I’m having this exact issue, have it all on trail cams. Our new possum has been back 2 times. I'm excited to share my passion for possums with you. document.write(CurrentYear) Possums definitely kill full grown chickens ? They are not rocket scientists, if you follow strict coop security you shouldn’t have too many problems with them. This was my mistake. My experience with a possum is very similar. I live in the San bois mountains in Oklahoma. I know they have certain benefits to being around, but when they become a nuisance and start costing me money via eggs and chickens…they are soup. Do Possums eat live Chicken? Therefore, you are advised not to leave anything at all. That is the best way to keep possums away. There is no mistaking the human look to their feet with opposable thumbs on the hind feet. Chickens especially chicks are highly vulnerable at night. The possum who got into my coop took one bird to eat and wounded 5 others severely. I have found a couple in my coops over the years and I ask them nicely to leave – don’t yell and scream at them you will only succeed in terrifying them. Required fields are marked *. Possums have no control over when they play dead or for how long they do it: The comatose-like state is an involuntary reaction triggered by stress. Will they eat chicken? Thus, you should place them somewhere inside the wooden house to prevent intruders. It was horrible. Yes, possums definitely eat chickens although chickens do not make up the major portion of their diet. Ms. Possum had our hen corned in the coop chewing on her. This possum has been after our chickens as this was the second attack within a few weeks. Possums may serve a purpose, but I’m not feeling charitable. I was visiting my sister and had my Pomeranian along (he was dad’s dog, took him in after). Opossums get a bum rap. Because chickens have small heads but big bodies, often all they can get is the head so they’ll eat that and leave. I also knew that possums would steal eggs and eat young birds if given the chance, but last fall I found out how destructive a hungry possum can be. Since possum are mainly nocturnal, you are unlikely to catch them in the act, but below are some clues to help you identify the culprit: Security! Somehow got the chickens out and locked it in there…will be calling animal control in am and locking them in the coop every night after this. A very lucky learning experience. She knows some people eat possums; she is not one of them. I have them come to my coop and eat an egg or 2 but nothing can come close to the mice and free exterminating service they give us in return. And yet, in all this time, I cannot recall a single instance when anyone ever saw, mentioned, or even heard a tale of a possum killing a chicken; *ever*. The sounds were horrible. We’ve relocated alot of the possums and we’ve gotten rid of them Ran out and saw a possum running from the injured hen. What Do Possums Eat and Are They Dangerous?. I’ve seen racoon’s shred chicken wire and even eat a chicken through the wire! Common problems and solutions. With a game camera I watch my possums check in periodically and eat table scraps and kitten chow. 2 months ago my dog came back limping and we took it to the vet…absolute proof the possum had bitten the dog! Snakes and pythons also eat possums. Usally the bigger ones. They have a long pointed face with a pink nose, black eyes and a long hairless tail. Could be a racoon killing your chickens and the possum comes around to clean up. They don’t usually eat the whole chicken, but only part, and many times it’s the head. Often, the condition in which you find your flock is an indicator of which predator is involved. We find that coons are much more visious and will kill your cat or small dog given half a chance.. no experience with chickens as we are vegans. In this article we explain how to spot the signs of an opossum attack, and how to protect your flock against an opossum attack. Greetings all..:): id say more likely a raccoon, possums are more scavengers then hunters, a coon will kill a chicken in a heartbeat though, and will eat the heads off of them. Opossums can, however, carry other diseases like tularemia, tuberculosis, spotted fever and toxoplasmosis. Baby chicks missing, no sign of them except maybe some feathers, perhaps a distressed mama. How To Keep Your Flock Safe. Do raccoons eat chickens? Some backyard chicken owners have claimed that raccoons have ONLY eaten the heads of their chickens and the headless body is left behind. Aside from that, I think one of my cats has fought it and got infected. I caught it and relocated it far, far away. This shows that they love to eat chickens just like we humans do. In this video becky explains a little bit about possums, and explains that yes possums do eat chickens.Be... You might be wondering, "Do possums eat chickens? Possums will eat practically any food source they can find and gain access to. It also makes the place look festive regardless of the season. Any others? Unless the bird was small, an owl is more likely to leave the carcass behind, with the head and neck missing. My chickens go into their coop at sunset but always go out to their run around midnight/1am & stir until sunrise. Opossums have sharp sense of smell. The chickens always give them room. “Powerful owls are devastating possum killers,” the story said. ". I dropped the trap in a can of water. If you are away from the coop often, consider an automatic pop/coop door. There have been some recorded cases of a large possum taking a full grown standard hen, but they much prefer smaller prey that they can consume in one sitting. They have a dirty white/grey fur with a white face and a mouth with 50 sharp, pointed teeth. At the same time, stew the possum tender in a tightly covered pan with a little water. Its search for a den site may lead it to an attic, chimney, or crawl space. Although an attack on your flock is a terrible thing, try to keep it in perspective. Maybe you should look into what having a so called Good Possum hanging around and what it carries and how it kills horses EPM! It is one of numerous predators that can attack your backyard chickens. As an avid writer and naturalist, I've learned the significant role possums play in an ecosystem. For instance, if you leave your dog’s or cat’s food in your backyard garden, you’ll be attracting many uninvited opossums. Yes, I have seen them and lots of raccoons in San Diego County as well. They’re extending their range – saw one in the Los Angeles area earlier this year. Of course, this tactic is easier said than done. They are so beneficial to us and people should learn before they kill them. Never does a Possum eat the whole bird. They will eat their kill where they find it. I’ve caught and relocated many of them for customers. That’s a good idea! We caught a HUGE possum (size of a miniature schnauzer!) Hawks and owls can pick off a chicken before you know it. Although they may not attack a standard hen, they will take bantams, chicks and eggs. Before you can protect your flock of chickens, you need to know what you are up against. They will make their dens out of tree trunks, abandoned burrows. Something was living in our barn loft. “They eat up to 300 possums a year each.” Our blogs and articles are updated regularly with many different important topics on care, purchasing tips, fun facts, and more. Th… I have always had a soft spot for Opossums,and raised many orphaned babies to later release. Possums are generally omnivores but they do take on animals that aren’t part of their staple diet. While they prefer to feed on small invertebrates opossums are also known to consume chickens. If you don’t, it will keep coming back for more. The possum ignored the barking, ate the leftover dog food, and left. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I ran him off with a board but I’m sure he’s around. What do possums like to eat? The opossum is a very useful animal to have in your yard. They are most active at night and move constantly in search of food. I kept noticing food missing & my chickens distraught. If they decide to eat a chicken, it will usually be baby chicks because they are smaller and easier to get. Oh Hell NO. I’ve never had one even look at a chicken. Let us know in the comments section below…. Claire. But now from a few new arrivals (mostly urban folks who’ve moved to the country) I’m hearing tales about these “nasty possums” attacking and killing their chickens. Racoon’s are another story. i even have a photo of a racoon and a possum , nose to nose, eating from the same dish! Possums do carry rabies, but only rarely, on account of their low body temperature. I have five hens. When I go out there first thing in the morning, they are loud & tell me all about it. If you encounter one in the coop chances are it’s looking for food and a place to sleep. A different way as well. Like raccoons, possums will probably leave remains only a small portion of chicken. For a long time we allowed the possums here to live free and enjoy the scraps that got left behind. I heard our rooster running for his life and found a possum in our chicken coop holding down my favorite hen. Good article. I had a younger hen and full grown hen killed last week. They are quite affordable; just a few bucks at the dollar store and the light will deter many other predators’ not just possums. And for the most part, opossums can be more friend than foe to the urban chicken-keeper. I have been feeding an opossum for about 6 months now, she comes up on my porch and she eats cat food, I even have a video of her, I was sitting on the porch, I had my music going, there’s rope lights on the each side of my porch, she’s actually come up on the porch and was eating cat food while the cat was laying right there where she could see him, she doesn’t seem to be scared of the cats, she look right at me and is really friendly, but what I’m worried about is, I know there’s possums at my son’s house back behind us that are killing the chickens and he says that he thinks that she’s killing them too, but I believe that she’s being well-fed up here and I can’t see why she would go kill chickens when she’s being fed so good, what is your feelings on this? My dogs are mostly indoors & I keep them away from the chickens so it’s not an option to leave them out there at night to detour the possums. They will eat bits and pieces of it. Tomorrow I’ll see what I can do for more security. We have been having a possum problem for a few months since my family has not been home so our dogs were not home either. Growing up we had chickens, rabbits, goats etc. – Possum Chicken Relationship, North America’s only Marsupial – Virginia Opossum, What Do Australian Possums Eat? I’ve never seen a possum attack a chicken. Once you find your poor hen all torn apart!!! Just too many that you wouldn’t even notice. I lost 26 chickens to possums. Not sure what we can do other than reinforce again. Possums, also known as opossums, are small animals found mainly in the eastern US states. It was very strange. Therefore, if you doubt that your chickens are disappearing each passing day and that there are opossums living near your backyard gardens, then it is most certainly the opossum that actively hunts your chickens and not your pet dog or a cat. A possum needs a relatively large hole to squeeze into, but other much smaller predators can slip through anything larger than a ½ inch. Let's stay updated! The racoons are alot smarter and are harder to trap. You can try motion activated lights too. Like raccoons, possums will probably leave remains only a small portion of chicken. First chicken we heard nothing – just found tons of feathers and a headless body. Ann, are you closing the coop door right at sunset? They are attracted to just about any nearby food even if that food doesn’t really belong to them. If you find a chicken without a head in the middle of the yard or run, the most likely culprit is a large owl such as a Great Horned Owl. Attempts to live trap with wet cat food and canned sardines have failed. Problem was, the coop is up on small thin bricks in case of flooding. All 6 of my birds were bunched together on full alert. They will eat just about anything from dead animals to a live prey. He had tore out so many feathers and she was screaming for her life. I will send all my possums to possum heaven or to the people out there who revere them. Yep – it’s a gruesome and upsetting site, but it’s also one that’s fairly conclusive. They don’t typically bite their heads off as some other predators do, but it could happen. What has worked VERY well for us is putting hotdogs in a small game trap cage near the coop. Set trap and only catch the possum. Your email address will not be published. Relocate it or tighten up your hen house. And yes, opossums will eat chickens. In the run itself you can run a hot wire around the top of the perimeter. Possums are welcome here for sure. Their body temp is too low to carry rabies so no worries there. Other possum predators are dogs, feral cats, raccoons, bobcats, Rufous Owl, Spotted-tailed Quoll, raptors, great horned owls, and snakes not to mention humans. In terms of habitat they range from Central America to the eastern US states, parts of Canada and occasionally the mid-western US. The best time to do this is when you are constructing it. My numerous ticks and fleas are eaten by my chickens, they digest them fully and do not have any tick larva in their feces. Opossums like to eat a wide variety of foods, ranging from fruits, grasses, insects, mammals, birds, fish and even carrion. I’ve never lost a bird to predators in the 3 yrs but I know we have possums and raccoons here. Their preferred environment is in forests, although any area that offers plenty of cover and food will be acceptable. Of course, you need to check your coop for any means of access. It is one of numerous predators that can attack your backyard chickens. While opossums do occasionally eat chickens, in truth, most chickens are too big and too intimidating for most opossums. I don’t want to kill it, but I only have two hens left! Possums, also known as opossums, are small animals found mainly in the eastern US states. let CurrentYear = new Date().getFullYear() We have approximately 60 adult hens and 5 roosters. When I look at nightly footage every morning, I notice these baby possums circling the coop trying to get in. But, for whatever reason, when one of his chickens went missing, or was found dead, the possum always got the blame. We’ve shot all 3 that we’ve caught. Trash has been gone through, compost pile disturbed, birdfeeders emptied. For the last 2 days there have been no eggs in our coop. By keeping your chickens locked up, they are out of sight and better protected from minks. Any advice? The absolute giveaway is the footprints. me either. Their favorite urban foods (besides chicken crumble) are rats, mice, and roaches. You are welcome. Possums are small to medium-sized marsupials with clawed, grasping hands and feet with five digits, a long, prehensile tail with a naked underside, and a slightly elongate muzzle, Do Possums Eat Chickens? Now, I just don’t want them anywhere near my chickens. Of course you can put traps down, but once you catch them you should call animal control to relocate them. Possums are beneficial animals for sure. Possums are known to eat 5 thousand ticks a day . I live by that savannah river and i’ve had chickens my whole live. As stated possums will only eat the soft neck parts and leave the rest at the spot where they kill it, racoons drag the birds off and eat. An adult is about the size of a house cat (21-36 inches long) and weighs (4-15lb). 4. Opossums are omnivores who prefer to set up camp near readily available food sources. Many possums are killed by vehicles every year. Using a long stick I will prod them to get them out of the coop. So many people who are ignorant” kill them on site and this is truly a very sad thing. I live in South GA. We sealed it off & put a camera on the coop. A number of years ago a great horned owl was killing and eating my chickens during the night it ate them from the crop out and left the head spine wings legs all large bones. Live on central coast of California in a residential neighborhood. After that we decided enough was enough and we have now had possum stew several times…and not one dead chicken. An opossum’s search for food may lead it to a vegetable garden, garbage can, or chicken coop. One of these fellows when I questioned him closely had never actually witnessed a possum in the act of attacking his chickens however. Areas that border along rivers, streams, marsh or swamp are ideal since the general locale will provide both food and water. People freak out over opossums in the hen house. You have entered an incorrect email address! Often seen as a pest and accused of everything from knocking over garbage cans to killing chickens, these quiet marsupials are rarely a threat and easily sent on their way. I read above about the Christmas lights. In the daylight, we discovered it had pulled hardware cloth away from where it was overlapping the chain link kennel top, between the kennel and roofing, we had wired it to, and it got in to the run that way, and may have entered the coop by the egg box lid. My experience is to have a dog in the yard that will not attack or eat the chickens. If they are going to take and not give anything back in return then they got to go. Found out the possum babies were coming through less than an inch opening under the coop into run! Another suggestion was to stuff empty tin cans with ammonia soaked rags. This is rare. When ready to cook, peel the potatoes and boil them tender in lightly salted water along with the butter and sugar. Claire, Omg if they had about thousand chickens I’m sure without a doubt they have gotten a few. Bite marks to the birds’ neck, breast or thigh. I just woke up to our hens screaming. My dogs and cats catch a lot of moles, mice , etc which the possum usually cleans at night. Image via Shutterstock. Dogs are a good deterrent as generally possums will avoid cats and dogs if at all possible. I have to protect my animals and since the possums are attacking my flock they have to go. The last attack was a week ago. Opossums are often accused, but rarely responsible for getting into garbage cans or gardens. © The shock will deter most predators from trying that again. Although opossums have powerful teeth but they are unlikely to cut through the fence. Accessibility to food is most often not a problem because of their anatomical makeup and feeding habits. Opossums are not that common, so if you have these marsupials in your area you’ll probably know about it.. Upon further examination, his “evidence” was an occasional possum seen hanging around his chicken coop. I set a trap with some table scraps; this morning the possum was caught. Despite the urban legend, there have been very few cases when they would try and steal a chicken. Foxes carry off the birds to their den and will even bury some of them to eat later. We have chickens for eggs to eat or sell. How many people have gotten chickens in the past five years? AN OFFENSIVE ODOR SELLS THE PERFORMANCE. set a … You’ll notice a lack of scattered feathers and lack of footprints around the body. Medium sized opossums will prey on young chicks as well as eggs but the bigger possums can eat adult chickens. Then I saw a movement off the side and there was mr possum. Third hen we heard nothing – just found feathers and another headless body. Nearly all opossums are nocturnal so they hunt primarily at night. We had a opossum in our coop and it killed our baby chick .now months later we found another one it had eaten 6 eggs and looked like it was going after our frizzle. If adult birds are missing but no other signs of disturbance exist, the predator probably is a dog, a coyote, a fox, a bobcat, a hawk, or an owl. Just awakened to my girls and 2silkie roosters screaming in their coop right out the backdoor of my bedroom. That possum isn’t going to give up now that it has killed two large hens. This provides deeper protection from predators and additional barriers. I was born and raised on a farm in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. tearing a second hen apart, two nights ago. Preventing Weasels in the Chicken Coop. Do Possums Eat Chickens? then give the possum to the dogs and eat the white oak board . However, In the past year now, they’ve become consistently more aggressive and a few months ago killed over 20 juvenile hens and 8 adults. Be sure to wash it thoroughly. I have never felt the need to do this since they seldom have caused mischief here. Just call me skeptic I guess..). The thing is that raccoons probably won’t eat the whole chicken. Yesterday evening my son found a possum on top of my hen before I was to put them in for the night. Opossums benefit humans in many ways, helping control a number of unwanted pests. Yes if the opportunity arises. When a raccoon decides to eat a free meal, it’ll leave pieces of chickens laying around your coop, front yard, and even your porch. I live in South Texas within city limits. There are always 10 or more baby chicks ruining around as well. Do not build the coop directly on the ground; put a floor in it or make sure it is raised up in some way. They are opportunistic omnivores who will eat just about anything including your tasty trash, yummy compost piles and other such delicacies. The possum is more correctly known as an Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) and it is Americas’ only marsupial animal. I’ve never had a problem with possums and chickens until this past Christmas. You make a few holes in the can, seal the top over and place at the corners of the coop. Opossums are night roamers, they find and consume all types of insects, bugs, snails, worms, smaller snakes, mice, rotting dead stuff, fallen fruits. They like to suck the eggs. No, Possums do not eat the head of the birds. I lost 8, 3.5 months old pullets one night. Thanks for visiting. What Do Opossums Like to Eat? Raising Goats – The Complete How To Guide, 7 Must Read Chicken Books for Backyard Chicken Keepers. I can’t afford to “be nice” to him and him take out my remaining sweeties. Always shut the pop door at night, and check the coop before you do, just in case! ..yeah, the small chicks and eggs seem like a better target for a possum than a full grown chicken. For eating the ticks and such around the property, we invested in guineas and no longer allow possums in our area. Especially small chickens like chicks and bantams. Guess I know now what it was. Some folks think that because the run is ‘predator proof’ they don’t need to shut the pop door at night – this is a very bad habit to get into. Well, something is getting into the chicken coop and leaving bloody feathers and mangled bodies, and I suspect the culprit is the possums that hang around the coop (I know that they hang around because I catch them eating the cat and chicken food sometimes). The reason that owls target a chicken’s head is that the brain is an owl’s favorite meal. I also have possums visit the coop to always eat left over chicken feed that hit the ground. Eggs missing from nest or broken shells lying around the nest box. The best long-term solution for protecting your flock is preventing predators from getting to it. Some people leave a radio playing all day and night, something soft you don’t need to subject your hens to heavy metal! She ended up dying a couple days later. I have a possum issue! Yes, possums definitely eat chickens although chickens do not make up the major portion of their diet. My son says that he’s going to kill any of them that he sees! Young opossums have predators such as birds of prey particularly eagles and falcons. Let’s see why do possums eat chickens. We have also lost 5 hens in the mean time. It will be soon be chick season, and I need it removed. Well tonight when my and my mom were coming home we heard our chickens out and we think that they were in the coop, Your email address will not be published. The article is wrong about them being located on the east coast. And yes, opossums will eat chickens. - The Happy Chicken Coop - All Rights Reserved. take out let cool for ten min. Both chickens that live in a chicken run and free-range chickens are safer locked up in a hen house during the night. I never could have foreseen that level of strength.
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