Playin' 'Possum

For the last several evenings we have noticed at close up time
that some of our hens have been reluctant to roost in one of the henhouses.


Invariably, we either find one or two outside huddled in the yard,
or the next morning we find a couple outside.

Thinking perhaps it was time to clean out the henhouse,
I set out with my shovel and wheelbarrow yesterday morning,
and started moving shovelfuls of bedding, manure and feathers.


As I moved the plastic container of grit aside, I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye.
Suspicious, I grabbed my camera for a closer look.

There he was, Solomon Possom...
staring right back at me with his beady little eyes.


It seems ole Solomon found the accommodations in the henhouse to be
quite to his liking.
After all, who can resist a warm heat lamp to chase away the nighttime chill,
as well as a breakfast of fresh eggs?


Not that I blame him...
but of course he couldn't stay!

And because possums are nocturnal,
it's no wonder the girls chose to sleep outside.
I can just imagine him loudly chewing and talking to himself,
as he spent the nighttime snacking.

After chasing him around the henhouse for about a half hour,


(He tried his best to elude me...even hanging upside down behind the nesting boxes!)


hoping to get him to run out the door,


I gave up and went to get the "varmint relocator" out of the barn.

This has become my fool-proof solution for unwanted critters.


Just get the little fellow headed in the right direction,
set the can back up on its end,


cover and relocate.


I didn't have to transport ole Solomon too far,
just into the woods, where he scurried off (into that pile of logs)
faster than I could snap a picture.


Sammy spent the next several hours on possum guard duty...
making sure that little critter didn't head for the henhouse again.


And since we all know what gossips hens can be,
 I am sure that everyone now knows ole Solomon has moved on,
and the girls can move back in to the henhouse once again!


Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
hmmmm...i wonder if he will come back? we have a heatwave here!
daisy g said…
How funny! Hope he stays away for a good, long time!
Thankfully I have not encountered a possum in my hen house.
Unknown said…
Ha! Wouldn't want one in my hen house, either! (But they are kinda cute, aren't they?) Thanks for a morning laugh :-)
Cindy said…
I wouldn't want to sleep with a possom close by either! So funny:)
Carine said…
such a cute little fellow with tiny nails!
Carine said…
such a cute little shrewd fellow with tiny nails! he knows what comfort means
Lynne said…
The possum has to be the least attractive animal ever . . . happy you moved him on!
Junebug said…
I will never have another dog door in my house, ever, I mean ever! You can guess what came into my house thinking it was all cozy and warm. Thank goodness for a live trap and relocation program!! This was several years ago but your pictures sure brought back memories, yuck, those nasty hissing varmints!!!
Sara said…
I laughed out loud at this post! Very sneaky...but hard to be mad at him with how cute he is. The picture of him hanging over the edge with his nails is quite funny! Thanks for a laugh this morning and up close look at an opossum! Glad he is safely re-located to the woods and the hens are safe again as well. I must say..I don't blame him for finding a cozy spot!
This N That said…
SO funny..BHA has a new pet..Word is out !! Best accommodations in the area.. Love the critter relocator..You should patent it...
Scott said…
How tall is your run? Ive been thinking of redoing mine and i really like the looks of yours.
Scott said…
How tall is your run? I want to redo mine and I have always admired yours!
Bee Haven Bev said…
Scott....I think it is about 6 ½ feet tall. I can touch the top without any trouble.
We have been dealing with this, too! Right at dusk, a littler possum sneaks into our coop and nabs all the eggs! Now we have to lock the ladies up RIGHT when it gets dark or else he's hissing at us and causing a ruckus.
happyone said…
Oh my he looks like a mean critter!!
Anonymous said…
Those poor hens must be soooo tired from lack of sleep. Make sure they take naps today.
Anonymous said…
So glad you didn't lose any of the girls to the opossum.