I am in central Texas also and having a snake problem. I am extremely allergic to moth balls and I am going to invest in some ceramic eggs. The snake was getting into the coop by a small hole in the eaves where the rafters meet. I plugged it up with steel wool. The "snake away" is...
I just found a farm store near me that has ceramic eggs. I also think I found the hole. It was at the peak of the roof where it joins. I don't think I can continue to do this. Between the snakes, lice, mites and chiggers . . it just isn't worth it. I hate that I couldn't keep them safe.
The coop does have 1/4 inch hardware cloth . . . I have plugged everything I can find. I must have missed something because I lost another chicken last night. I got a snake but he must have a friend. There was a tiny hole where the poop tray slids out and I have put a clothespin in it with...
Tractor Supply sells it with the poultry paraphernalia. They make it seem like it is a "must". I have been putting it in my chicks water since I got them. I was wondering if it should be illuminated due to the Texas heat. I really didn't know it was optional.
I lost a chicken on Monday to a snake. I am a first time chicken owner and had four backyard chickens. Now I have three. On Thursday morning I found the culprit trying to get in the coop and was able to dispatch him. Yesterday I removed all the pine shavings and put in sand and now I...
A dead chicken on Monday, a dead snake on Thursday and now chiggers . . . and I haven't gotten a single egg yet. I cleaned all the pine chips out of the coop to replace it with sand. Put a little Seven Dust around the roost area. I have noticed some scratching. I checked for any rat...
Oh, he is very dead. I think he has friends but the good news is that he couldn't get in the coop. Yes, the coop is small and they have an eight by thirty foot run. I wonder when the "wonderful" is supposed to start. I am getting very discouraged. Thanks for your support and information.
He was a bit longer than two feet but I never saw him stretched out before and I hate to exaggerate.
He was trying to get into the coop. I found him on the roof looking in the front window. Chickens are safe and I have not had any luck catching mice but I see no signs of any.
Got him. He was a little longer than two feet, more like four. I didn't catch any mice but the snake was on the roof of the chicken coop, trying to get in. It may not have been the one I saw so there may be another one. There is no sign of mice but I am going to leave the bucket out one...
The foam was removed from the coop before the chickens were allowed back inside. If I had caught a mouse in the bucket my plan was to remove him about half a mile down the road to the Colorado River Reserve. I am sure there are a lot of critters that would like them, dead or alive. They...
The two hens that refused to go in the coop at night went inside . . .finally . . . and everything was okay this morning. I used spray foam yesterday to shore up any crevices. I did put a bucket of water/peanut butter out and did not catch a mouse, put a lid on it and will try it again...
There was no attempt to eat the chicken. I am pretty sure the snake isn't in the coop. One chick goes in the coop and up to the roost, the other two stayed out all night last night but tonight they finally went in. I used spray foam wood screws to fill in any crevices. I would hate to...
I am going to need a therapist before this is over. How much peanut butter do you use and what if the mice aren't dead? By the way, thanks for your reply.
I think it was a snake but probably not the one I saw. I will try the bucket and peanut butter tonight. I was using Liquid Fence Snake Repellent, it is not supposed to harmful to wildlife, birds or domestic animals. It smells like cinnamon and cloves. If one goes by the price then it...
That makes sense. I have put snake repellent all around the coop and fence. I have shored up any cracks in the coop. Two of the chickens would not go in the coop last night and slept on a tree branch in the run. I don't feel good about this entire endeavor. It goes really good until it...
The coop was closed and the only way in was a half inch crack in the timbers on the base. The dead chick was on the floor of coop and had some bite marks on her thigh that looked very much like snake bites. They are 12 weeks old. A snake is the only thing that could have gotten inside...