Sneaky Possum

[OzarkChooks]

OK, we have a possum problem. We have caught it trying to sneak into the coop, but it runs off into the woods before we can get it. It is also eating eggs and I am fairly certain now that it ate one of my hens at the beginning of spring. We keep setting traps for it but it remains elusive. Any advice on catching it?

 

[ashcons]

Your best bet is shielding the birds using hardware cloth to keep predators away/out of the run & coop.

DP trap using sardines work for possum and raccoons if you're looking to rehome it underground.

Live trap with some kind of oily fish or cat food may work, but animals are more wary of live traps because they're going into an enclosed space rather than sticking their grubby paws into a hole as with the DP.

If you have pet cats, I doubt that the DP traps are also CP.

 

[Dakota8472]

Your best bet is shielding the birds using hardware cloth to keep predators away/out of the run & coop.

DP trap using sardines work for possum and raccoons if you're looking to rehome it underground.

Live trap with some kind of oily fish or cat food may work, but animals are more wary of live traps because they're going into an enclosed space rather than sticking their grubby paws into a hole as with the DP.

If you have pet cats, I doubt that the DP traps are also CP.

also from personal experience shaking a live opossum out of a catch cage isn't fun. my neighbor growing up was just starving it in the cage so we risked getting our faces eaten to let it out.... wonder if it ever bothered her chickens again lol. she used a can of tuna to get it in there.

 

[mowin]

Opossum is the most easiest to trap. There downright stupid.
If your loosing chicken's to them, you really need to upgrade your coop and run to be predator proof.