Hello,
I've had chickens since 2009 and have loved them so far. Until this year I'd only seen one or two snakes in the coop, but in this month alone (June, 2011) we've opened the coop door several times and, in all, seen four snakes. This month we're going to start putting golf balls in all of the laying boxes for two reasons:
1. The snakes will eat them thinking they're eggs and choke to death.
2. My four Buff Orpington hens will be five months old and soon beginning to lay.
The second reason is just so that the hens will know where to lay, though my Red Sex Link hen should show a good example. As for the first, I've always thought it was a good idea to just choke the snakes, as evil as that sounds, because it's not dangerous for us, but it still can be a scary sight to walk into your coop and see a dead snake lying there and not even knowing how long it's been there. But, it's even worse when you walk into your coop, thinking there are no snakes and step in to find that there WAS one there, coiled twice around the chickens water container with it's head less than four inches from your foot. This happened to me and was my most recent encounter with a snake in the coop and I really don't want it to happen again. One of my close relatives that lives nearby is very willing and will come kill them whenever I ask, but that very snake, as he was trying to kill it quickly, ended up charging at him three times and came close to biting him. I hate putting my family in danger like that and I also really miss getting eggs from my pretty little RSL hen every single day because of these snakes.
If you read all of that, thank you very much. If you didn't but you just got the meaning of it, that's fine too, but I'd love some feedback. *Below, if you'd at least try to give me three ways to easily and quickly get rid of snakes, even if you think someone has already said that reason, that would be great. I'm willing to try almost anything.
Thank you very much,
Louieandthecrew
I've had chickens since 2009 and have loved them so far. Until this year I'd only seen one or two snakes in the coop, but in this month alone (June, 2011) we've opened the coop door several times and, in all, seen four snakes. This month we're going to start putting golf balls in all of the laying boxes for two reasons:
1. The snakes will eat them thinking they're eggs and choke to death.
2. My four Buff Orpington hens will be five months old and soon beginning to lay.
The second reason is just so that the hens will know where to lay, though my Red Sex Link hen should show a good example. As for the first, I've always thought it was a good idea to just choke the snakes, as evil as that sounds, because it's not dangerous for us, but it still can be a scary sight to walk into your coop and see a dead snake lying there and not even knowing how long it's been there. But, it's even worse when you walk into your coop, thinking there are no snakes and step in to find that there WAS one there, coiled twice around the chickens water container with it's head less than four inches from your foot. This happened to me and was my most recent encounter with a snake in the coop and I really don't want it to happen again. One of my close relatives that lives nearby is very willing and will come kill them whenever I ask, but that very snake, as he was trying to kill it quickly, ended up charging at him three times and came close to biting him. I hate putting my family in danger like that and I also really miss getting eggs from my pretty little RSL hen every single day because of these snakes.
If you read all of that, thank you very much. If you didn't but you just got the meaning of it, that's fine too, but I'd love some feedback. *Below, if you'd at least try to give me three ways to easily and quickly get rid of snakes, even if you think someone has already said that reason, that would be great. I'm willing to try almost anything.
Thank you very much,
Louieandthecrew
