Yeah, here everyone kills "cottonmouths" or "water moccasins" that are just black racers or water snakes, not to mention all the scarlet kingsnakes and scarlet snakes that look nothing like a coral snake to me but get misidentified as them all the time.
Glad to hear you found the culprit and were able to rehome him. How convenient that carpet pythons are quite popular as pets. They get a little too big for your average snake hobbyist, but are quite docile if you have the space for them.
It depends on what kind of snake has been making the attempt. You live in the range of the coastal carpet python, the largest subspecies of carpet python. A female can get 12-13 feet and would easily eat an adult chicken. They prefer to feed at night, so locking up your chickens in a secure coop...
As a snake enthusiast first and chicken enthusiast second, I feel obliged to comment. I would never kill a native snake under any circumstances. A female mouse produces around 40 babies in a year. Factor in that half of those will be females who will be breeding within months, and you can see...