Possum

[Vamvakas]

There's one in every thread.

Yet, there's always that one Joe Schmo who tells the truth how it is.

 

[fowl farm]

Vamvakas, there is no denying that a fox or raccoon does a lot of damage, more so than a possum. However, that was not the point of this thread. Imerklein was simply trying to figure out how to deal with the possum that was terrorizing the chickens.
I have had trouble with both foxes and possums. Yes, the fox took more of my flock. But the possum took birds too. When it comes down to it, most people, and I'm sure even you, try to remove the threat when it appears whether or not it could be something worse. A predator is still a predator, no matter the form.

 

[mancina]

I lost a hen to a possum. My coop is a cheap Ware coop, but we modified it to be predator-proof. We put spring latches on all the openings and covered the bottom of the run with 2" x 4" wire mesh to thwart digging animals. All this is fine unless you forget to close the coop, which is exactly what I did one night. There had been a huge possum wandering around our yard every evening, but I had no idea they ate hens! No, they could never catch a waking hen, but all they have to do is walk up to a sleeping hen and take her. So don't worry about your free-ranging hens during the day (at least don't worry about possums), but make sure they are secure at night. And possums can fit through pretty small spaces.