Opossum Killing My Chickens?

[E4 No More]

I have lost three chickens to predators with the last two apparently from an opossum. In looking up the signs particular predators tend to leave I lean towards it being the opossum. The heads and neck of the chicken are gone with some of the upper breast gone as well, but the majority of the body is left in the chicken yard. I have known of coyotes climbing standard 4' fences, but they don't leave most of the kill behind. Neither would a Bobcat, and I would think a fox would try to dig. There are no signs of digging under the fence, so it must be either a climber or a flyer. Given my grandson saw a rather large opossum on top of the 5' fence I'd say he's the culprit. I looked online after reading some article, and I bought a spray bottle of 100% wolf piss. Besides wondering how, (and what kind of), person collects 100% wolf piss I am hoping that this solves the problem.

In case it doesn't work, has anybody on here had the same problem, and how did you remedy it? I really don't want to buy a shotgun and a red light and sit out back waiting for the critter to appear. I don't hunt so a shotgun would be a huge expense for these critters.

[RED333]

Raccoon

[MacGyver]

Have you got cats or dogs?

If that answer is no - or they can be kept inside - I'd probably go for a #220 conibear trap with something really smelly like canned catfood as a bait.  That'll take possums and raccoons. A #110 is probably okay for a possum, but not big enough for a raccoon.

If you've never set a 220 - using a setting tool is worth it to reduce risk to yourself.

All that said - the wolf urine should work fine on a temporary basis.

[10-Ring]

Racoon, not possum.  I've studied this in depth through placing trail cams in my coop.  I've also locked possums in my coop just to prove a point and have never had an issue.  Possums are incredibly lazy, and have poor eyesight, making them lousy predators.  They are extremely talented in finding carrion, also they aren't generally scared of people especially when eating.   As such, it's common to walk up on a possum eating a chicken that a raccoon killed and left.  Possums will eat eggs, and I wouldn't trust them around chicks.  But, I have yet to see any hard evidence (videos) of a possum actively killing a healthy chicken. 

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, RED333 said:

Raccoon

 

1 hour ago, 10-Ring said:

Racoon, not possum.  I've studied this in depth through placing trail cams in my coop.  I've also locked possums in my coop just to prove a point and have never had an issue.  Possums are incredibly lazy, and have poor eyesight, making them lousy predators.  They are extremely talented in finding carrion, also they aren't generally scared of people especially when eating.   As such, it's common to walk up on a possum eating a chicken that a raccoon killed and left.  Possums will eat eggs, and I wouldn't trust them around chicks.  But, I have yet to see any hard evidence (videos) of a possum actively killing a healthy chicken. 

Could be, but here's what I found online: https://extension.tennessee.edu/Fayette/Documents/Predators of Poultry - The Ohio State University.pdf

Predators
A number of different predator species can cause damage and economic losses on poultry flocks. Chicken flocks are often more prone than turkey flocks, due to the size of birds. Younger, smaller birds are also more susceptible. Predators include coyotes, foxes, bobcats, weasels and their relatives, birds of prey, racoons, opossums, skunks, rodents, and snakes. Domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, can also be predators of poultry.

 

 

Patterns of Predation
Missing adult birds—coyotes, bobcats, dogs, birds of prey, and foxes
For birds of prey, hawks will take birds during the day; whereas, owls will take birds during the night. Often, domestic dogs will not eat the birds, and the carcass may be found in close proximity to the site of attack. Coyotes are active night and day, though when living in urban areas amongst humans, they are more active at night. Feathers and a few scattered pieces may be left behind after dog, coyote, and fox attacks. Bobcats typically hunt during the hours of dawn and dusk, but can attack any time of day.

Missing eggs or chicks—opossums, skunks, rats, cats, snakes, coyotes, foxes, and birds of prey
Most predators of poultry will kill and remove chicks, often without any signs of disturbance, especially if the attack occurs at night. Unprotected nests are easy targets for predators. Missing or damaged eggs may be caused by skunks, snakes, rats, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, blue jays, and crows. Foxes, skunks, opossums, jays, and crows often leave shells of consumed eggs behind.

Missing heads—birds of prey and raccoons
This occurs when birds are kept in a pen enclosed by loose meshing. Birds of prey can scare birds and cause them to jump or fly up, allowing their heads to protrude through the meshing. Raccoons will reach through openings, grabbing and ripping off the bird’s head through the meshing and wire caging.

Missing limbs—raccoons
Raccoons are notorious for their hand skills and intelligence. If birds are kept in a mesh-style pen, raccoons are able to reach nearby, unsuspecting birds and pull their legs off.

 

 

Birds with lacerations near the cloaca or vent
Weasels and their relatives, and opossums, may attack the vent region, pulling out the intestines. Some birds can be found walking around, dragging their intestines. Another cause of wounds to the vent or cloaca can be the result of cannibalism from other chickens in the flock. Rectal prolapse after egg passage may attract pecking to the bright red exposed tissue.

Birds found dead with other injuries
Poultry are known to huddle in an area away from open sides to avoid predators that may be stalking around the perimeter. The weight of the huddled birds is enough to suffocate the ones below. Birds killed by weasels are found bloody with the internal organs missing or partially consumed. Occasionally, weasels kill birds without eating them. Birds are typically killed with a bite(s) to the base of the skull, severing the spinal cord. Skunks and
opossums may kill adult birds messily, with damaged bodies remaining. Raccoons attack birds’ head, breast, and crop and may consume the entrails.

Companion Animals
Cats, both feral and domestic, will prey on chicks, often removing them with no signs of damage or debris present. It would be unusual for a cat to prey on an adult chicken unless it was wounded or injured. Dogs may prey on both adult chickens or chicks depending on breed or temperament. Livestock guard dogs have been used successfully to protect both coops and free-range flocks from predators if trained to this task.

 

 

Prevention of Predation
The primary way to prevent predation is to fortify the coop against predators. This should be the goal of all poultry keepers. Sturdy fencing, overhead protection from wild birds and birds of prey plus addressing any holes or entry points will dramatically decrease the chance of a predator affecting the flock, as well as provide excellent biosecurity. Trapping or hunting of predators may be an option depending on local rules and regulations. Additional options are listed below:

• Motion sensor lights and sound equipment—these are short-term solutions that can be used during the interim until other options (i.e., trapping, exclusion) can be implemented to protect flocks.
• Remove/secure all food attractants—garbage, pet food, livestock feed, fallen fruit from trees, and other available foods can serve as an attractant to many predators. Once there, predators may seek out other sources of food, such as poultry.
• Seek assistance from wildlife professionals.

Edited September 27, 2021 by E4 No More

[E4 No More]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

Have you got cats or dogs?

If that answer is no - or they can be kept inside - I'd probably go for a #220 conibear trap with something really smelly like canned catfood as a bait.  That'll take possums and raccoons. A #110 is probably okay for a possum, but not big enough for a raccoon.

If you've never set a 220 - using a setting tool is worth it to reduce risk to yourself.

All that said - the wolf urine should work fine on a temporary basis.

No cats, and the dogs are easily kept behind the fence. If I got one of those traps the next thing you'd know is I tried out for Mountain Men.

[Grunt67]

I've caught several possums and coons using a live trap I got at TSC. Came with a large trap & a small. I used the large with canned cat food as bait. Meat works also.

.22 short to the top of the head eliminates the problem permanent.

[MacGyver]

47 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

No cats, and the dogs are easily kept behind the fence. If I got one of those traps the next thing you'd know is I tried out for Mountain Men.

I’d watch it.

I remember being in school a long time ago - an instructor teaching trapping told us that a raccoon would keep a man alive for a week. I remember laughing at that.  When we snared one after being in the field for several days it may as well have been a Michelin starred feast.

I guarantee if you found any of my peers from that class today - 20ish years later - they’d all tell you the same thing.

[E4 No More]

9 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I’d watch it.

 

They'd have to change the name to Fat-assed Mountain Men. At least until I half starved to death!

[Grunt67]

19 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I’d watch it.

I remember being in school a long time ago - an instructor teaching trapping told us that a raccoon would keep a man alive for a week. I remember laughing at that.  When we snared one after being in the field for several days it may as well have been a Michelin starred feast.

I guarantee if you found any of my peers from that class today - 20ish years later - they’d all tell you the same thing.

Nothing wrong with eating a raccoon. Folks used too all the time, back in the day. I've eat a bite or two myself,  LOL

[Grunt67]

Here's one I caught in the live trap some time ago. He was not happy.

 

[MacGyver]

1 hour ago, Grunt67 said:

Nothing wrong with eating a raccoon. Folks used too all the time, back in the day. I've eat a bite or two myself,  LOL

Back before Turkeys became the thing for Thanksgiving, raccoons were a popular Thanksgiving treat.

Herbert Hoover “pardoned” one headed for the table at the White House in 1926.  Word is she repaid him by biting him and briefly putting him in the hospital later on. 

[res308]

First thing to do is find out who the man is that’s collecting 100% wolf piss and put him on your “nobody to mess with - ever” list. Then maybe go and learn the ways of such a guru so you can train the rest of us to be bona-fide mountain men  

I had the same problem about three weeks ago. Hen laid in the middle of the pen, body intact, head and neck still attached, but all the meat licked clean down to the spine up to what was left of the head. 

Two people suggested weasel or mink right off the bat, but I’ve had two more say coon was the culprit  

I’ve caught three possums so far, but haven’t caught whatever murderous fiend this was. It has circumvented two traps so far. 

[Grunt67]

12 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

Back before Turkeys became the thing for Thanksgiving, raccoons were a popular Thanksgiving treat.

Herbert Hoover “pardoned” one headed for the table at the White House in 1926.  Word is she repaid him by biting him and briefly putting him in the hospital later on. 

Thankfully,  I'm not quite old enough to remember that.  I do know that they have a temper.

[Grayfox54]

A possum is too slow and way too stupid to be a predator. Years ago when I was working with the Cub Scouts we had a district camp event. I got a live possum from animal control to display for the kids. When it was over, I took the cage to the edge of the woods, opened the door and walked away. Two hours later I returned for the cage and that idiot possum was still sitting in it. Too dumb to walk out the open door. I had to pick up the cage and shake him out.  

I had a Wildlife Officer tell me that possum is so nasty and greasy that predators won't touch 'em unless absolutely starving. Their only natural enemy is a car. 

[gregintenn]

Live trap. Bait with dry cat food.

Wolf piss collector….not a highly sought after position.

[Grunt67]

4 minutes ago, Grayfox54 said:

A possum is too slow and way too stupid to be a predator. Years ago when I was working with the Cub Scouts we had a district camp event. I got a live possum from animal control to display for the kids. When it was over, I took the cage to the edge of the woods, opened the door and walked away. Two hours later I returned for the cage and that idiot possum was still sitting in it. Too dumb to walk out the open door. I had to pick up the cage and shake him out.  

I had a Wildlife Officer tell me that possum is so nasty and greasy that predators won't touch 'em unless absolutely starving. Their only natural enemy is a car. 

I can attest to that.  I've caught possums you couldn't run out of the cage. They'd stay for hours before they decided to leave. They'd just sit there & hiss at ya. And they do have major problems getting across a road alive.

[Grunt67]

BTW, live traps work well on cats too, or so a "friend " says, LOL.

[gregintenn]

My bet is a coon.

[gregintenn]

Just now, Grunt67 said:

BTW, live traps work well on cats too, or so a "friend " says, LOL.

My son had a skunk in a live trap at his grandmother’s house. He asked me what to do with it. I told him to wait until dark and call his uncle that lives just down the road from there and tell him there’s a cat in the trap. He was too scared to do it. LOL!

[Grayfox54]

If using a live trap, put it in a box or cover it up tightly with a tarp or something. Also, best to put it in a dark place. Coons are smart and know what a trap is. But they are also extremely curious and like to check out any strange opening they may encounter.  An old trapper taught me this trick. He had wooden boxes built that were a perfect fit for a live trap to slide into. 

[Grunt67]

17 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

My son had a skunk in a live trap at his grandmother’s house. He asked me what to do with it. I told him to wait until dark and call his uncle that lives just down the road from there and tell him there’s a cat in the trap. He was too scared to do it. LOL!

I caught one, shot him in top of the head. I was expecting him to spray, but he didn't.  Never moved. Still waited a few days before dumping him. Lucked out, I reckon. Risky business. Kinda like collecting wolf pee.

People have more fun than anybody.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Grunt67

[E4 No More]

14 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

A possum is too slow and way too stupid to be a predator. Years ago when I was working with the Cub Scouts we had a district camp event. I got a live possum from animal control to display for the kids. When it was over, I took the cage to the edge of the woods, opened the door and walked away. Two hours later I returned for the cage and that idiot possum was still sitting in it. Too dumb to walk out the open door. I had to pick up the cage and shake him out.  

I had a Wildlife Officer tell me that possum is so nasty and greasy that predators won't touch 'em unless absolutely starving. Their only natural enemy is a car. 

I brought up Mountain Men because the one in N. Carolina, (Eustus), had a critter killing his chickens in the chicken coop. They actually caught and killed an opossum in the act of killing a chicken and shot it right there. It shocked me to find out it was an opossum.

Edited September 28, 2021 by E4 No More

[superduty]

My FIL used to have that problem in East TN, and found out weasels were the culprit.

[Grunt67]

1 hour ago, Grayfox54 said:

If using a live trap, put it in a box or cover it up tightly with a tarp or something. Also, best to put it in a dark place. Coons are smart and know what a trap is. But they are also extremely curious and like to check out any strange opening they may encounter.  An old trapper taught me this trick. He had wooden boxes built that were a perfect fit for a live trap to slide into. 

You're right. They are smart. I had one that kept robbing the cat food can I had in the trap for bait. Finally figured out he was reaching thru the mesh & cleaning out the bait. So, I made a cover out of fine mesh wire fence. That stopped that, then he went into the trap. For the last time.