Will possum attack chickens during the day?

[Ccort]

I have a possum INSIDE a birdhouse (there were no birds or eggs in the birdhouse) in my yard. My girls usually free range all day. Would a possum attack during the day? How do I handle this? It is CRAMMED in there.

 

[SilverBirds]

Looks like he's using the bird house as his den. Opossums are nocturnal and very rarely find food during the day. Even if he was on the hunt for something to eat, I doubt he'd go after the chickens. They're pretty lazy and aren't very fast, and that one looks juvenile, so the chickens could easily outrun or fend him off.

At night it's a whole other story. If your coop isn't secure, opossums can easily climb up onto the perch of roosting chickens and take one by surprise.

 

[ThePhoebeFive]

A friend of mine has had issues with opossums in the coop during the day, but it was going after eggs, not the chickens. Not sure if they would go for the chickens during the day.

 

[SilverBirds]

A friend of mine has had issues with opossums in the coop during the day, but it was going after eggs, not the chickens. Not sure if they would go for the chickens during the day.

Eggs and young chicks are a much easier meal to get then full grown chickens.

 

[Ccort]

Looks like he's using the bird house as his den. Opossums are nocturnal and very rarely find food during the day. Even if he was on the hunt for something to eat, I doubt he'd go after the chickens. They're pretty lazy and aren't very fast, and that one looks juvenile, so the chickens could easily outrun or fend him off.

At night it's a whole other story. If your coop isn't secure, opossums can easily climb up onto the perch of roosting chickens and take one by surprise.

I believe it's secure!

 

[TOR]

I have a possum INSIDE a birdhouse (there were no birds or eggs in the birdhouse) in my yard. My girls usually free range all day. Would a possum attack during the day? How do I handle this? It is CRAMMED in there.View attachment 3561561

Possum will move in daytime if hungry enough as will raccoon, but are more nocturnal. Possum is more opportunistic. A possum would go eat eggs and chicken feed rather kill the chicken.

Any eggs and feed around?

Thou a possum given a chance and hungry enough would kill a chicken. I would say at night when chicken are more defenseless. Chickens will outrun a possum.

Raccoon and possum can carry parasites, disease.

Options set up camera, see what happens.
live trap and kill it
trap it and kill it
shoot it
in most places it is against the law to relocate, you would need check local laws.

 

[Ccort]

I noticed today that the opposums bedding is the wood he chewed off from the birdhouse. I didn't actually know they chew wood. Those of you with opossums as potential predators, isn't that a concern with our wooden chicken coops?

 

[Red Mangrove]

Possums are the most viscous nocturnal predators I have around here. They vacuum up and massacre anything they can touch. I actually caught one in my coop around a week ago that had murdered around five baby chicks and destroyed a clutch of eggs

My chicks that chose to sleep outside in trees are safe from predators, but that possum massacred all of the fools that slept in the death box

Possum is now in my meat-bucket for the record. Natural selection also applies to predators on my farm

 

[Member 671655]

Just killed a possum trying to get to my baby chicks again

 

[Penpal]

A possum killed my hen on Monday, about 2:00 in the afternoon. Lots of possums around, they never killed my hens or chicks before.