Possums are Chicken Killers

msnelson · May 20, 2008

Hi to everyone. New to this love of chickens. Had a few hens when I was about 8 but now Im almost 50 and I jumped into "Chickens" again. Too fast this time. Got four hens and my family fell for them. Built a nice "house" for them. Backyard was fenced in and they seemed very happy. Have not seen a coon for many years. No one warned me and never read about it but I lost them to a possum. Blamed my dog and wife initially. Got three more hens thinking it was my dog and lost two more during the night. Caught the possum the next night. He is gone. My lone survivor goes to bed about 7 and is locked in every night. Hope others can learn from my mistake.

tx_dane_mom · May 20, 2008

Thanks for posting that! Makes me feel a bit better. I just shot a one in my backyard night before last and I felt guilty but my husband said it would kill my chickens, so he had to go.
Kristi

buffy-chickchick · May 21, 2008

Just as a heads up, opossums will eat ANYthing left outside including dogfood and catfood. So do not tempt them. Also they can get into anything, chicken wire ALONE does not stop them. S Georgia opossums get HUGE, over 30 lbs for some older ones, our 85lb dog just looks at them and says no-way am i gonna mess wid dat!!

Bi0sC0mp · May 21, 2008

glad i dont have that issues here in fla we live out in the country but what helps me is we have serval neghbors that have deer dogs that run lose all day and all night chasing whatever they can find..they never bother my chickens just anything else they can chase..

chicknmania · May 21, 2008

We had a possum killing our chickens once. We trapped him in the barn one evening, turned all the bright lights on , and the radio on full blast. He dug his way OUT of the barn; we blocked the hole, he never came back !

equine chick · May 21, 2008

I get rid of possums whenever I see them. They not only are chicken killers but their manure spreads disease to horses called epm so whenever I see them I freak and have dh get rid of them.

Blooming chicks · May 21, 2008

They not only are chicken killers but their manure spreads disease to horses called epm...

Really?? Is this true? Geez, I had an opossum family living beside my horse barn in FL for 2 years and never thought a thing of it (this was before chickens).

SusanJoM · May 23, 2008

Okay, so there was a HUGE opossum out behind the house last night. Well....HUGE as in bigger than the 15# dog that was worrying it into a corner but really didn't want to have to deal with those T E E T H !!!!

Aargh.

So....what is a person to do? How do I get rid of opossums? I think the chickens are safe in their coop and run, so I'm not too worried about them, but it's never certain, and it seems like this is the second or third time in the past month that the dogs have insisted that I get up out of bed in the middle of the night and "Do something about it"....

I don't have any guns, and I don't have the hand strength for a pistol anyway. I'm afraid if I set a trap I'll catch a dozen or so friendly cats. I'm wondering about something like a taser? Hmmmm....I just Googled them, and they are expensive....

Aargh....

Susan

SusanJoM · May 23, 2008

Is this funny?
Here's what I got when I Googled Taser and Opossum

http://www.wkrg.com/news/article/man_charged_for_tasering_opossum/5817/

Susan

S n M Poultry · May 23, 2008

WOW! that is the most Ludacris(SP?)
(Not the raper) thing i have ever heard.

Possums are Chicken Killers

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msnelson

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tx_dane_mom

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buffy-chickchick

In the Brooder

Bi0sC0mp

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chicknmania

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equine chick

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Blooming chicks

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SusanJoM

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