Possum on the Porch

[Wolfpacker]

My wife just gave me a yell. She was sitting in the front porch swing reading and heard a noise. She looked down to find a possum staring at her. He had climbed about 10 steps to get up on our porch. About the same time, our dog who was inside looking through the storm door saw it and barked. It promptly fled.

I've set my squirrel trap with a can of cat food. My question: Should I put it in the front yard where she saw the possum or closer to my chicks? Right now I have it about half way in between.

This has never happened before, although last fall something killed three of my RIRs. I've reinforced the coop with hardware cloth and my new chicks have been out about 2 weeks.

HELP! I don't want to lose these chickens.

 

[tiffanyh]

Hopefully it moved on--they usually only stay around for a day or two. I had a mom and babies under my deck. I watched them and they moved along after 3 days.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

It may or may not move on. I have 3 that have lived at/around my house for the last 4 years. If it has a food source it will stay.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Whoa, possums in downtown Raleigh. Weird. I'm in Youngsville and I know that's not really that far from you but I thought with all the people and traffic there wouldn't be many critters in "The big city". I have tons of coons and possums and knock on wood none have come near my chickens. Truthfully I believe putting out a trap with cat food will only attract MORE predators. That's just my opinion.

 

[Wolfpacker]

I have friends who live in "downtown Youngsville" and family by marriage who run Holdens BBQ.

I agree that putting cat food in a trap would seem to attact predators.

 

[rooster-red]

That's kind of a hard one to call...
We have cat food we leave out for 2 of our cats that come and go at all hours, and possums come up on the porch at night to eat the cat food, and I think its because of readily available food supply that I've never had a problem with possums getting at my chickens or into my garbage.
Leaving food accessible means they will hang around, but on the other hand if they were hanging around with no food source my chickens would be too tempting.

I've caught several of them by hand (you have to be VERY fast, as these are not tame) and you can tell if its a new one or one who has been around awhile by how sleek its fur is

 

[Wolfpacker]

"I've caught several of them by hand"

You're a better man than I am!

 

[rooster-red]

LOL

Just faster than average... I've got alot of experience with wild critters.

 

[rooster-red]

 

[Wolfpacker]

That thing is huge. How much did it weigh?