Best way I've found yet to deal with snake problems!!

[TNBarnQueen]

Quote:
One way to deter a snake that is making repeated trips is to hard boil 3-4 eggs. When the snake swallows them they cannot break them to digest and usually die. I am glad to see the way you are humanly taking care of the copperheads. NOW...with that said there is one snake to keep an eye out for..not because it will bother your eggs or chicks but because they are very harmless and only eat frogs. Hognose snakes are rear-fanged (fangs are back in mouth..kinda like where our wisdom teeth are) and cannot even bite anything. They can be mistaken for copperheads sometimes. I usually have one as a pet during the summer months.....shhhhhh..don't tell DH. He is terrified of snakes! Hognose snakes will stand and spread their heads like a cobra to try and look ferious..they also will roll over and blow themselves up like they are dead as a defense mechanism. With you problem the egg thing may help some but I think what your doing is a very good idea..if you are catching this many snakes you can be sure you can multiply that times 20 and figure that many more are out there! If you have a lot of brush near your coops and runs removing those may help a little. Good Luck!!
Terry

 

[Chickencoop1996]

Thats an awesome idea! I've got a bunch of them set for minnows I don't have any snake problems but good job!

 

[sjhorse]

I used to live on 25 acres of woods with a big pool and a creek on the land. I was up to my you know what in copperheads and water moccasins. I had several close calls out in the woods, so I made a little sawed-off 20 gauge "snake charmer" that I slung over my shoulder. It came in handy a lot. I am like you, I let the non-poisonous ones do their jobs. Unless they were big enough to eat small pets and such. Then it was a one way ticket to snake heaven for them too.

I am not sure if you can still get it, but I have some shells for my .38 that is called 'snake shot'. Looks like a small version of a shotgun shell. It contains a number of pellet and spreads like a shotgun shell when fired.

It works really well on rats too!!

I have a snake that overwinters in my garage/crawlspace. I have noticed a dramatic reduction in the number of mice I have during the colder months. As long as it stays out there, I am fine with it. I think it is either a black snake or a rat snake..It left us a 6' skin up in the rafters last year!!

 

[ditto]

lol, funny you should say that. i've got a snake (skinned and gutted) in my freezer now, thanks to my 'mountain man' boys! just waiting.....wwwaaaaiiiiittttiiiinnnnggg for that thing to be GONE! actually they roasted half of it, and had leftovers

 

[Barrdwing]

So . . . did they say if it tasted like chicken?

 

[Cetawin]

Fabulous tip. Thanks tons. I do not currently have a venom bearer around the yard but I do have a beautiful 4 1/2 foot black rat snake at my barn. She hangs out on the outside of the barn by my mare's stall...she is one heck of a mouser....between her and the barn cat...no mouse lasts long.

 

[Moonkit]

Quote:
One way to deter a snake that is making repeated trips is to hard boil 3-4 eggs. When the snake swallows them they cannot break them to digest and usually die. I am glad to see the way you are humanly taking care of the copperheads. NOW...with that said there is one snake to keep an eye out for..not because it will bother your eggs or chicks but because they are very harmless and only eat frogs. Hognose snakes are rear-fanged (fangs are back in mouth..kinda like where our wisdom teeth are) and cannot even bite anything. They can be mistaken for copperheads sometimes. I usually have one as a pet during the summer months.....shhhhhh..don't tell DH. He is terrified of snakes! Hognose snakes will stand and spread their heads like a cobra to try and look ferious..they also will roll over and blow themselves up like they are dead as a defense mechanism. With you problem the egg thing may help some but I think what your doing is a very good idea..if you are catching this many snakes you can be sure you can multiply that times 20 and figure that many more are out there! If you have a lot of brush near your coops and runs removing those may help a little. Good Luck!!
Terry

If you flip them right side up.. they'll flip themselves back to insist that they really are dead.

 

[KristyHall]

that is a great idea. I am going to have to try it

 

[KristyHall]

What if you put little wires into the funnel pointing inward so snakes, rats and other creatures start to go in but then cannot back out without being poked by the funnels "teeth" forcing them to go all the way in. it would also make it harder for the smarter rats to crawl back out.

 

[Elwood Lightfoot]

Quote:
The new one I bought has a smooth hole at the inside of the funnel the two old ones have wires that do just what you were asking about, I've never caught a rat or mouse in one of them that I know of anyway but considering that mice and rats are good at figuring out mazes I bet they would find their way out in pretty short order..