Possum stalking chickens!

[shannon84]

I have no real experience with possums (or coons either.) So I'm somewhat guessing.

But nothing looks like a problem to me.

I suggest you go carefully over every spot where hardware cloth attaches to anything else, to check for any staples that might be too far apart or that might have worked loose. And you can try lifting a corner of the nestbox lid, to make sure it can't come up at an angle and let something climb in.

Good things I see:
--hardware cloth (stronger than chicken wire, with holes small enough to keep a predator's hands out too)
--staples that were hammered in to secure hardware cloth
--a latch on the nestbox lid, of a type that is said to be coon-proof and is probably possum-proof too.
--the run is covered
--there is a sturdy bottom edge, that should at least slow down any digging creature and will hopefully keep it entirely out

Hopefully someone with more experience will also chime in to either cofirm that it's good, or to point out any problems I may have missed. But you have certainly avoided several kinds of common problems

I set out a trap! Hopefully he likes deer steak!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

From what I see, the coop looks secure enough. I would check off all the things that @NatJ said though.

As far as bait, you could use canned tuna fish or even apples so you don't need to use a delicious deer steak.

 

[shannon84]

Did you have any luck at getting rid of your possum? What did you finally do?

I had the same thing happen to me today. Darn thing was just wandering around checking out my girls at about 5pm like I wasn't standing right there watching it. They aren't the brightest creatures. But my possum won't be back - lead poisoning.

He eventually went away on his own. I set out a trap and he just never came back! Thank God!

 

[TOR]

He eventually went away on his own. I set out a trap and he just never came back! Thank God!

If your Run, coop are secure enough animals (predators) will come by. If there is no meal they will move on eventually.
Possum are more opportunist, not that a possum will not attack or eat a chicken. Given the chance a possum will. A adult possum will.
I notice the the bottom of your run. Looks like brick or block. If the brick or block is not fastened it is possible a animal could pull the brick, dig make it loose than pull it. Raccoon are pretty crafty that way.
The biggest thing you can do is get a game camera, you might be surprised what animals come lurking about at night.

 

[cubalaya]

possums will kill chickens. they will kill chicks. they are the most abundant predator that we have around here. i trap and kill many every year. is my coop secure? i have electric fence that keeps out bear, fox, coyote, and dogs but somehow possums still get in. maybe they are too dumb to know they are being shocked. a few year back i had a huge boar possum kill my oldest and very valuable asil hen. he was so big he couldnt fit in my trap. i would watch the trap at night and when he came, i went out with my shotgun and every time he would disapear when i went outside. i finally figured out that he was jumping on the side of a tree, hiding from me. i shot him out of the tree. i never relocate any coon or possum. i kill them

 

[mowin]

I wish I was brave enough to grab him like that lol im scared of those things

DON'T grab him by the tail. You could end up with a handful of infected, diseased ridden teeth.

The opossum playing opossum is true, to a point. Yes, if you were to grab it within 15 second or so of it playing dead, you might be okay. The defense doesn't last long, and you could be the one to test that theory.

 

[Nyhillbillies]

OP said possum, not coon.

Oops. Opossums can climb, and dig under fencing. I don’t know what kind of strength they have.

 

[DLA]

Never ever had a problem with predators in my 7 years of owning chickens. I got a huge Possum coming every night around their run and coop. Husband has been working while he shows up and I'm not good with a gun. So my question is are they good at getting in? He looks lazy moves slow.

Did you have any luck at getting rid of your possum? What did you finally do?

I had the same thing happen to me today. Darn thing was just wandering around checking out my girls at about 5pm like I wasn't standing right there watching it. They aren't the brightest creatures. But my possum won't be back - lead poisoning.

 

[DLA]

possums will kill chickens. they will kill chicks. they are the most abundant predator that we have around here. i trap and kill many every year. is my coop secure? i have electric fence that keeps out bear, fox, coyote, and dogs but somehow possums still get in. maybe they are too dumb to know they are being shocked. a few year back i had a huge boar possum kill my oldest and very valuable asil hen. he was so big he couldnt fit in my trap. i would watch the trap at night and when he came, i went out with my shotgun and every time he would disapear when i went outside. i finally figured out that he was jumping on the side of a tree, hiding from me. i shot him out of the tree. i never relocate any coon or possum. i kill

possums will kill chickens. they will kill chicks. they are the most abundant predator that we have around here. i trap and kill many every year. is my coop secure? i have electric fence that keeps out bear, fox, coyote, and dogs but somehow possums still get in. maybe they are too dumb to know they are being shocked. a few year back i had a huge boar possum kill my oldest and very valuable asil hen. he was so big he couldnt fit in my trap. i would watch the trap at night and when he came, i went out with my shotgun and every time he would disapear when i went outside. i finally figured out that he was jumping on the side of a tree, hiding from me. i shot him out of the tree. i never relocate any coon or possum. i kill them

I

possums will kill chickens. they will kill chicks. they are the most abundant predator that we have around here. i trap and kill many every year. is my coop secure? i have electric fence that keeps out bear, fox, coyote, and dogs but somehow possums still get in. maybe they are too dumb to know they are being shocked. a few year back i had a huge boar possum kill my oldest and very valuable asil hen. he was so big he couldnt fit in my trap. i would watch the trap at night and when he came, i went out with my shotgun and every time he would disapear when i went outside. i finally figured out that he was jumping on the side of a tree, hiding from me. i shot him out of the tree. i never relocate any coon or possum. i kill them

The big possum I had wouldn't go in the trap despite trying many different bait. It was quite large also. I finally just followed it from a distance and found where it was denning up (old groundhog burrow). Sat there patiently till it poked it's head back out then shot it. Nice thing about that is I didn't have to try and dig a hole to bury it in half frozen soil. Just threw some lime on it and filled in the entrance to the den with some big rocks. I know there will be more, there always are.

 

[shannon84]

What have you done to secure your coop?

Not sure what he used when he built it. I can take pictures.