Possums/opossums whatever they are called.....

[ILoveJoe]

Quote:
What?!

Don't feed the Troll.

 

[p2chick]

Thanks...so can i just get the hardware cloth from my local home depot or lowes??

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

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Yup. Not cheap. But the safety of the birds is worth it.

We have a possum that lives under our neighbors porch. A skunk(Stella and family) that lives nearby. And a raccoon that lives just down the hill. Plus the neighborhood cats and dogs.
Yard is fenced so the dogs cant get in. But we used hardware clothe all around the run. Chicken wire as a buried apron around the run and under the floor of the coop/shed

 

[lleighmay]

Oblio13 wrote:
Possums are opportunists, but they aren't particularly aggressive about it - no where near what raccoons, weasels, etc. are.

They're pretty easy to tame, and they make good pets, believe it or not.

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I agree with the above, especially the "opportunist" part. Possums aren't diggers, but they do climb. They're more of a hazard to your garden and fruit trees than to your chickens. I'm rehabbing 8 babies right now (their mama was hit by a car) and, believe it or not, as soon as they're big enough they will be moving into a section of the chicken run (sans chickens of course) to learn to fend for themselves before I release them in the woods behind the house.

 

[kyle7630]

Those are some ugly critters! lol. Cool that you are rehabing them though.

 

[silkiechicken]

If you have possums, you probably have raccoons too. Raccoons are the ones you really want to protect your birds from. Coons hunt, possums are usually opportunists.

 

[lleighmay]

Oh I know I've got possums, coons (fur-clad structural/mechanical engineers), skunks, mink and weasels, bobcats, coyotes, the occasional mountain lion, and bears. Not to mention hawks and owls of all sizes, snakes, stray dogs, my dogs (which I can control but don't trust as far as I can throw them if left to their own devices) , and whatever else happens to walk or fly by. With the exception of the mountain lions the rest are pretty numerous. I live in sparsely inhabited farm/woodlands in the mountains next to a major river (which is why I love it here) and I've got things buttoned up the best I can and I plan to keep a close watch on any attempted or actual break-ins so adjustments can be made from there. Just my personal feelings (and not to dispute anyone else's opinion or actions to the contrary)- I chose to keep chickens here and I love them dearly so if I've done everything I can to keep them safe and still give them a decent life I can't fault another animal for trying to do what comes naturally and make its own living. Basically I feel it'll my fault if something happens, not the fault of the animal who took advantage of the situation.

 

[rooster-red]

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Excellent posting.