snakes in the chicken coop or chicken yard

[Bear Foot Farm]

I wouldn't waste money on any product that claims to keep snakes away.
They simply DO NOT work, no matter how many people "swear " they do.

 

[cappy]

I posted this on another thread but maybe you'll find it useful

"If you live in the country, snakes are a fact of life. There are "repellents" sold, but only work in dry arid locations. Humidity and rain makes frequent applications necessary (and it gets expensive). Any powder will have the same results. When I built my feed shed I put 3 boxes of mothballs under the floor. You could smell them 50' away and in the shed the smell was overpowering. I put a 12" barrier of Snake Away inside the door. The 2nd week I found a 5' chicken snake in there. The following week I found a rat snake even thought the mothballs were still going strong. I have found numerous snakes in there so figured the moth balls and snake repellent aren't very effective. I have guineas and goats and have not found a snake in the pasture or the chicken runs. Is that because the guineas keep them away? I doubt it but you never know. There are steps you can take to reduce the chance of having snake problems. Keep the area around the chicken coop cleared of junk, wood piles, grass and weeds. Keep your grass mowed short and clear under shrubs. Snakes don't like being in the open where they are easy targets for predators. I have a thick layer of straw in my nest boxes and check under the straw daily. I have found several chicken snakes had burrowed under the straw and were impossible to see and did not bother the chickens, but ate the eggs."

Using 1/2" mesh wire around the chicken run will keep out the larger snakes and pretty much eliminate them eating eggs or chicks. If they can't get food they move on. I keep my feed in metal garbage cans and clean up any spilled feed to keep the rodents out of the feed shed. My coop and run are at the edge of heavily wooded area so it is easy for snakes to get in, however, I have found less than a dozen snakes in the coop over the years so it is not a real problem, except to my wife who is like you when it comes to snakes.

Don't let your fear of snakes keep from letting your kids have the enjoyment of raising and caring for chickens or other livestock because they are not that big of a problem.

Ken

 

[clousert]

Thanks Ken. I keep all feed and supplies in the house for that reason. If they weren't night crawlers or attacking the chicks they wouldn't bother me so much. I wouldnt even mind if they had an egg every now and then. The thought of one falling on me or jumping out at me in the middle of the night creeps me out though. And attacking my babies is a definite no no . I could live without ever seeing another snake for the remainder of my life but I doubt that will happen. I'm not giving up my babies though so will do whatever I can to protect them. Thanks again. Tammy

 

[AK Baha]

Quote:
Doesn't work with me...I love salt.

You can buy a thing called Snakeaway.

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/snakeaway.htm

It's the same stuff as mothballs...blech...now THAT would keep me away...

The active ingredients in Snake-A-Way are Naphalene and Sulfer

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I absolutely swear by my 5 guineas. We have a bayou in back of our property & every kind of snake you can think of. The only snake I've seen in the 2 years since I hatched the guineas was one they were tearing up & eating. Everybody else around us has killed snakes. The guins roost w/the chickens at night & in the morning fly up & over the run & spend the day roaming the property. I also have wired buried around the perimeter of my coop & hardware cloth on the bottom 1/2 of the door (wire door for ventilation).

 

[countrydream7]

I certainly agree with ur response very well said..city people move to the country then want to put there ways here. example a lawyer moved next to a 200 acre horse farm then made complaints about the horses smelling nosie etc. why would you move to the country and try to change policies of the people here go back to the city or move in town..we have people destroying the farms and animals one day we wont know what a horse or cow is what a shame..people who have or raise animals make much better humans..most of the time.. I have used a snake repel from tractor supply store cant remember the name but it smells like clover u put on ham..only because to many snakes and small kids running around..and if I find one I trap and remove to another area and I hate snakes ...

 

[natureboybern27]

I've always enjoyed eating snake, and snake skin is super easy to tan, so a few traps around the coup may bring a welcome meat supply to the table and a steady supply of snake hides for whatever crafts. The more venomous they are the better they'll taste fried.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I am scared to death of snakes and have thought many times of moving to an apartment.

 

[countrydream7]

yikes ill pass no thanks lol

 

[ethan walker]

Watch out for bull snakes they eat chicken Eggs be careful they bite