Was it murder? Dead duck inquiry...

[Wraith]

Opossums are brazen. We had one in our yard when I was a kid and my dad shot near it to scare it off. It just made a mean look and showed its teeth. Never understood why he didn't go ahead and shoot it because it almost bit me. It would come up on the back porch and when I went out to get would, there it was. It happened two or three times. I smacked it off the porch once with a fire log and that didn't faze it. I hope you can take care of it.

 

[Linda in San Diego]

A full grown possum can be quite large. We have them in our area and one night, long ago, we came out the front door and up in the tree was a huge mama possum.

Thing is, you can trap them so easily. We put a trash barrel with a treat in the bottom next to a table, and they jumped right in and could not get out. No fancy trap needed. .... I don't think I will explain how we "thought" of this idea - just know two open trash barrels were never quite the same after we "learned" they would do such a silly and deadly thing.

 

[moenmitz]

Oh I wish I would have read your trash can idea before I spent $46.99 on a trap this afternoon! Oh well, it is baited with a nice stinky piece of salmon, and the ducks are locked in th turkey cage, the geese in a smaller pen anyway, easier to observe. Trap is set up right in front of it, and DH is hiding out with the .22 again. I think he fell asleep last night ebcause he wasn't REALLY convinced we had a predator- he still thought maybe it just died and the others had been pecking at it. Tonight we noticed the poor Rouen duck was standing kinda funny, sort of hunched up. I went and got him and found he had bite marks on his back, between the shoulder blades. Not deep, just barely there, and a few feathers missing. Apparently he had a REAL close call. Never did find the other missing runner. I suspect he got out through the woven wire fence when things got ugly, fast little bugger. Unfortunately, he was not likely any safer on the outside, and I am sure he was eaten by soemthing else since he has not come home.

Seems I worried about all the wrong predators....hawks, owls, snakes, coons, cats, coyotes, foxes, weasels....opossum never crossed my mind for some reason. I will let you knwo if we get him....

 

[Cetawin]

Advice...get a bigger gun. I have shot possum with a .22 and merely ticked it off. They can get really big. Good luck getting it, I hate the overgrown rodents. eeeewwwww

 

[moenmitz]

Well, last night was a bust. No Opossum, or any other predator. DH slept with the geese though, and maybe his scent scared them away. I am wondering if it might not be a mink? We are near the river, and the Rouen duck had bite marks on his back, between the shoulder blades, and we thought we smelled a funky odor- somewhere between skunk and cat pee...does that sound more like mink? If it is, perhaps our bait was not appropriate for trapping one of those. DH just informed me that he has a 20 gauge shotgun, NOT a .22. Like I know the difference! Apparently, a gun is not a gun...lol

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

I lost my Pekin, and the rest of my chickens to coons last october. All of them had their necks/chests gaped and the entrails were strewn about everywhere. That was the chickens at least.

My poor Pekin had been standing next to the fence and they grabbed him and drug him through the fence, breaking his neck before they ripped him apart.

Later that afternoon, I not only found coon fur all over the fence post, but my older brother followed a trail of feathers and coon tracks through the woods, which led to one of my chickens that I had not seen, and more tracks.

All that week we heard the raccoons chattering in the woods near the pen, and my brother even saw a few massive ones running around back there.

The thing with coons is, they only go for certain things and leave the carcasses.

Raccoons and I are NOT best friends...Yuck I hate them.

 

[mtnhomechick]

Well, I HATE OPPOSSUMS!!! OK..........I'll stop beating aroung the bush here..............I HATE, LOATHE AND DESPISE THE DASTURDLY CREATURES. Long story short. I feed feral cats......sort of ..cuz now they are friendly and come to me so maybe more outdoor cats now. I had a possum in my yard by the cat feeder one night after dark.........right outside my back door. I don't even know how to shoot a rifle and my hunter husband was asleep........BUT I do have a 380 that I carry for protection when I go walking alone........another story. Anyway, I just opened my back door and observed that arrogant creature look at me like it was his/her yard not mine and I blew the sucker away.

Traps work great for oppossums. I have caught them in traps too and take great pleasure in watching my dh blow them away while caged.

The garbage can sounds like a reliable hoot. Never thought of it........ingenious. Now, Raccoons are not so easy.

I don't know if I could put a suffering pet down...........but possums, coons etc. I can kill like Annie Oakley and I came from the city a year ago. This county life is teaching me volumes.

Good luck .......... whatever it is hope you get it.

 

[moenmitz]

I am SO frustrated!! Set the trap every night, and still, nothing. No more attacks, thank goodness, but whatever it is is still out there!! I read that opossums are transitory, and usually only stick around a few days...and that mink hunt every 10-14 days. Problem is, neither of these guys totally fit the bill for what did this. I realize animals dont necessarily read their descriptions, and may be inclined to act differently, but it is SO frustrating, not knowing what we are up against for sure, and if and when it will strike again! Meanwhile we are spending 30 minutes every night locking up all the cats (the lazy buggers who are supposed to be controlling predators, lol!) because THEY are the only thing we are catching in the trap! At least we know it works....

 

[Jenski]

moenmitz, how small are the holes your mystery preds are using to get in your run/coop?

 

[lleighmay]

Possums are not hunters- they're opportunists/scavengers/omnivores who eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and insects. Yes, if a chick walked right under their nose they might eat it and they'll eat eggs if they find them but they are not out there stalking poultry and figuring out how to burglarize your facility like a coon, weasel, or fox. They won't snatch chickens through a fence. If a possum finds a dead creature it will certainly feed off it but rarely are they killers except incidentally. Possums will happily co-exist with cats and share the same feeder and they RARELY carry rabies. Sure they look like an overgrown "rat" but they've been the same way for millions of years and are actually quite fascinating. They are America's only marsupial. The "mean look/showing teeth" is reflexive and even tiny babies too young to be on their own will do it automatically. IMHO you're wasting your time focusing on possums when they're not likely to be the problem at all.