Do possums eat the chickens or the eggs or both?

[Eva Haley-Lock]

lock your girls up at night. if you don't have a good run, make one.

 

[BigWooly]

The problem with spay/neuter campaigns is they do NOTHING to protect the animals that truely matter in your ecosystem. I love all animals period. But cats are an invasive species just like feral hogs, end of story. A spayed/neutered cat can and will decimate birds, lizards, frogs, snakes and many other species that are native and essential to your area.

 

[nursekim3764]

Last night I came home a little later than planned (9 pm) to lock up my girls (seven 7 weeks old chickens and two 4 week old ducks). I normally have them all locked up in the shed (made into a coop) by dark. One of my chicks was screaming something awful. I found a baby possum INSIDE the coop, and none of my girls were hurt, THANK GOD. I got them locked up and my husband got the little rodent down by spraying it with water, it retreated to a 2 inch hole & went under the shed. Yes, I said 2 inch hole. I don't know how it got thru there. I knew they were safe overnight because before converted this shed I had laid all new flooring & reinforced it all, nothing will get inside. But now I'm bummed that we didn't kill it. I leave white rope lights on at night around the coop, so it didn't seem to mind the lights, it was back 1 hr later, but outside the coop this time because I blocked its hole with bricks. I think it got out the back side of the shed, as there was a little hole. Today I am digging around & filling in all of the outside of the shed with bricks, lots of them. and I bought a trap on amazon today. (I WILL WIN!) I will not accept any deaths, I am new to chickens and these are my pets! My fear now are a few things:
#1- where was the mom? Is there other babies close by?
#2- is there a nest under my shed?!?!? (the hole is exited in the back looked small). But this was my husbands thought.
#3- can they move bricks? How strong are they?
#4- did I get home just in time to prevent a massacre??
I hardly slept a wink last night.......
Back to digging now I go!
Any input would be much appreciated!!!

 

[Attila the Hen]

Last night I came home a little later than planned (9 pm) to lock up my girls (seven 7 weeks old chickens and two 4 week old ducks). I normally have them all locked up in the shed (made into a coop) by dark. One of my chicks was screaming something awful. I found a baby possum INSIDE the coop, and none of my girls were hurt, THANK GOD. I got them locked up and my husband got the little rodent down by spraying it with water, it retreated to a 2 inch hole & went under the shed. Yes, I said 2 inch hole. I don't know how it got thru there. I knew they were safe overnight because before converted this shed I had laid all new flooring & reinforced it all, nothing will get inside. But now I'm bummed that we didn't kill it. I leave white rope lights on at night around the coop, so it didn't seem to mind the lights, it was back 1 hr later, but outside the coop this time because I blocked its hole with bricks. I think it got out the back side of the shed, as there was a little hole. Today I am digging around & filling in all of the outside of the shed with bricks, lots of them. and I bought a trap on amazon today. (I WILL WIN!) I will not accept any deaths, I am new to chickens and these are my pets! My fear now are a few things:
#1- where was the mom? Is there other babies close by?
#2- is there a nest under my shed?!?!? (the hole is exited in the back looked small). But this was my husbands thought.
#3- can they move bricks? How strong are they?
#4- did I get home just in time to prevent a massacre??
I hardly slept a wink last night.......
Back to digging now I go!
Any input would be much appreciated!!!

I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I would not kill it. A baby possum is unlikely to kill a chicken and in general I do not believe a grown possum will kill a chicken. I say this only because I have had grown possums in my yard and they have never bothered the chickens or tried to get in the coop--this was the case even when I had chicken wire because I didn't really know any better. Others have said that possums are opportunistic scavengers rather than hunters.

 

[nursekim3764]

I won't kill the ones I catch, I want to relocate them. I've just heard all the nightmare stories about what they are capable of. :-( Makes me sad!

 

[Attila the Hen]

I think people are overly fearful of possums because they think they are rodents. In fact they are not rodents but marsupials (like kangaroos) and the only ones in North America. They can not carry rabies and are really cowards. They play dead when they are afraid or bare a lot of useless teeth.
I find them very interesting and very much misunderstood creatures.
I am glad you want to protect your chickens--that's our job.

 

[bobbi-j]

Possums carry a disease that is very dangerous to horses. If you look at other threads, you will find people who have had possums eat their chickens. They don't get to live a long life if they show up here. And for those of you who want to "relocate" them, please don't. I really don't want to have your now trap-wise problem animal living here getting into my chicken coop or killing my horses through disease.

 

[blucoondawg]

Saying possums don't kill chickens because none have killed your chickens is ignorant and dangerous advice, many, many people have had chickens killed by possum. Relocating is terrible, not only is it illegal in many states but it also can lead to spread of disease, animals being killed by others competing for the area you introduced it to, and worst of all, you are adding an animal into an area where other people live and will have to deal with it coming after their chickens or tearing up their garbage or worse.

 

[aprophet]

I won't kill the ones I catch, I want to relocate them. I've just heard all the nightmare stories about what they are capable of. :-( Makes me sad!

When folks relocate them here most Farmers shoot them the next day . Glad I don't live near someone who pushes their problems off onto others

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I would not kill it. A baby possum is unlikely to kill a chicken and in general I do not believe a grown possum will kill a chicken. I say this only because I have had grown possums in my yard and they have never bothered the chickens or tried to get in the coop--this was the case even when I had chicken wire because I didn't really know any better. Others have said that possums are opportunistic scavengers rather than hunters.

No, a baby possum won't likely kill a chicken, but for the next 4 years it will. They're my number 3 chicken predator after raccoons and dogs.
They do prefer to eat eggs and waste feed but, if hungry, they'll climb up onto the roost and start chewing on your chicken. Worse yet, they waste a lot of the good meat.

When folks relocate them here most Farmers shoot them the next day . Glad I don't live near someone who pushes their problems off onto others

I hate killing an animal, especially one in a trap but opossums aren't endangered. When I catch one, I kill it.