What predator will kill like this???

[chkn]

So far the only intruders in my coop have been possums, to my knowledge and the only killers. Others here have said they eat the eggs and some of the bigger ones try and knock the hens off their roosts. I've caught a big one doing just that. The ones that jump off are "done for" and it's a slow, miserable, terrifying death I'm sure. You're going to have to lock them down good at night now. I had to learn the hard way myself a year or so ago. I'd go for months and years with no trouble, then it happens when you're not there to intervene. No, possums are up to NO GOOD in your coop.

 

[Roosterserg]

Didnt know possums can kill chickens, What precaution can i take as i plan to leave my chicken room free in my yard ?

 

[chkn]

I guess possums do come out in the day sometimes (I can't say for sure because when I've caught them in my coop it's 2-4:00 a.m.). They're pretty slow. If the chickens are out ranging that shouldn't be a problem. You may have other problems during the day but I doubt possums. There are some pretty gnarly possum stories here where the possums try and knock and chicken down off a roost. You know how chickens are at night, they are pretty helpless and slow. Now when I lost a hen last year (I almost always left my run door open at night because I'd never had a death for years and years) I suppose it could have been a raccoon but I've never ever seen one here only possums. We went on vacation for a week and that's when it happened. I had a friend looking after them. I so seldom had anything happen and no fatalities that when I did do a lockdown I wouldn't do it for too long. No, possums, generally like to do their dirty work in the dark. Some people will claim they don't kill chickens but there are many here who have caught them in the act. The last one I scared out of the coop at night was big and it didn't really scare. I finally had to take a hose and give him a high pressure spraying. He did get a move on then. He was climbing up to where some of the hens roosted and they were making a big ruckus. I can only imagine he was trying to knudge one off her perch. Unfortunately, I lost a big beautiful blonde buff orphington that way. She jumped down and ran outside into the run area and she was just a sitting duck in the dark poor thing. It must have been a noisy night in the neighborhood. No don't be fooled by the possums. They are everywhere and they are opportunists.

 

[Pink Delphinium]

So sorry this happened to your chicken. An owl kills like that.

 

[chkn]

Okay, so here's a thread on small possum killing small chickens in a day time raid just posted today.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=526388

I wonder if someone has any big possum killing a full grown chicken in a daytime raid?

 

[alexalet]

Poor chickens!

youre probably goin

! Sounds like a racoon attack maybe

. Sorry for your loss

 

[Mrs.Carron]

That is awful, I am so sorry. I haven't had a problem yet, but I have been doing a lot of research about predators. I have read that weasles will attack like that and eat only the crops and heads. They can also fit through a 1x1 inch opening. I pray all goes well.

 

[egg-stra special chic]

My son and I have made several trips every night since Sunday night to the coops. We have went at different times as late as 2 a.m. So far we have only killed off the 2 possums. We have not saw anything since then. No other intruders. I do know that something is coming around though we are just missing it. I have 1 hen that refuses to lay in a nesting box she layes in a garbage can (where the chickens free range during the day) that was originally set up for my ducks. I have left the egg in there everyday on purpose to try and catch something. The last 2 nights the egg has been eaten before we would get down there. Any thoughts on that since none of the chickens have been bothered??? Am I just setting myself up by leaving the egg in the can??? Just not real sure what to do, we have tossed around the thought of baiting the intruder with some type of meat. I dont want to do anything that will draw varmits to the coops.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
try some cheetos for bait or some type of stinky cheese it almost sounds like a skunk they can squeeze through some pretty tight places

 

[Cynth]

You have a skunk it sounds like. they do that also. Make a mess and eat the eggs. I only know because it happened to me this morning and the skunk was still in there. I am sick about it.