Bigger Problems… or, Scott does battle with a ‘possum
Posted on March 9th, 2007 By laura at 6:25 pm (All, Chickens, Ducks, Four legs, Two legs)
The dogs have been barking off and on all afternoon, and being paranoid about the neighbor’s dog we kept poking our heads out to see if he was here. Well, I finally decided it was time to stop being stressed about the dog and go try to close up the birds a little early…
This is who I found….
And this is what he was doing…
Of course, Scott had gone to the store, so I just got my pictures taken. When Scott got back he got Mr. ‘Possum out of the hen house…
It was a battle of epic proportions.
Brad K. said,
March 9, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I built me a tin chicken house. 2″ square tubing members, welded, 4″ c-channel red iron floor joists, 3/4″ plywood floor. R-panel siding and roof. A pipefitter friend advise, if there is a tornado, I should run to the chicken house.
So I was appalled the first time I found an opossum in one of the nests. I was *not* about to do what my neighbor did (used about 8 shotgun rounds on a snake. Plywood chicken shack.) I made a 2′ long ‘tongs’ with 4″ back-pointed teeth, took a 3 pound hammer and 3′ piece of 1″ steel tubing (pipe or rod would do the same). Walked up to the nest, put the tubing against the possum’s head, gave it a strong whack. Stunned it good. Used tongs to drag the thing outside, finished the task with hammer to head. Many times. There was no doubt at all about whether the invader survived. No doubt.
The second possum, a couple of years later, got the same treatment. I was less nervous, but the same story with the same ending. The tongs are simple — pieces of 1/8th in. rod welded to 1/2″ square tubing, sharpened, slanted backwards. Hole drilled from side to side in tubing, use 2″ long #8 stove bolt for hinge. Works great.
Besides, I haven’t had good luck stopping predators with the .410 shotgun.
scott said,
March 9, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Brad, you have skills I do not.
Meg the Border Collie and I ran into this possum earlier in February. I should have known he was making his way to my hen house.
I did shoot the thing like four or five times with a bb gun–talk about ineffective. I like that the possum moves in slo-mo and snarls in slo-mo. I lost all fear when it took the possum 30 seconds to open his mouth as you see in the photo.
I warned Robinson that if he appears again, he’s getting a first class bashing. I like your idea of stunning him, and then dragging him out for the lethal blow.
That said, because of personal things I will not discuss yet, I can’t kill anything right now. This feeling will pass, Possum. Be afraid.
Madeleine said,
March 11, 2007 at 11:08 am
Wow, I didn’t know opossums were so scary-looking.
Hi said,
February 11, 2008 at 11:07 am
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Nanny said,
February 11, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Do you remember the possum at Kim’s house? It used to steal the catfood off the patio. When Kim ran out of catfood one day it ate the kitten.
Kim’s 6 year old watched the possum dragging off the kitten.
After that she wanted an opossum stuffed toy which I found for her. She got married last fall and told me that she still sleeps with “Squeak”
Some possums are okay!