Snake control!

[Mama Farley]

I caught the first rat snake today in bird netting! Yay! Thanks so much for this forum, where we can learn from others and care for our flocks! The bird meeting was wadded up under the nesting boxes and it took about 4 days. The rat snake is about 6ft long. We’ve lost 2 chickens it tried to eat, suffocated and spit back out.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I believe chicken(s) aren't the desire of the rat snake (unless baby chicks), EGGS are what the serpent is after.

 

[quackersandfern]

Yea, rat snakes are awful. There is also a good infographic which shows ideas - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/dealing-with-ratsnakes-in-chicken-coops

 

[ColtHandorf]

I believe chicken(s) aren't the desire of the rat snake (unless baby chicks), EGGS are what the serpent is after.

While this is true, rat snakes often eat the eggs of chickens, I had rat snakes living under the white pine shavings in the floor of the chicken house. They were coming out and taking the hens' eggs as soon as they were laid. I lost an entire clutch of American Buff geese eggs to them. They also killed eight or nine Silver-laced Orpingtons that were in the two-three month range. They weren't able to consume them, but they strangled them and attempted to. It was obvious from the wet appearance of the birds down to their breastbone where the snake obviously gave up and tried another bird. I'd find two or three dead in the mornings sometimes. After killing over a dozen and taking all the bedding out, I've not had an issue. So they will absolutely kill smaller birds that ultimately are too large for them to swallow.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Adult LF chickens are in no danger from snakes unless you are talking about pythons or something similar. They do love to go in and gorge on eggs and chicks could be in danger from some of our native snakes. Sometimes the snakes are in greater danger from the chickens.

What killed the two chickens? Surely it wasn't the snake.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I don’t think they’ve specified if the birds were adult or large fowl. They certainly killed young large fowl Orpingtons at my place.

 

[Mama Farley]

I believe chicken(s) aren't the desire of the rat snake (unless baby chicks), EGGS are what the serpent is after.

We’ve lost 2 medium size chickens to snakes that thought they could swallow the bird and found out otherwise.

 

[Mama Farley]

Yea, rat snakes are awful. There is also a good infographic which shows ideas - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/dealing-with-ratsnakes-in-chicken-coops

Good. Thank you!

 

[cheekychick3]

Sorry you have lost your hens, but so happy you caught the blighter.

 

[amenfarm]

We’ve lost 2 medium size chickens to snakes that thought they could swallow the bird and found out otherwise.

caught the rat snake with the chick half in its mouth.