“Mom, Ayla was going after what looked like a chicken in our driveway.” my daughter explained as I was cleaning up the kitchen.
It was 12:35am (yes, we are a late-night family), and my husband had just let the dogs out before bedtime.
“Did the chicken coop get closed up tonight?” I asked.
Just then my son entered the room and said “Yep. I closed and locked the door.”
“Did you count the chickens before you closed up the coop?”
He replied “No, it was too dark.”
Just then I heard my husband yell, “Ayla, leave it!” followed by a bunch of clucking.
The kids and I ran to the front door and my son exclaimed “Rosie, what are you doing up here?”
As I looked out the door, I saw the dogs running up the sidewalk with our Rosie on their heels. Both dogs ran into the house – the youngest looking very proud of herself for letting the chicken keep all of her feathers (ears held high, tail wagging, tongue out, with a big smile on her face). Rosie, on the other hand, was a little distraught standing on the porch, clucking without pause. I’m not sure if it was because of Ayla’s playful advances, or because she had been locked out of the coop for a few hours. But, for whatever reason, Rosie was here and needed help.
I slowly bent down to pick up sweet Rosie. She stood still – seemingly aware of her situation and wanting nothing more to do with it. Rosie gave out two more clucks before she settled into my arms and quieted herself.
I slipped on my big snow boots and headed around the back of the house toward the chicken coop. As I neared the chicken coop, I saw that the kids had gone through the house, grabbed a flashlight and their boots, and were heading to the coop too. I also heard several hens out in the attached chicken run chatting as they heard our arrival.
“Why are the hens out in the run tonight? They’re never out in the run at night during the winter months.” I said to the kids.
Just then, I heard my son say “Johnny, why are you off of the perch tonight?”
Our rooster loves his perch – once he settles on it – he doesn’t leave until the sun comes up.
“What is going on?” I asked. “We have to thoroughly check the coop and run to see what has the chickens so worked up.”
My son had the flashlight, and within seconds I heard him yell “OH MY GOSH! THERE’S AN OPOSSUM IN THE CHICKEN COOP!”
I saw a small opossum curled up behind the five-gallon chicken waterer as I peeked into the coop. Johnny had the young opossum cornered in the coop, and he or she looked terrified. Half of the hens were perching high up on their roost in the coop, and the other half had decided that the coop wasn’t safe enough to sleep in, so they were perching in the run – smart birds.
I walked back to the chicken run to set Rosie inside while my daughter went to get my husband to help get the opossum out of the coop. As I returned to the coop, I saw Rosie dashing out of the chicken coop. She wasn’t about to be locked in with the opossum. I picked her up again and set her on the high perch in the coop – this time she decided to stay and watch us.
My son gave my husband a three-foot stick to try to urge the opossum out of the coop. The opossum showed his or her teeth at first sight of the stick, but then put up with the gentle nudging. Luckily he or she was younger so there was no awful hissing or snarling that older opossums are known for.
Meanwhile, our trusty rooster did not leave my husband’s side. If my husband was inside the coop nudging the opossum toward the door, Johnny was right there. When my husband moved outside to keep the little predator moving away from the coop, Johnny was not more than a few inches away from my husband’s legs. It wouldn’t surprise me if our rooster thought that he was the one getting that opossum to move.
The opossum wobbled around the coop after exiting and tried to hide beneath a wooden pallet – not too private.
My family checked the coop and run one last time before helping the chickens get settled in for the rest of the night.
Our opossum experience had the kids on a late-night adrenaline rush, so we talked about our opossum encounter before climbing into bed.
We all agreed that:
- Johnny was a great rooster for protecting his hens
- a flashlight should be carried out each time the coop is closed for the night in order to count the chickens (and check for opossums)
- we were very lucky that the opossum was young
When my son awoke the next morning, he showed me a short paragraph in the book The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens. Authors Schneider and Dr. McCrea write:
Opossums occasionally raid a chicken house, often taking a single bird at a time and clumsily mauling it. Opossums tend to feed on the bird starting at the vent or consume young poultry whole, leaving behind a few wet feathers. They’ll also eat eggs left in the nest. You’ll find eggs smashed and strewn about, often with just small pieces of shell remaining. Opossums may also come in just to eat the grain or feed in the feeder.
We were lucky.
I can’t help thinking back to when Rosie came to our front porch. She had made the decision to stay out of the coop when it got dark (which is not easy for chickens to do), she braved the dogs in the driveway, and proceeded to follow them to the front porch in order to get our attention. Our chickens never fail to amaze me – they are intelligent, thoughtful animals that have distinct personalities, and I hope to always have our feathery friends around.
Animals can be endlessly entertaining, but also keep us on our toes – see another chicken adventure here. Do you have any animals stories that come to mind after reading this story? If so, I’d love for you to share them in the comment section below.
Reference
Schneider, A. G. and McCria, B. (2011) The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide To Keeping Chickens. Beverly, MA: Quarry Books
Thanks for sharing your story – it must be lovely for your children to be growing up with the animals. Glad it turned out ok in the end!
Thank you, Kirsty! We were relieved that the possum was small. The whole thing could have ended very differently. Yes, my children love being around animals – just like their mother. 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment!
Your story takes me back decades ago growing up in rural southeastern Pennsylvania. My Gram’s 200 acre farm was filled with chickens, ducks, cows, horses, goats and cats. A child’s paradise, except when it came to planting and harvesting…hard work! I don’t remember opossums in the coops, but I do remember raccoons raiding them many times. This was a task for the “menfolk”, not the wee ones. It didn’t end well for the raccoons, but they never learned their lesson. Rosie reminds me of Gram’s Henrietta Hen. Thank-you for the trip down memory lane.
Thank YOU for sharing your comment with me, Ellen! I would love to live on a farm like your grandmother did. I’m sure it was a child’s paradise, and yes, very hard work at times. Thankfully we have not had raccoons raid our coop yet – I hope they never find us here. I’ve heard that they don’t give up their find without a fight.
Also, I love that your grandmother had a hen named Henrietta. I remember a book called The Tale of Henrietta Hen. Have you read it? I think it was written by Arthur Scott Bailey (if I remember correctly). I remember the book from when I was a child, but even then it was an old book.
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment, Ellen!
The Tale of Henrietta Hen by Arthur Scott Bailey was already an old book way back when I was a child. My Gram had the original 1921 edition that belonged to her son, my uncle, when he was a child. It was passed down through his family for generations, just where it is and if it still survives is unknown to me. I do not know if Gram’s hen was named after the book or because she had a cousin, Henrietta. Raccoons are formidable adversaries in the coop, hope you never find out! Many of my best childhood memories are time spent with my Gram on her farm.
How wonderful! Because of your comment I ordered a copy of The Tale of Henrietta Hen. I look forward to sharing it with my children. Thanks, Ellen! 🙂
I am ordering a copy for my grandson Benjamin’s Easter basket because of your post! I have not thought of that book in so many, many years. If I remember correctly, there are other animal books that Bailey wrote. So…Thank-you too!
Oh interesting! I’ll have to check out his other books then too. I did read that he had published over 40 other children’s books. If they’re animal books too, I’m sold. 🙂
😊great story! chickens are smarter the we think 🐓
We’ve had a run in with our rat terrier and big opossum 😏
The rat terrier won 😏
That’s a good thing! Eek, I remember when that happened. 🙂
Love the story, so nicely written. So fun for your kids to have the chickens and such a beautiful picture of them!
Thank you, Sheila! We do love having the chickens around – they keep us entertained and happy. 🙂
What a lovely brave rooster! Seriously, your photos of your chickens are so lovely, I want to pet them. The opossum, on the other hand (?!?) was also pretty cute. From a distance.
Lol! Right! I told my husband I wanted to pet the furry opossum. That resulted in an eye-roll and a snort from him. As I’m writing this, the kids just came in from playing outside with the dogs, and the little dog somehow found sh** to roll in in the woods. My husband exclaimed “I don’t even want to have dogs!” Ha! Better go give the pup a bath.
Thank you for your kind comment, Alice! You’re more than welcome to come over and pet the chickens anytime. They love to be around humans. 🙂
People often ask me why I don’t have “free range” chickens and my answer is always “because by the end of day one I would have no chickens”. We have to keep things very tight to not have any go missing. We started with 12 in this flock and we are down to nine. One got away from my husband one day and went running down the hill. He was just running after it when a fox jumped out of the tree line and grabbed her. And as they say, that was that! You’ve got some lovely birds, we keep Rhode Island Reds for eggs only. Good luck with buttoning up the coop!
Oh my goodness, what a sight that must have been! I can’t imagine seeing a fox jump out at the bird right in front of me. My scream may just frighten the little furry orange mammal away. Lol!
I’d have to say that we lose one or two chickens per year. We saw a hawk attack one, and I’m thinking the others were taken by fox or coyote. We’ve seen both on our property.
We have a Rhode Island Red here too. Her name is Poppy, and we love her too. Well, we love all of our chickens. Thanks so much for your comment, Dagne. 🙂
I LOOOOOOVE chickens!! Rosie is beautiful! And, I loved how Johnny was probably thinking he was the big dog in that whole situation 😂. Loved this post! ❤️
Thanks, Katie! I never anticipated enjoying the chickens like I do. The kids have even demanded that we add them into our prayers at night (along with our two dogs). That got a huge eye-roll from my husband. Anyway, thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
Awwwwwww!! That’s SO sweet of your kiddos! I know if I had a Rosie, she’d basically be a family member 😂😍😍
You sure got a brave rooster and Rosie there! Glad the opossum was evacuated with no bloodshed anywhere1 And so great that your kids are involved in this! Love it!
Thanks, Ritu! The chickens are great – oh, and so are the kids. 😉 I don’t do well with blood, so I was so happy all of our chickens were in one piece. Thanks for your comment, Ritu! 🙂
I used to keep chickens when I worked in N outdoor museum, they were free range during the day and at night time I had a cat who helped me round them up in the woods and get them in the coop. You couldn’t make it up!
What? A cat?!? That is amazing. I would think that the cat would stalk the chickens and attack them, but one that rounds up chickens – mind boggling!
Oh Heavens! What an adventure for you all! I love how you talked with the kids about what you all learned from the experience and what actions you’ll take next time. Rosie and Johnny should be characters in a children’s book!
It’s funny you mention a children’s book. Claire had just commented about how she could see Johnny and Rosie “hatching” a plan to get the opossum out of the coop. I told her that her thoughts sound like they should be written in a children’s book. 🙂
Those chickens sure keep us on our toes. I often have hens flying at my bedroom window or the sliding glass door (wherever I am in the house) to get my attention when they need something. It’s usually that their coop door has blown shut and they need to lay an egg. They do amaze me!
Possums destroy our native trees and bush in NZ. A dead possum is the best one. We had chickens though a possum never went near them. The chicken breed is much colourful than the ones we had. I am another fan of Rosie – she is beautiful.
Thanks so much, Suzanne! I think a lot of people here in Minnesota have the same sentiments as you as far as opossums go. Many just see them as mean varmints that you don’t want to go near. Thankfully the one here didn’t seem so evil. 🙂
Rosie is a great chicken. We love her. Thanks so much for your kind comment.
I just saw a story on the news last night about the chicken whisperer. I don’t have chicken and thankfully there are no opossum’s on Vancouver Island but my adult son is trying his hardest to have us get pygmy goats! Great story. Who knew a chicken could be so smart to protect the roost.
I have a book by the Chicken Whisperer! I wonder if it’s the same guy? And, I think you should get some pygmy goats. I’ve heard they are almost like dogs, but at times with more character. 🙂 We’ve considered goats too, but I’d like just a little more land – 12 chickens and two dogs is enough for our acre and a half we have here. 🙂 Thanks for your wonderful comment, Diana!
We have one called Rosie as well. She’s nowhere near as clever as yours. Although we live in the middle of a city, we’ve lost chickens to foxes. When we had snow last weekend I went out on Saturday morning to see footprints where a fox had walked around the coop… and left his mark in other parts of the garden.
I’m glad all your chickens survived the experience.
Those foxes can be so sly. We also have lost a few to foxes (or maybe to coyotes too – we have both). They leave nothing but a few feathers behind. The scent is amazing that foxes leave behind. There’s no mistaking it! And, once they know where the chickens are – they don’t forget. We usually lose 1-2 per year. I think we’d lose more, but we built the coop close to our house, so I think the predators are a little nervous most of the time. Thanks so much for your comment, April!
We don’t have chickens, but some friends have chickens and ducks – a few years back when the kids were younger we were visiting them and all the children were in their hottub. Suddenly there was a load of shrieking and my friend’s son had thrown a duck and a hen into the hot tub to join the fun!!
Hahaha! I can just imagine the commotion that must have caused on the duck’s end and the children’s end. I love this! Thanks so much for sharing, Claire!
Rosie is such a star (and such a beautiful bird!)
When I first saw the opossum I thought he/she was really cute! But now I’ve learnt that it could have hurt your ladies I am so glad t hear it all ended peacefully. It was lucky you were all up late to notice the commotion!
Thanks so much, Josie! Yes, we were lucky the fuzzy opossum was just a young thing. And yes, I feel lucky that Rosie is such a star and came to ask for help. 🙂
Johnny and Rosie are heroes! I’d like to think they hatched their plan (pun totally intended) for Rosie to get help whilst he kept an eye on their visitor… One of my favourite things about our new year cottage break was waking up to the chickens gentle clucking in the yard each morning!
I loved the photos and reading your stories from your cottage trip. The chickens caught my eye right away. And, I LOVE your insight into Rosie and Johnny’s plan. Could make a great children’s book. 🙂 Thanks so much for your wonderful comment!
This taught me a lot. The birds and you all were very lucky. As cute as an oppusum looks, he really isn’t, is he? Smart Rosie.
Doesn’t seem like those opossums could be so mean, but they really can. Yes, we we’re lucky, and I’m so glad you learned a little something. Thanks for your comment, Orla!
Hi Erin,
I did not receive the Opossum story by e mail. I found out about it from Martha. I went on the website and found it. I just don’t want to miss any of them. Could you check and make sure I am still subscribed? Thanks
Absolutely, Carol! Did you get the cross-country ski post today?
Hi, Carol! Me again. I checked and I still have you subscribed by email. So strange that you did not get the story. Did it by chance get sent to another folder of yours – like a junk mailbox?
Chickens are very entertaining! I love the photos you took of them. Stunning. -Molly
Thanks so very much, Molly! Yes, I don’t think I’ll ever be without them again. They make taking good photos of them easy as they are curious and animated all the time. I appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment- thank you. 🙂
I am so afraid of rats and things similar ^^ . there was a night I was reading the newspaper quietly in a corner when suddenly a baby mouse just passed and automatically my hand just crashed it with the newspaper, it was dead . I was the one in tears after. At my parent’s place , my dad often gets mice and it just breaks my heart when he kills them eventhough I cannot stand having them around.
My son killed a mouse two winters ago, and I was in tears. Ha! You are not alone. We were lucky that this opossum was young and very scared of us AND the chickens.
Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
You re welcome^^, it is your fault :-)your posts are amazing ^^
Ha! Well, thank you. I look forward to reading through your posts soon. 🙂
I just arrived from a trip this week and still feel very tired and cannot really write , so I am getting inspiration and getting to know my followers and the blogs I follow much better^^. But yes, Hopefully I should write at least a post this week^^. xoxo