possums

[lobster omlette]

Hello all new at this. Will possums go after my flock at night?

 

[ontimeborzoi]

Yes. And I have been astounded at how small a hole they can slip thru! The 2 x 4 welded wire does not even slow one down. Who knew?!

 

[petejd]

Quote:
X2

 

[Jobele]

They can get through almost any wire and they can climb like monkeys....it's amazing what they can get through......their teeth are very very sharp.....and LORD help you if you get one cornered. They will bite you in a second! They will wipe out your flock of chickens! Be very careful. The only thing that I have found that works for all the night predators is 1/4" welded wire.

 

[Terri O]

I beg to differ. I have never had a possum attack anything. Yes they will eat your feed and your eggs, but I do not think they kill stuff. THey do however like to eat the carnage after a raccoon or weasel does it's damage! T

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They love the taste of chicken, chicken feed, scratch, everything.
I've lost more to possums than coons but have lost to both. Lost the most to dogs and the least to hawks.

This works.

 

[FarmGirl01]

I've lost more birds to possums than any other animal. Skunks are my second problem.

 

[darkmatter]

 

[LindsayB]

I've never had one attack my birds, they always come in to eat the feed. Our coop stays locked up at night and the only way they get in is a 2-3 inch gap around the roof for ventilation. I really need to cover it with wire to keep them out. So far our GSD has killed about 12 this year inside the chicken coop. He'll start barking at night, I'll open the coop, and he will grab it and kill it...I think he really LOVES to kill possums, lol. Now that we are getting some good rain here I haven't had a problem with anything trying to get in the coop. But over the summer and into the fall when the drought was the worst here, possums were a real problem.

 

[Imp]

There are enough posts about possums killing chickens that I'd be hard pressed to argue, but my chicken's next door neighbors are possums. They've been there longer than the chickens. They have never gone after the chickens or eggs, but have gone after the feed. This last spring I kept finding a young/little possum in the coop filling up. I couldn't figure out how it was getting in, so one night I just let it eat, then scared it to watch it leave. It layed on it's back and wiggled through the corner on the chain link door. Fixed it, so now they are limited to cat food left overs. I have wondered if they are more likely to go after the chickens in the dark. A nice warm meal, that doesn't fight back.

When scared or cornered they do sound like they are channeling the devil, but I kinda think it's a lot of bluster. I have never had one try to bite me, and I have been known to pet them.

Imp- of the one finger clan.