Bad Company

I'm not sure which is worse....
bad company that just won't leave,
or bad company that keeps coming back.

Yup, you got it.
Solomon returned.
Or possumably it was someone new who just looked a whole lot like Solomon.


Either way...something was awry in the henhouse.
Two hens had refused to bunk down in their house the previous night...
opting for sleeping outdoors instead (the first and best indicator that bad company was present.)


Sunday morning when Hubbs opened the henhouse,
he checked all of the nesting boxes,
and sure as shootin'...
there was ole Solomon staring back at him with his 50 sharp little teeth
and egg on his face.

Literally.
He had just finished sucking the innards out of a freshly laid egg.


(Hence the goo on his nose.)

I have become quite proficient at opossum extraction,

I gently nudged him toward the overturned garbage can...
and he willingly obliged....crawling as far away from me as he could.


Gotcha!
Hubbs put a lid on it...just for transporting purposes.


Naturally, the girls were relieved to see this fellow relocated.


This time we took no chances and drove the little marsupial 4 miles away...


to a peaceful wooded area over the next ridge.
I tried to get a photo of him exiting the can...but he lept out of it like
being shot out of a cannon....


heading for the safety of the woods.


I don't think we will be seeing this fellow again.

As for Hubbs' theory that Solomon had found his way back home from a mile away...
I looked back at the pictures of Solomon (#1 and #2).
I am quite sure that this particular opossum (#3) had to be Mortimer,
a distant cousin...
on his Father's side, of course!

Note:
Prior to the first time I had caught Solomon,
we had noticed that these hens were only laying about 4 eggs daily (collectively).
After Solomon had been relocated, we started getting between 12 and 20 eggs daily.
Old Solomon had evidently been feasting on eggs!
No wonder he came back for round #2.
Apparently the word is out...
Smorgasbord at Bee Haven Acres!

Comments

Anonymous said…
I can't help thinking that face is very cute, despite the sharp teeth! Who can blame a creature for seeking out free food in the middle of a harsh Winter? I understand why you need to move him on though, and I am sure the hens are very relieved!

Kathy from Tasmania
jaz@octoberfarm said…
i bet the hens are happy. i would not be thrilled to have that critter in my house. we are covered by 1/2 inch of ice!
Country Gal said…
Maybe a pain in the butt but they are cute lol ! We caught , relocated and released one last year . I find that with chickens it doesn't take much to to set them off or upset them they are quite panicky birds lol .
In the middle of a harsh storm very windy , cold and snow falling and blowing around today . Thanks for sharing . Have a good day !
tpals said…
I will always hate those things after one murdered two of my hens. It has been executed.
I personally dont like possums, but cried pretty hard when I witnessed my 115 lb chow-shepherd toss one around like a toy and kill it. Its nice that you take efforts to relocate them.
Lynne said…
Never a dull moment at BHA is there! The Possum breed was never dealt "Most Beautiful" award were they!
Not only not pretty but scary too!
Junebug said…
ewe, ick, yikes, ugh all come to mind with possum. After relocating one that came through the dog door I will never, mind you, never have a dog door again. Four miles isn't very far in my book, but don't send him my way, shutter!!!
Kris said…
We have tons of possums here. They are all named Paul P. Possum. My Dad started that. I wonder if they have ever gotten the eggs in the hen house?
This N That said…
Relocated and a full belly to boot...Glad that they are only eating eggs...Be safe today..
Patrice said…
Good thing he didn't harm your chickens. I know they prefer eggs, but we had one kill before.
Unknown said…
Normally, I do not care to see pictures of possums...I find this little guy to be so cute...for five seconds. They give me the creeps for some reason.
Unknown said…
LOL You tell the best stories!
Unknown said…
Wow, he was really getting his protein share!!! That is a lot of eggs a day. Little rascal. Glad he has moved on.
happyone said…
Hope that's that last of that guy. They just give me the creeps. They are the ugliest things ever.
Anonymous said…
He better buy some hiking boots if he plans to trek the four miles back to the hen house again!

I guess the eggs were filling his belly so he left the chickens alone. Really, that is the ugliest little face and I'd be freaking a little if I saw one in my hen house. Good riddance.
Liz said…
My girlfriend was having the same problem. She would catch the opposum, take him for a ride and a few days later another (or the same one) would show back up. She started painting a mark on them. If it showed back up again, it got a longer ride next time!