HELP Snake infestation, striking at chickens

[JorasoliFarm]

We recently moved our layers to our barn. We enclosed the stall, thinking more of making it 4 legged & flying predator proof. There are a few gaps yet I was not concerned with snakes, mainly believing they are a good balance & would keep the rodent population down..... In the last week, we are seeing 2-4 snakes a day.....we just shooed them out of the coop & gave them a one way ticket to an abandoned, non built development a few miles down the road. Well today, maybe due to our missing rooster..... The snakes appear to be attacking our hens... I am sure they are just after the eggs, yet they had one of the hens in a corner & the larger snake was striking at her.... We quickly interceded & both snakes lost. My question is... are they Rat Snakes or King Snakes.... they do not have rings yet the light chain like pattern is visible on one of them, not the other & one of them had a triangular head which shouldnt be the case for either of these species.....

I do not want to kill any snakes, yet needed to protect our bird.... wondering why they were striking at her.

Tomorrow I am going to buy some minnow traps & bait them with eggs. I would rather just relocate these guys, but not if they are harmful to others & livestock.

 

[jh1013]

Hello,
Sorry to hear about your snake problems. Not sure what type of snakes your dealing with butI have issues with "chicken snakes" aka rat snakes. I also was under the impression that the snakes were only after eggs that is until a large 6' snake strangled my hen to death bc she would not get off of the eggs she was setting. Only her eggs were missing no other chickens harmed, my only guess was a snake. Sure enough iI found it hiding not 3 feet away. I now have 3 minnow trap type snake traps in the hen house but iI added a golf ball along with an egg to each trap just in case it can escape. But I have no in tensions of releasing them. I have no mercy on chicken killing snakes that were caught in my henhouse.

 

[jh1013]

Looking at your pics, they appear to be large chicken/rat snakes..but the ones I have seen are lighter in color, a light-dark brown, yours appear to be black. Don't look like king snakes I have seen. But iI am from a different state so maybe that's why. The one in your pic looks HUGE to me, yikes, I hope all of them your finding aren't that large.

 

[mrjoemomma]

yeap. def. a black rat snake. I pulled a 6 footer out of the coup yesterday. They sure do love free range eggs They will keep coming back unless relocated. I worry more about copperheads, but any snake in your coup is dis concerning...I know.

 

[vanthes2007]

I caught this one in my coop yesterday. Afraid to go check for eggs now. I shot him but blew a hole in coop. I need ideas of repellent. Sulfur???

 

[Tammy Lynch]

I'm from Kentucky. Just went to check for my eggs from today. My favorite part of coming home each day. Coiled up in one of the nesting boxes was two black snakes. We did not relocate. My son shot the both. And I'm fine with it. Now I'll be afraid to check for eggs though.

 

[onawhimfarm]

I'm having the same problem! I have killed one 5 ft black snake that was CLIMBING the exterior wall of my coop AFTER I had interrupted his egg dinner and threw him out of my coop. Now I'm still missing eggs!! What can I do to stop the dang things!! Any suggestions?