# egg and aspirin for posums



## buford (Feb 22, 2005)

what's the recipe for this and how do i serve it (scrambled, poached)?


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

I've not used this for 'possum but I have used it when I discovered I had skunks raiding my hives at night.

Crush 3 aspirin tablets, break one egg and place it in a saucer, stir the egg with a fork until the white and yellow are well blended. Add the aspirin to the stirred egg and stir until the aspirin is well blended. Place the saucer close to the hive entrance in the evening(I placed them just beside the front).

If the egg is gone the next morning, repeat the procedure the following evening. It only took two nights and saucers at three hives to solve my skunk problem.


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## Drugstore (Dec 6, 2005)

Eggs are a natural food for opossums and skunks.
What is it about the asprin that makes them leave the hives alone?


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

sounds like they were so well fed and medicated they slept the following week.


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## Drugstore (Dec 6, 2005)

I thought the same thing, but I was just trying to see if this was a real magic cure.
I bet when they wake up, they will return for some more of those scrambled eggs.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Break a hole in the end of the egg and stir three crushed aspirin into the egg (scrambled I guess). Make an indentaion in the ground to hold the egg upright so it doesn't spill. They "sleep" forever.


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## Drugstore (Dec 6, 2005)

Michael B.,
What is it about the asprin that makes it toxic?


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## buford (Feb 22, 2005)

it souds like mixing it in a bowl would be alot easier than trying to mix the egg in the shell. 

is there any real advantage to using the shell instead of a bowl?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

At least on skunks (who love eggs) and cats (who seem ambivalent to eggs) it appears to be lethal. I don't know for sure if it's salicylate poisoning or if it thins their blood too much and they bleed out. It doesnt seem to hurt dogs any. It seems to work on opossums, but I cant guarantee that.


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## Kieck (Dec 2, 2005)

I think it's the "scale" of the aspirin. We used the same sort of method occasionally when I was a kid and raised pigeons. Every once in a while, we'd have a pigeon that would need to be "put down" (injured too badly to survive, serious illness that could infect others, etc.). The easiest way we found was to simply push an aspirin down the throat of the pigeon. Like Michael said so well, they "sleep" forever.

Really, it's an overdose. Three aspirin might not hurt a large dog, but they might kill a lap dog. People can overdose on aspirin and die, too; it just takes a lot more than three at a time for it to be lethal.


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## Drugstore (Dec 6, 2005)

Live and learn. I knew aspirin was a blood thinner and some people cannot tolerate it, but had no idea it could be applied like this. I have had no problems with opossums or skunks but it is a good remedy to know.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Many animals are very slow to metabolize aspirin. Cats are especially prone to aspirin toxicity (as are many birds). I geuss that opossums must fall into this category as well.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

Just wish I could get that red-tail hawk to eat an egg!!!!! (instead of my chickens)


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have red tailed hawks and chickens living in my yard. I've never seen them bother the chickens. Are you sure?


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## jaydee (Oct 12, 2004)

The redtails never bothered mine either, but a slightly smaller yet stockier hawk we call a chicken hawk. Never seen this hawk unless he was after my chickens(this type caught several of my chickens). The redtails I would see alot perched high upin a Hickory tree hunting or soaring over pasture.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

The red-tail gets the blame (it is possible unfairly). I have seen lots of them around and suddenly a bird of prey has gotten 5 of my chickens. 
I have been on travel so did not wittness the deed. However, I did install netting over most of the lot to prevent dive bombers


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

http://home.hccnet.nl/r.goedegebuur/roofvog/coopershavike.html

but red tailed hawks will kill chickens to. or poodles. or rabbits. rumors of large females taking fawns/lambs.


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## mick (Oct 7, 2005)

Feeding the possums Aspirin is designed to kill them. They will bleed internally and die. Ratpoison mixed in with somethig would be quicker and more lethal and equally disgusting.

If you have problems with animals, trap them in a cage and relocate them. Shoot them, club them to death, but please dont feed them poison. 

It also interferes with the food chain big time.

Howd you like it if I sprayed your hive with flyspray?

[ February 19, 2006, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: mick ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The nice thing about the asprin is it doesnt' really mess with the food chain. It's the right strength to do the job without killing things that will eat the deceased. Rat poison, on the other hand, could set off a chain reaction.

I'd rather shoot them, but waiting all night to GET a shot and then trying to get a CLEAR shot (one that does not endanger anyone or anything else) is often not so simple.


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## Todd Zeiner (Jun 15, 2004)

The skunk on this contenent, has few natural predators. The road is probably the biggest killer of skunks. They still need to be controled to some extent. The DNR list's them as a nusance animal, with no limits on killing them. I don't mind doing my share of control when they start eating my bees. Asprin sure seems like the best way.


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## Robert Hawkins (May 27, 2005)

Do porcupines eat bees? Or should I look further?

Hawk


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>Do porcupines eat bees? Or should I look further?

Keep looking. Porcupines might chew on your hives (seriously) but they won't bother your bees. They don't usually bother painted wood.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

About 2 weeks ago I actually had a hawk fly up under our back porch and try and nab a chicken..my wife heard all the squawking and came out and ran it off..I have rigged up a nice landing pole out behind the house with a 1 3/4 coilspring coyote trap atop of it with a field mouse laying across the pan..nothing yet..i'm guessing the mouse would need to be wiggling to attract the hawk..i'll get the [email protected]#tard.he has already taken off 4-5 chicks so far..I have a 22-250 and a 12 gauge in the bedroom, a 6mm beside the back porch, a 17hmr in my truck and a mini 14 223 in the basement..one of these days i'll make him appear to have swallowed a cherry bomb..


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## Toni Bee (Jun 14, 2005)

Um, all birds of prey are federally protected, and killing them is a crime. 

Second, you are likely to have more than one raptor in your area, meaning that your losses are due to more than one animal. Are you prepared to shoot more than one bird of prey illegally? 

Respectfully, there has got to be a better way.


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

>>>>>Um, all birds of prey are federally protected, and killing them is a crime. 

Second, you are likely to have more than one raptor in your area, meaning that your losses are due to more than one animal. Are you prepared to shoot more than one bird of prey illegally? 

Respectfully, there has got to be a better way.<<<


all true but the better way part,,,,there isn't a better way to deal with chicken killing hawks, the only problem is that when you do this 6 more take that one's place, so its a losing battle.
Build a good pen for the chickens with a top...


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## jaydee (Oct 12, 2004)

That is not necessarily true about more taking there place. I had 2 chicken hawks eating my chickens, and when they were eliminated, I did not have any more problems. I sure sooner or later it will happen again. I let my chickens run loose in day time so covering pen was not an option. Eggs are alot better to me on free range chickens.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

ur right they are protected..but I also have a right to protect my property..I only got the chickens after my 1 yr old daughter got into a nest of ticks..litterally.. in our back yard..we took over 500 ticks off of her..none had stuck but she was scratching and crying like crazy..I got the chickens right after that and can count on one hand how many ticks we have found in the past 3 years..so..no they are not going in a pen and yep..i'll pop every hawk i get a shot at...


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

look, this is all off subject but i have raised game chickens for 23 years and I know what im talking about, I have call DNR and they said there was nothing they could do about the pest attacking my birds, they told me top secret to handle it the best way I could and thats why I say they will be more that the one you got....if you have problems with losing chickens to hawks or owls, build a good pen with a top, saves on shot-gun shells..


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

a mating pair of hawks has a normal home range. if you eliminate the pair, a young hawk looking for a home will eventually settle into the same or similar home range previously occupied by the hawk you eliminate. So you may have some time unmolested by hawks. But maybe the solutionis a pen with overhead cover. 

as for the ticks, wow, you took 500 off your daughter? I have never heard of such a thing. hope she is ok. Sounds like a deer problem, though! those ticks have to eat something, and deer bedding down close by will give ticks a place to live. how did the chickens help? they make a big difference?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> they make a big difference?

Yes, chickens make a huge difference in the number of ticks.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> how did the chickens help?

They eat them, of course.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

guinea hens are even better if you can stand the noise  

Dave


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

I got the chickens right after that and can count on one hand how many ticks we have found in the past 3 years.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

>>>took over 500 ticks off of her
The only time I have seen this is once my dog got them all over her. They were little black dots and hard to even see that they were ticks. But, they were hundreds of them.

On the hawk issue, I have been checking on hawk trapping methods and even that requires a special license and training program (falconry regulations). It appears that shooting them is out of the question.

If only they did not appear to get the favorite ones first - like Squacker that followed me around an talked to me.


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

listen, and the hawks will talk to you too. wink.


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## Billy Y. (Feb 1, 2005)

A more effective way of eliminating skunks and possums from your hives without the danger of poisoning non target species is to place a leghold trap - either a #1 or #1.5 coil or longspring - right at the entrance of the hive. Place the trap so the loose jaw is about .5" away from the lip of the landing board on the hive and right in front of the entrance. Don't really need to cover the trap - but do if you suspect that ***** are also predating your hives. Attach some sort of drag to the trap for an anchor so the captured animal will move away from the hive area and will probably be in some brushy area nearby. A skunk can then be dispatched with a .22 without scenting up your bee yard. I understand that you can also dispatch them with a kill pole/syringe with no scent but I have never tried that.

Any domestic cats and dogs in the area have long learned not to hang out right in front of bee hives so I never have had any problem in catching non target species. If they do get caught though they can be let go with little to no foot damage. If they eat one of those eggs however they are dead meat.

Took 10 skunk from my apiary last year with that method and this year have taken none with traps set out all season. No skunk damage either!

If taken in winter during furharvesting season, A nice skunk pelt will bring $3 or so on the raw fur market. A **** around $6. Possums are worthless.


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

> A nice skunk pelt will bring $3 or so on the raw fur market. A **** around $6. Possums are worthless.


Possums are worthless, Period!


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>Possums are worthless, Period!

God didn't put worthless critters on this earth. They've gotta be good for something, surely you can eat them? Possum stew? Fried Possum? Baked Stuffed Possum? Possum Burger?

George-


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

Possums are worth a lot. If you have to pay someone to take them away.  

The "Critter Getter" here in town is a retired guy that works out of the County Extension Office and has a full time job removing unwanted pests. Trapping out possums is just one of his specialities, at about $20 per. If it crawls, creaps, flys, or slithers, he will take it away.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Possums are good eating. Spread on wooden board, well greased, add sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 45 minutes. Throw possum away, eat board.


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## buford (Feb 22, 2005)

GOT 'IM!!









i put three bowls (one egg and three aspirin a piece) by the hives last evening and pulled them this morning.

i expected to find them licked clean, but there was still a fair amount in each one.

then, my neighbor's dog was barking at a very groggy oposum that was behind his would pile.

WOW!! that stuff works FAST!! and apparently it didn't take very much to do the trick... thanks again.

of course, oposums are as thick as ants in these parts. but, whoever frequented the hives last night got a bit of that egg.


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

Glad you got 'im.

Now that I know that the recipe works on possums too I'll keep it in mind if I discover I have a possum problem.


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## buford (Feb 22, 2005)

only make sure you hit the groggy oposum in the head with something. i neglected to do that and it looks like he wandered off somewhere.


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