I kept a dozen lovely Rhode Island Red hens and one rooster named, Wyatt Earp. He had spurs nearly two inches long. He'd crow every morning and every evening... reminded me of summers with my grandparents on their farm. They were free to roam the veggie patch and the yard during the day. They were healthy and provided me with some delicious fresh brown eggs... Until a damn possum killed every single one of them. Wyatt Earp put up quite a fight but eventually succumbed to big teeth and sharp claws.
Do you know what possums do to chickens they kill? First they rip their heads off and drag the body off for flies to lay eggs on their rotting carcass. Then when the larvae hatch, they scoop up the rotting meat with the maggots and make a meal out of it. Disgusting! But it's a fact, so I was told by someone who knows chickens and possums.
The wire enclosure has been taken down. The nesting boxes were confiscated by my yard helpers for flower boxes and the old house (built out of old pallet wood) will soon go away too. Sad for me. I miss my chickens and that beautiful rooster along with my horse. Things change and not always for the better. Time is more often my enemy than my friend.
@ljmanning Thank you, Laura. The soft clucking is soothing too. Yes, always a country/farm girl - no matter the college education and big city living. I'm where I want to be. =)
@samae Thank you, Sarah. I do have some good memories. Let's hope they don't get to your koi! I shot the damn thing but apparently didn't kill it since it wasn't there the next morning.
@wakelys Possums are nasty creatures, but they do play a part in nature. They really didn't need to kill all of my chickens though. Easy prey for them I suppose.
That is a bummer about your chickens and rooster… sad story…. One thing that is better now is that you have a beautiful boy named Will Connor… and he rocks your world!!!
I thought at first that it was a doorless outhouse.
Possums are lazy hunters. They are primarily scavengers and will eat: road kill, dead things, small mammals, insects (especially ticks), fruits, and berries.
Raccoons are vicious chicken killers too as well as foxes and weasels.
Raccoons will rarely eat a whole adult chicken. But if you find your flock killed and most of the body left, it's likely to be one of two culprits: a member of the weasel family, or a raccoon.
Our neighbor bought 10 young chickens and in less than a month they were all dead. A friend of mine raises chickens and he had a number of them killed by a fox. Our Amish neighbor thinks that it was a fox that killed the other neighbor's chickens. The reason I know is that every morning I got to clean up chicken parts from my yard. Our neighbor never bothered getting his own chickens.
@skipt07 It was a possum. It was after midnight one night and I heard the ruckus. Armed with a flashlight and my pistol, I caught the bugger red-handed with his teeth in my rooster's backside and I shot it. However, the body was gone the next morning. I've never seen a weasel in the midlands of South Carolina, nor a fox. There are a few coons around, but more greasy possums and tree rats than anything else.
aww, sad to read you are going to all those changes. I did not know about the possums eating habits. After reading you details. well.....yikes....haha haha.
Very sad story! I don't know opossums, in Poland only foxes enter the henhouse. Even though they can kill many hens, they are rather presented positively. We have a sad time sometimes, but it's good that your faithful friend Will Connor is with you.
@haskar Thank you, Haskar. It would be nice to have a fox or two around here. Sadly, there aren't any and if there were, they'd probably not be seen too often. =)
I'm so sorry for the loss of your chicken. I'd be so upset :-( I'd love to have some chicken when we'll move into our house but I'm wondering how easy it will be to keep them safe as we'll be against a wood...
@corinnec A good watch dog helps and a wire enclosure that can be electrified at night. Let them roam during the day and they will return to their house at dusk. Lock the gate to the enclosure and turn on the electric box. That was my mistake in not wiring the enclosure so it would give any predators a nasty shock if they tried to get in. Wire top and bottom so they can't climb in or dig under to get in.
@samae Thank you, Sarah. I do have some good memories. Let's hope they don't get to your koi! I shot the damn thing but apparently didn't kill it since it wasn't there the next morning.
@larrysphotos Thank you, Larry.
Possums are lazy hunters. They are primarily scavengers and will eat: road kill, dead things, small mammals, insects (especially ticks), fruits, and berries.
Raccoons are vicious chicken killers too as well as foxes and weasels.
Raccoons will rarely eat a whole adult chicken. But if you find your flock killed and most of the body left, it's likely to be one of two culprits: a member of the weasel family, or a raccoon.
Our neighbor bought 10 young chickens and in less than a month they were all dead. A friend of mine raises chickens and he had a number of them killed by a fox. Our Amish neighbor thinks that it was a fox that killed the other neighbor's chickens. The reason I know is that every morning I got to clean up chicken parts from my yard. Our neighbor never bothered getting his own chickens.
Along a gorgeous shot!
@monikozi Thank you, Monica.
@ludwigsdiana Thank you, Diana.
@kjarn It was a pretty sad situation.
@wakelys I can imagine. Chickens are easy prey to some predators.
@craftymeg Thank you, Margaret. =)