Will a oppossums eat chickens???

[Jesseschickens]

Im kinda scared I live in the middle of nowhere and I love my hens!

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

if hungry enough yes but most tend to just want eggs

 

[Olive Hill]

Opossums are lazy opportunists. If there is anything at all easier for them to eat instead, they tend to choose that. But yes, they can and do attack, kill and eat chickens. They tend to maul their prey which is one way to guess whether or not they are your culprit as most other predators have a more ... orderly... approach. Raccoons are a much more meddlesome predator in most areas.

If you lock your chickens up tightly at night however, your chances of problems should be slim.

 

[TreeHugger]

Yes!!! I've not gotten very many eggs lately and thought the hens were just taking a break. Saturday morning I had a possum in my chicken house and one of my beautiful silkie hens was missing her head. This is the first incident I've had in years and it took me about an hour to figure out how he got in. Since my egg production has gone way up since Saturday I'm thinking he was eating eggs and then decided to get a bird. I figured out he had been camping out under my feed shed

 

[Jesseschickens]

I was wondering because I get home late from cheerleading practice and I have three buff oprpingtons that I have to move inside since Its getting warmmer they are celebrating spring. The opposum was out side there run and I was a foot away from him. thank you for ur help!

 

[centrarchid]

Oppossums will persistantly go after chickens they can reach. I overcome by making roost and nest out of reach. Problem I have noticed is that birds bitten by a oppossum have a high risk of dying from infection even though damage minor.

If design of roosting area / coop to be tweaked, then consider that oppossums maybe good climbers when they can wrap fingers around something but they are very poor jumpers. I also keep feed / feeders well away from roost to keep concentrated oppossum traffic away from sleeping birds. Oppossums visit me first to consume chicken feed with chickens being targets of opportunity.

 

[BeccaB00]

Looks like you got your answer. Opposums will go for the easiest meal.

The babies, in my experience, always disapear first. As with eggs.

I agree with centrarchid, It'll help to put the roosts out of reach

 

[guineahen14]

You would be wise to trap and get rid of any predator, including oppossums, that come around your chickens. Chickens when sleeping have to be the easiest meal they all can get.

 

[HappyChickenLover]

old big mean ones will eat chickens in a heart beat

 

[Talihofarms]

I dispached one last Spring in the Middle of eating my Emden Goose.

A chicken is easy prey at night.

So the answer is yes.



Best of Luck