I woke up at 5 in the morning to the usual noise of the ducks starting their day before it’s even light out, but also the chickens being way louder than they usually are this early. 

I live right next to the coop so I was there immediately and saw the door to the run open and one of my youngest two poulets bolting off into the dark, one of our cockerels looking about to do the same. 

I throw open the coop door and next to the chickens , all huddled to one side of the perch boxes, and a massive possum right against them, piles of feathers all around him

So I immediately panic, unsure who got hurt or if anyone was in serious danger, and all I have on me is a heavy flashlight

So I just start smacking it in the head until it leaves. Not hard enough to cause external injuries and I hope not internal ones but all I could think to do was to get him out ASAP. So I kept smacking him til he got on the floor and then I started tossing things at him like the (unplugged) heat lamp and eggs and whatever I can grab until he gets the message and leaves with me chasing and cussing behind

After that I had to find the hiding places of 5 escaped, panicked chickens, while my buff orp roo tried to help but ended up just chasing one hen into the woods where I then  hiked, tripped, fell, cussed, and cried all over for half an hour til I found her

Here’s she, Stevie, along with my RIR Grace who decided to follow me

Everybody fine and accounted for, just a bit of whiplash from the fear of losing my babies on my part

The feathers were feom my dark beahma Emma, but she wasn’t being attacked or running when I barged in so maybe it nipped at her to get at the eggs under her?

A couple of the girls after the possum scare this morning