Rural Gardening: Something Got Our Two Geese..., 1 by MaypopLaurel

MaypopLaurel wrote:
The husband of the couple who took care of our animals when we had livestock at Maypop and were not on the premises was a wilderness tracker and hunter from the N.W.. His mom was a professional field cook hired on by well healed game hunter tourists and his dad earned a living hunting and trapping. Enough to send him to college. He explained the situation (and the probable outcome) right off when the ducks started getting mauled. He said racoons will tear up an entire fowl pen and drag the carcasses into the water dishes or down to the nearest creek. You'll usually see some kind of animal prints and dragging with racoons. We had that experience at a later date. Coyotes tear up a fowl pen and leave bits and pieces right there. It's a feather storm. Possums, on the other hand, disembowel their pray and often leave the rest laying where it landed. They love chitlins.

As hideous as they are, I made my peace with possums this summer when a mama had five babies under the crawl space of the vestibule at Maypop. She would come to the dogs' water bowl to drink after a day trying to keep her five babies out of harm's way and out the dogs' mouths. She actually let me pat her and the babies she toted around while drinking water. I know, pretty gross. That's a tick in the middle of her head. The other babies are under her. You can see a tail or two sticking out. Everyone thinks I'm nutz for touching her but she was very calm. I once was attacked by one and can tell you they are not to be messed with.