Black snake killed two chickens. What to do?

[ChickenThunderdome]

There was a black rat snake in a coop two days ago. It was rather small at 4ft long so I simply moved him a couple acres away.

Today I go in, there's the snake who has eaten most of the eggs and killed both a silkie hen and a silkie rooster.

Last week I had to cull our flogging Houdan rooster and feel this is what I get for doing so..

What do we do? I killed the snake but I'm worried this will happen again? The bastard climbed over 2 feet of construction mesh to get into the fenced run.

 

[ChickenThunderdome]

I also need to point out that this snake has entered the run and coop during the day. At night the coop is shut and there is no crack to get inside anywhere.

 

[Doc7]

Golf balls in nest boxes if you don’t catch him - won’t see him again - other methods if you do catch him.
Otherwise, enclosed run in hardware cloth. That will let you remove or block open coop door permanently and remove daily tasks of open/close or Maintenance on a motorized door, and prevent other predators.

 

[friema]

This is the fourth black snake to enter our coop in the last 3 weeks. Is this a bad year for black snakes in central North Carolina? Today's snake killed a small pullet. Other than wrapping the whole yard in hardware cloth, are there other methods of dealing with these snakes? Thanks.

 

[ChickenThunderdome]

It just amazes me that a snake that's not big enough to eat anything larger than a rat would attack and strangle to death(they are constrictors) a large bantam rooster and a hen.. This is the first snake we've ever seen on the property. I'm not sure even hardware mesh would make it snake proof, they find a way to get in just like rodents do.

 

[centrarchid]

It just amazes me that a snake that's not big enough to eat anything larger than a rat would attack and strangle to death(they are constrictors) a large bantam rooster and a hen.. This is the first snake we've ever seen on the property. I'm not sure even hardware mesh would make it snake proof, they find a way to get in just like rodents do.

I think your culprit is not the 4 foot individual. You got a bigger one at least 6 feet lurking around. I find most of mine after dark on warm nights, usually when no rain. I found relocating 200 yards is not far enough as my snakes had marks making them easy to ID.

200 yards = 600 feet which is about three times what I assume you mean is 208.7 feet.

208.7 by 208.7 feet is one acre that is square. Not square can have distances being considerably larger or smaller. Use distance instead for clarity.

https://www.infoplease.com/askeds/dimensions-acre#:~:text=Because an acre is a,660 feet by 66 feet.

 

[Birdmom2020]

I'm in NC as well yadkin river area. I live in the country and have a pond across the road. Have only had 1 king snake ( so I was told) here climbing a tree near the coop. Didn't appear it was ever in it but was about 5 ft from it.

 

[Tamdog]

I do not understand- I have had chickens for decades and many snakes have lived here and never-ever- hurt any chicken ( I do keep them inside when they are young) For years a 6 foot black snake live in my barn which is attached to my chicken pen. Yes, it will eat the eggs occasionally=BUT I have never heard of a black snake killing a chicken. They eat rodents, eggs, frogs,.

I do not have rats or squirrels that get in my barn or food- guess why???

Black snakes are your FRIEND> they will eat baby Copperheads and Copperhead eggs, they are territorial - I have never seen a Copperhead on my woody property.
I thank my black snake for that.

PLEASE: Do NOT put golf balls or fake eggs in and kill this beneficial creature.

I solved my Black snake eating eggs problem by building a roll away egg box and gluing a fake egg down inside the nesting box for the hens to sit on. I glued it because I did not want the snake to end up in a horrible death.

My husband captures a black snake and relocates it when it becomes a problem. The snake in the photo is the one who lived in my barn - I often cleaned the barn and he watched. My husband finally caught him and relocated him because my dog was too interested in the snake and we were afraid he would bother it.

Please do not kill the black snake!

 

[centrarchid]

I do not understand- I have had chickens for decades and many snakes have lived here and never-ever- hurt any chicken ( I do keep them inside when they are young) For years a 6 foot black snake live in my barn which is attached to my chicken pen. Yes, it will eat the eggs occasionally=BUT I have never heard of a black snake killing a chicken. They eat rodents, eggs, frogs,.

I do not have rats or squirrels that get in my barn or food- guess why???

Black snakes are your FRIEND> they will eat baby Copperheads and Copperhead eggs, they are territorial - I have never seen a Copperhead on my woody property.
I thank my black snake for that.

PLEASE: Do NOT put golf balls or fake eggs in and kill this beneficial creature.

I solved my Black snake eating eggs problem by building a roll away egg box and gluing a fake egg down inside the nesting box for the hens to sit on. I glued it because I did not want the snake to end up in a horrible death.

My husband captures a black snake and relocates it when it becomes a problem. The snake in the photo is the one who lived in my barn - I often cleaned the barn and he watched. My husband finally caught him and relocated him because my dog was too interested in the snake and we were afraid he would bother it.

Please do not kill the black snake!

I have Black Rat Snakes and Osage Copperheads with very much overlapping ranges. My Osage Copperheads do not lay eggs. The Black Rat Snakes also have overlapping home ranges. It is nothing to collect multiple large individuals on successive nights. The will occasionally kill items too large to consume. Black Racers here will go after small chicks during day and succeed if hen or dog does not intervene.

 

[Longhornlove]

I do not understand- I have had chickens for decades and many snakes have lived here and never-ever- hurt any chicken ( I do keep them inside when they are young) For years a 6 foot black snake live in my barn which is attached to my chicken pen. Yes, it will eat the eggs occasionally=BUT I have never heard of a black snake killing a chicken. They eat rodents, eggs, frogs,.

I do not have rats or squirrels that get in my barn or food- guess why???

Black snakes are your FRIEND> they will eat baby Copperheads and Copperhead eggs, they are territorial - I have never seen a Copperhead on my woody property.
I thank my black snake for that.

PLEASE: Do NOT put golf balls or fake eggs in and kill this beneficial creature.

I solved my Black snake eating eggs problem by building a roll away egg box and gluing a fake egg down inside the nesting box for the hens to sit on. I glued it because I did not want the snake to end up in a horrible death.

My husband captures a black snake and relocates it when it becomes a problem. The snake in the photo is the one who lived in my barn - I often cleaned the barn and he watched. My husband finally caught him and relocated him because my dog was too interested in the snake and we were afraid he would bother it.

Please do not kill the black snake!

I totally agree with you on not killing any beneficial creatures just because. Especially in an inhumane manor