Pullets attacked and won't go back in the coop. Help

Chickiemom25

Crowing
12 Years
May 13, 2011
583
248
271
North Alabama
One of my girls was attacked about 5 weeks ago. Lost alot of feathers and down but I cleaned her up, treated her and she has been back to laying for a while now. Then last night, something ( opossum most likely) got in the coop, took Snowball who was a Plymouth Rock and NOT tiny, and gutted her. We are so sad. I have been gathering up the first one who was attacked each night and putting her back in the coop. Now neither she or my Americana will go into the coop. They seem to feel safe in the big dog crate so I locked them in there last night. I need to put door on the coop. These are the first problems we have had in a year.

My daughter wants to catch the opossum and watch it die she is so mad at it, I really resent having to pay $100 to move a predator but I heard it is illegal to kill them. So my 2 questions are; what to do with the murderer and how do I get my girls to like their coop again so I don't have to play hide and go seek at sundown.
 
Well the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago thankfully, It was midnight, but I was outside, and heard the chickens going crazy so I went to check on them. They were all over the yard so I picked them up, and put them back up in the coop. I then went to check for eggs, and sitting their was the BIGGEST possum I've ever seen! so we shot him and threw him in the woods, but for a whole week, our roo wouldn't go in the coop, he would roost right outside the coop. After a week of just putting him back in the coop he would go on his room. (there was possum blood in the coop and it helped when we completely cleaned out the coop I suggest you do this....) If you put a door on the coop, with just a simple latch on it, it should be fine as long as you remember to latch it each night..... If this doesn't work, put a humane trap by the chicken coop with chicken liver in it, and when you catch the possum just drive 30 or 40 miles and just dump him of the side of the highway....

Hope this helps
-Caleb
 

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