I heard the chickens freaking out, so I jumped out of bed, threw a quilt around me and jumped into my muck boots as I went running out the door, so focused on scaring off/trapping the critter that I didn't bother to grab my glasses, a flashlight, or a weapon. Poor planning, but hey, I was halfway to berserker just imagining something in there, attacking my animals *shrug*
There was just enough light from the motion sensor light at the rear of the chicken pen for me to see it was a good sized possum; Andy brought out the pellet gun and I fetched a little flashlight, and Andy put it down. I felt nothing but righteous relief when he put it down, however, when I went to deal with the carcass after sunrise, I felt incredibly conflicted: it was a she, and her pouch was full of no less than 10 babies. 1 was already dead, but the others were still warm, pink and wiggly. Damn. It. Did I mention I'm a sucker for small helpless things? I contacted Claudia at For Heaven's Sake wildlife rehab (http://www.fhswildliferehab.org/), and unfortunately, with the possum kits being "pinkies" (no fur/eyes closed), she determined that there is simply no way to save them when they're so young, without their mom. Though it may seem harsh, I believe in the circle of life, so I fed them to my chickens. It was a far more swift and humane end for them than letting them waste away and die on their own.
Claudia did give me some great information for handling any future encounters with possums, and although I'm extremely protective of my livestock, with this new information, I'm willing to give non lethal techniques a try.
Surprisingly, possums are incredibly non-aggressive animals, even wild ones. They put up a good front, growling and hissing menacingly, but that's a defensive technique, and all bluff. Claudia says that possums have incredibly poor eyesight; they use their sense of smell, and that they are reasonably easy to handle, even for someone who has never done so before. To handle a wild possum, put a towel or something similar over it, mostly to cover its eyes and slow it down, then gently but firmly grasp it at the base of it's tail with your dominant hand, and use your other hand to support its belly/hind legs - they can't bite from this position, and likely won't even try. At this point, you can put it in a box or carrier, and contact your local wildlife rehabilitation facility, or relocate it yourself if you have an available wooded area near you (preferably NOT owned by another farmer/gardener, or anyone for that matter!).
Interesting facts about possums:
The opossum has many interesting features. It has 50 teeth, more than any North American land mammal. Its hairless tail is prehensile and is used for grasping branches, balancing and carrying nesting material. The opossum does not hang upside down by the tail, a common misconception. The opossum also has opposable thumbs on its hind feet for holding onto branches.
Whether rural, residential or in the wilderness, opossums are a benefit to any area they inhabit. Their diet includes all types of bugs and insects including cockroaches, crickets and beetles. They love snails. They also eat mice and rats. The nocturnal opossum is attracted to our neighborhoods by the availability of water, pet food left out at night and overripe, rotting fruit that has fallen from trees. The opossum in turn helps keep our neighborhoods clean and free of unwanted, harmful garden pests and rodents, which may carry diseases. The opossum has earned the title of “Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineer.”
- Opossum Society of the United States (http://opossumsocietyus.org/general-opossum-information/)
There are more than 60 different species of opossum, which are often called possums. The most notable is the Virginia opossum or common opossum—the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.
A female opossum gives birth to helpless young as tiny as honeybees. Babies immediately crawl into the mother's pouch, where they continue to develop. As they get larger, they will go in and out of the pouch and sometimes ride on the mother's back as she hunts for food. Opossums may give birth to as many as 20 babies in a litter, but fewer than half of them survive. Some never even make it as far as the pouch.
- National Geographic (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/opossum/)
It is very quiet, although it can make some sounds.
Learning and discrimination tests rank it above dogs, and more on the level of pigs.
It does not have a territory, but is always on the move, going to wherever the food is. Females stay in a smaller area while they care for their young.
It lived during the age of dinosaurs: fossil remains have been found from 70 million years ago.
- National Opossum Society (http://www.opossum.org/)