Possum We Caught

[MissPrissy]

While we sleep there are many strange critters wandering the night looking to feast. We have been over run with cats and their kittens this fall more than any other creature. We have been catching the wild cats in a trap and taking them down to the county animal shelter. The last time we were in there the worker was very rude. I just smiled and said, "I'll see you all tomorrow. Have a nice day!" as I left. For a week we took a cat or kitten down there every single day. I just am not the crazy cat lady type.

This is the what we caught thursday night -

This is an american o'possum - about the size of a cat. This is what will kill every chicken I have given the chance. It is so ugly it makes me shiver to look at it.

 

[justusnak]

Wow, what a nasty little critter. Glad yoy caught it, before it got to your chickens!! Once you removed all the cats, or most of them, the possum had free range. Good catch! Bye bye possum!

 

[lacyloo]

wow possums are so stubid iv caught 3 and let the go

but they are weired looking

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Yeah but boy do they make for good eating.

Good catch MissPrissy. Try not to catch any coyotes or bears in that thing.
Then the animal guy will get really rude. Hmmm, come to think of it, catch a
bear and let it loose at animal control. Bring a camera.

 

[cchaeuser]

Yeah, Missy!

I have caught three this year! Coon prints on my coop this morning too, but nothing in the havahart. I lock my birds up at night, so not worried there...........I have two geese to keep them at bay, just would like to catch the buggers, that's all.

 

[jab91864]

Do the geese really keep the predators at bay at night ??

I've never had geese, although I've got some runner ducks that seem to like to spend a lot of time wandering and "talking" amongst themselves at night.

I woke up around 4ish this morning to the sound of one of my chickens squawking. I'm a pretty light sleeper and the window nearest my chicken yard was open.

I ran out into the night wearing my night gear, barefoot in the rain, with a led flashlight in one hand and a barbecue fork in the other and my trusty wiener dog at my heels.

We managed to startle a opossum who ran for the woods. I had a crate and an old bird cage , and a couple buckets stacked beside the backdoor of the coop. They were knocked over so I'm thinking maybe the opossum was trying to climb to get into the run and when it knocked stuff over the chickens got upset.

I walked the perimeter inside and out of the chicken yard and when I look inside the coop everyone looks fine ....well maybe a little put out they were woke up...lol.

I think I will offer my teenage son a bounty for every trapped critter.....other then the old cat that is. Had some coons hanging around in the late spring, early summer but no problems since then.

Julie

 

[BlueDevilGirl67]

Caught a possum yesterday and now he is dinner for the vultures.

 

[JenniferJoIN]

Yuck. Those things are so ugly!

I'm glad you got to him before he got to your chickens!

 

[rufus]

OK, when my Dad was young he fell in with some bad company and bummed around the country with some Gypsy folks. He said they would catch a oppossum, kill it and gut it, and then roll it into a big ball of mud. Then they would bake it in the ashes of the fire, rolling the ball around occasionally to ensure that it was baked evenly.

When it cooled sufficiently, they would break the mud ball up and pull it off off the critter. This would pull all of the fur off of it. He said they were really good, but he was exceptionally hungry at the time. Luckily, Arizona is a oppossum free area, and so he never made us eat one.

I am curious if anyone here has actually eaten one of these critters?

Rufus