]

Well kind of stuck in the coop. We checked high low down inside and out everywhere. With flashlights until the sun was out and looked into. Nothing no possible way could he have gotten that run from outside. My chicken sleep in the run which is why I spend so much time building that to make it fort Knox. The only conclusion we can come up with as we just expanded the run that included their brand new coop. We just opened it to them Tuesday we did a hardware cloth skirt going up to opening at the bottom with two by sixes screwed in at the top and along the ground but on the inside of the run We just stuck some chicken wire under there. Didn’t really tack it down or anything just threw some boards there to keep the chickens out so they didn’t lay an egg in there. It was inside the run and the run is cray overdone so we were concerned about that. The only thing we could come up with is he was under the coop when we blocked everything off and finally figured out a way to get out and into the run. Plus he had to find a way to get from under the new run into their old one also we have to connect them is a little pop door entry everything else is still wired off And I think it took him until now to get it figured out

 

[Birdsong 82]

I'm so sorry! You must be devastated! Thank goodness you heard a nose and decided to check it out before you drove off!

I think all of us chicken owners can hear certain noises and just sense something is not right. I think between my pretty large cat running around trying so hard to get into that run and my rooster is why I think there wasn’t more injured. I had a raccoon get two of my chicken many years ago and I swore it would never happen again and we redid everything. It’s weird that I feel just as bad for my other chickens and especially my rooster. I’ve never met a rooster so dedicated to his hens. My husband called and said the cat is just leaning on him andmoaning This is my cat that takes naps with the chickens he loves them.

 

[townchicks]

So sorry to hear about your losses. It must be so hard to think they are safe, and then not to know how it was breached.

 

[Birdsong 82]

It was a crazy feeling because my first thought was how and after spending that long looking up down everywhere and still not even close to something he could’ve gotten into drove us nuts. It drives you nuts because you want to be able to protect them better but when you can’t figure out how you were protecting properly it feels crazy. That’s why Him Being under there when we closed it up is the only conclusion we could come up with. He was back under there when I got down there but it already done damage. I think between the cat in the rooster he wasn’t worried about doing more damage but getting out especially when came and started coming in there. But since he didn’t come from outside he couldn’t get back outside. My husband make sure we didn’t ever have to be bothered with him again

 

[Birdsong 82]

The weirdest part is it was a possum. I’ve never really seen those in my area. I figured they were out there but when I put it there proof I get more worried and think more about raccoons and bobcats which are a lot more common to see around. And in the past week there have been five bear sightings nearby. And that’s why there was eggs scattered about under the coop

 

[Folly's place]

For bears, you need electric fencing, with a very good charger!
Mary