Snakes - Waaaaaay Too Many Snakes

[effie]

Quote:
God love ya!!! I couldn't have said it better!!!!!!!!!!

Keep my 357 loaded with birdshot and carry the real loads in my pocket---you just never know!!!!!

 

[NanaLantana]

Loved your post, Luckydozen. That's how I feel. Yesterday a distant neighbor's pit bull almost got my cat, by about 2 hairs she escaped up a tree. I saw that dog kill cats before. I've never wanted a gun, but if I'd had one, that dog would be GONE now. He also looked at my chickens. He'll be back - - -

This morning I got up and a snake, I think, had killed 3 of my 10 day old chicks in the night. Not a big snake, because he couldn't swallow them. If I find him, I'll KILL him!!! If he'd attacked in the daylight, my hen would have killed him herself, or at least warned me that he was there.

One thing I remember and I believe - when God put people on the earth, he told us to "be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground". Does that not mean that if a snake is eating the fruits of our labors, we should kill it? I think so. And good riddance, snakes!

 

[LuckyDozen Farm]

Thanks Nana and effie...yeah you learn at an early age to get handy with the piece around here..a fellow rancher in our county was killed by a group of wild boar just out checking his cows a couple years ago. Mine is a Colt Mustang .380 auto with a 6 round clip. It needs to be light so I don't catch it on the wire going through fences. Plus I figure if I miss with 6 rounds, it didn't need to be killed anyway.

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Quote:
If there was a 'like' button here, I know what I would do

 

[dirtdoctor]

Don't mess around with the poisonous ones.. get a .22 with snake shot.. simple.. final.
We have rattlers around here.. mostly we can hear them.. the gopher snakes well, we capture them and release them elsewhere on the property.

 

[dawnwinds58]

I usually keep a mixed henhouse. Geese and guineas both hate snakes and are way more agressive to them. I know it wouldn't be a fix for right now, but consider raising one or the other with your chicks. This is what I am working to reaquire.

There was a time I had 186 chickens, 30 guineas more or less, 3 breeding pairs of Toulouse geese, and the lake wasn't 300 yds from my house. Everyone had copperhead issues but me. Saw my guineas gang up and peck a copperhead to death when it made the mistake of overnighting in our brush pile. The geese were in the henhouse too. No coon problems; no fox problens, no anything in my hen house but birds. The only real fuss we had was the fight between the dominant guinea and alpha gander over who was going to run the chicken yard. My Buff Orpington roosters just let them fight it out and stayed out of it. Sam the gander was too big and Ticker the Guinea was too mean, so they remained 100% neutral, smart boys.

Here, we have my Pilgrim geese started but not really going strong yet. Still working on getting my guineas so I have to use 'alternate' methods for snake issues.

I have "The Judge,' Taurus defender revolver made 45/.410 which takes either 2 and 1/2 inch .410 shells for snakes and long colt .45s for the 4-legged problems. It does the job. I am however in a constant battle with my snake-fearing husband to leave my King snakes alone as they eat other snakes. Learn to identify the species in Kentucky. No animal makes a habit of building a home close to a predator that feeds on it. My mother taught me that. We had a pair that raised eggs in our backyard every year back in Louisiana.

As a head's up though, we just killed a 3ft Cottonmouth water moccasin crawling on a friend's deck railing which is right over his above ground pool. They are close to 2 miles from the river. The floods this past spring brought them in, stranded them when the water receded, and now they have taken up residense in the local cow ponds. Keep an eye out around any water area close to your house. Please understand Cottonmouths are super agressive, highly poisonous, blazing fast on land, and deadly faster in the water. They are the snakes you see a lot of web video on falling out of trees into fishing boats. Just be extra cautious in moist, water prone areas.

 

[americanamama]

Snakes. One thing that works and is safe for you and your chickens is Liquid Fence. Go to the web page Liquid Fence and youll see repellent for snakes and repellent for other irritating things. Wish they had one for rude dental assistants. Read the info about safe active ingredients. Good Luck!

 

[Hatchers n Catchers]

Howdy!!
I am in Tasmania, Australia and we have two of the most dangerous snakes in the world here as common as anything!! Always on the lookout for these slithering beauties........ Anyway, one in the hen house is not a good thing - One minute your reaching for eggs and the next you have a Tiger snake in your hand - Yikes! But it's too late and you only have a couple hours to get to antivenom.
We us this - when we know one is about. and need to transport it to....................
Use an old fashioned can opener to cut the lide out of the can -70% Make sure edges are jagged. Empty contents and wash out. Slightly bend the lid inwards leaving 1/2 to 3/4 inch gap. Add some milk to can and set where snake was seen. Stay away from the trap!!
The milk will attract the snake and when it sticks it's head in - can't back out because the edges of the lid close against the can trapping the business end of the snake! joila!!
Of course, from here on out is the truly fun part! Ha!
I have tried the moth ball thing but can not tell you if it works or not cause never saw any snakes around it........................................

Have Fun!!

 

[mikensara]

oh yuck i detest snakes too my aunt told me she got some guineas and they eat snakes but not poisonous ones.

 

[aberdeen]

To Louis & the Crew:
I have not checked the web site for awhile until today, when I read your entry on the snake problem. I hope by now you have conquered the snakes! If not, I will tell you how we conquered them. We cover our chain fencing with netting that you would use to cover fruit trees or berry patches to keep birds out. The snakes cannot get through the netting and get caught in it. We then go out with sissors & cut the snakes loose and take them back in the woods and let them go. (Black snakes) I will not kill black snakes since they are good to have around. We also put netting around the post under our bluebird house and have saved many a brood of bluebirds with this method. Do hope this helps.