Update on the War!

Just thought I would update you on the Possum (or technically I should say Opossum) War.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you need to read the previous post...

I Delcare War!

It's been two nights now since the opossum got the three chickens and we have not seen hide nor hair of the dirty little varmint.

I think he got on my blog and read my post and is scared silly, at least I hope that is the case.

So for now... all is well with my dear little chickens!

That is all...

goodbye and goodnight!

I Declare War!

Two nights ago I was working, yes working, not playing on the computer, when all the sudden I smelled a foul smell coming in through the window.

"Peee-yew! What is that stench?" I said to anyone who was listening. No one answered me since no one ever listens to me. Tay-tee, my man, didn't even answer me. He was sound asleep on the ledge by the window next to the computer.

My man, Tay-tee, fast asleep.

Sometimes I sleep with my tongue hanging out and slobber on my pillow!

The stench was getting stronger and I was almost certain that a skunk was outside. I got Dan the Man's attention and told him he'd better get his gun and make sure the skunk was not getting into the egg layers chicken coop stealing eggs.

Dan the Man reluctantly got off the couch and went to get his gun. Meanwhile I got the big flashlight. Dan the Man told me just to go outside and see if it was a skunk. I told him I didn't want to go outside without him because I didn't want to scare the skunk away before he was ready to go outside with the gun. Good thing it wasn't a burglary with some crazy prison escapee with a gun, because Dan the Man was as fast as molasses getting his gun, finding the key to the lock, trying to locate the ammunition, putting on his shoes, getting a drink of water....

So needless to say, but the time we made it outside, Dan the Man saw a big old possum going around the side of the house.

Man did that guy stink!

Hey dude... take a shower next time you decide to come around!

I was disappointed that Dan the Man didn't take care of him with his gun, but he didn't.

This morning I had the Farmers' Market in Scottsbluff. I leave the house before the sun even comes up so Dan the Man is in charge of feeding the meat birds (chickens) in the morning when I have the Farmers' Market. He found two of the chickens inside their pen with their heads torn off and one chicken injured so badly that he had to go ahead and put it out of it's misery.

I'm thinking it was the doings of the big ole' stinky possum that was here the other night.

This is only the second time in 5 years that we have ever lost a chicken to a predator.

This means war!

Tonight we are sleeping with all the windows open so I can hear any distress calls from my sweet little chickens.

Dan the Man has the gun loaded and ready.

I am tempted to set up a night watch and to make it mandatory for everyone in the house to take a shift. We even discussed locking the chickens up in their shelters, but that would be a pain.

So right now it is raining lightly and hopefully that will deter Mr. Big Ole' Stinky Possum from coming around tonight.

I only like one kind of Possum.

Guess what kind...

the dead kind.

So wish us luck tonight with our war that we have declared upon the possum.

Here is only kind of possum I like...

Gross old possum I found rotting in the field last winter.

Taste Just Like Chicken!

I've often heard that opossum "tastes just like chicken!"

Although I have never actually heard it from someone who has actually ate possum.

I had just finished my evening chores the other day when I was on my way back to the house. I was walking between the shop and the house towards the back door, my normal route, when I thought I saw a cat drinking out of a pan I have under a leaky faucet. I have the pan there specifically for the benefit of the cats and egg layers (chickens) to have fresh water when ever their little hearts desire so seeing something drinking from it was not out of the ordinary. But the WHAT that was drinking out of it caused me to take a double take and blink my eyes a couple of times to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

Holy cannoli! A POSSUM!! In the middle of the afternoon, well, late afternoon, around 5'ish. THAT was unusual. Aren't possum nocturnal??

First picture of possum, behind the lawn chairs.

Never wanting to miss a photo op, I rush into the house to get my camera before it scurried away. When I got back out to the shop, it was behind some lawn chairs. I couldn't get a very good picture of him/her, so I cautiously began to move the chairs away, all the while envisioning some horrific scene playing out that would be re-enacted on some tv show like "When Wild Animals Attack Stupid People Trying to Get Photos of Them!"

Second picture, trying to get closer from above.
Good thing I had boots on and not flip-flops,
He could have bitten my big toe off (at least that's what went through my mind!)

For some reason this possum was pretty docile. Maybe it was sick and rabid! That was a scary thought that also went through my mind! And I know what you are thinking... anyone with half a mind would not be messing around trying to get a picture of an opossum. Go ahead and say it! Thank heavens my mother doesn't know I do such stupid things.

Third picture after moving the chairs away and getting down on his level.
Seriously, what was I thinking getting so close.
I was 3-4 feet away on my hands and knees.


Here kitty, kitty!
I mean possum, possum, possum.
You be nice and don't attack me!


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Hit your brower's back button to return to the blog.

Thanks for the nice pictures dude. I guess I won't know if possum really taste like chicken or not. Oh, I've heard they are greasy too!

The End