Black Snakes in my chicken coop!!!!!

[ChickensAreSweet]

Wow. Very well. Now, would he want to just be taking one at a time? Don't they normally kill multiple?

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...ed-to-know-about-raccoons-if-I-keep-H174.aspx

This says they normally kill multiple chickens, but I am not sure what is going on with your situation. I hope you find the answer!

 

[aart]

Don't give me flak for this, but the nest box lid doesn't have a latch at all. What's the likelihood that a racoon can figure out how to hold the lid while grabbing a chick? Maybe I'm just being naive... But I did think about that. It didn't come with a latch and I just never thought about predators as much. Also, that lid is heavy... I just never thought a coon would be able to lift it.

As for weasels, the thing with my situation is that one of eight went missing. Then this morning two more got taken away. As we were digging thru the debris in the backyard, we found the mottled cochin's pile of feathers. Just a neat little pile of like 8 feathers. Same thing with the white cochin. No body, no extreme amount of feathers in coop building, no blood.

Wow. Very well. Now, would he want to just be taking one at a time? Don't they normally kill multiple?

Maybe multi kills, maybe not.
But put a good latch(loop and flap with caribineer) on the nest box and I'll bet you'll stop losing chicks.
Doesn't really matter what is killing them, get your coop secure.
Set out some live traps or a game cam if you want to know what is doing it.

 

[Gloryjasmine]

First time dealing with predators, and I think it's a black snake. There's a tiny slit opening in our TSC coop we have for our baby chicks, about 7 weeks now, and we had come home from a two day trip with one missing. Found a pile of feathers on outside of fence, maybe 5 feet from coop. This was about 1am. Went outside around 8am to check on them and top their feed off... Two more were taken. We found more feathers behind the fence (we have a small ditch that has had debris piled in it over the years from previous homeowners). We went looking for the snake but wasn't able to find anything. I have tacked on some boards to fill the opening.

Sorry about Charlie. I feel your pain. We lost two of the three favorelles we bought just cause they didn't make it from birth. The white cochin was the one first missing when we came home last night, and now our mottled cochin and last favorelles is gone. Very sad. Not sure what else I can do to try and find the snake so I can destroy it.

Thank you for posting. Ok other than a black snake,a fox,an opossum or a coyote will go after them. A coon? It's possible. Oh and a hawk but during the day. I've seen at least 3 of those predators near my coop. As far as leaving a pile of feathers....oh you better believe it!!!!! Cmon guys how many chickens, or any animal for that matter,do you know that would just stand there while being attacked?!?!!! Black snakes are constrictors. My Charlie fought her butt off to protect her eggs and herself. I found a pile of feathers too. And if that's not convincing enough.... I have a pic of her,and it's obvious he tried to eat her. Got all the way down her neck and couldn't make it past her shoulders. Spit her out like she was nothing. She was my girl.

Plus I have a pic of where I found him. (Took them after I shot it with my 22 pistol.) He was in Charlie's nest,with 4 eggs in his belly. These snakes aren't venomous however they're very dangerous to animals! They will settle for eggs,but why eat 4 eggs when you can try for a chicken? Eat again in a week verses again in a month. Regarding the egg nest door,we bungeed ours closed. Well it has kinda like a Keychain ring in the roof and a screw in the wall part. Not in the actual lid. The dang coons here like to get into my corn,dog and cat food,etc. I don't know if the ones here are carnivorous...... Lol. But what I do know is that black snakes are very strong. Being in the constrictor family proves their strength. They can climb very well. I would almost bet that that is what got your lid open. With no type of latch,they only need a pinhole!!! They're excellent squeezers. The game camera is excellent. Coons usually come back to the same place they got food before at the same time nightly. At least all of mine do. Annoying! I know that rattlesnakes with live in wood piles. It only makes sense that a black snake would do the same. In a different one,of course. I'm truly sorry for this devastating experience. My heart goes out to you. Use the moth balls!!!!! I'm not kidding,they really work. The only reason this 3rd one was even near my coop is because I failed to replenish them. Let me know how it's going. God bless.

 

[Gloryjasmine]

What do black snakes do during the day? Is it worth my while to go poking around the debris to see if he's nesting there? Just curious... Don't want to lose another one.

That depends......if it's around 69*-90*,they're looking for food. Just like timber rattlers. I had an encounter with a 4 1/2 ft. Timber rattler (12 buttons) last fall. I was on my way to my deer stand. And there he was,coiled,in the middle of the trail my husband and I cut. It has to be a certain temp for them to be on the move. If it's too cold or too hot,they lay and wait. They're very patient. Fortunately,this one was asleep. I did not even see him until I was about on top of him!!!!! Yikes!!!! Needless to say......I handled it. The same way I handle these other predators. (9 instead

) so being that it's been so terribly hot here,as I'm in SC,it makes sense that they'd move more in the eves. However,I caught all of these during the day. But it was evident to me that they'd been there awhile. (Body was stiff and eggs were almost digested) I'm guessing morning. When,again,it's much cooler. Moth balls!!!!!!

 

[Gloryjasmine]

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...ed-to-know-about-raccoons-if-I-keep-H174.aspx


This says they normally kill multiple chickens, but I am not sure what is going on with your situation. I hope you find the answer!

Also depends.... Like on when it last had a meal. In my first situation,he tried to eat Charlie and when he couldn't,he ate 4 large brown eggs. The 2nd came that very same day!!! I was able to rectify that situation before the damage was done. The 3rd was in the coop! (Other 2 were in the run) He could've tried not only to eat a large bird,but there were chicks as well. But this one was at least half the size of the others. He ate 3 small white bantam eggs.( Most of the eggs I lost were fertile.) I believe that's why they were spared. Well and God too.

This sucks so bad. I wish you didn't understand my pain. I'm really sorry.

 

[Gloryjasmine]

Maybe multi kills, maybe not.
But put a good latch(loop and flap with caribineer) on the nest box and I'll bet you'll stop losing chicks.
Doesn't really matter what is killing them, get your coop secure.
Set out some live traps or a game cam if you want to know what is doing it.

You know what's really frustrating? I've walked my coop and run inside and out thoroughly! Multiple times. And I've stuck wood everywhere I found any little hole. (Well on the outside mostly around the coop. But my chickens scratch the heck outta the dirt!!!! They make huge holes everywhere. I am continuously raking the dirt level,to no avail.

Thats all it takes! I'm going to line the entire inside of the run with the heavy oak that my husbands cut for firewood. (He worked so hard

). See if that helps.

 

[aart]

Quote: Was addressing semperchicken, why I quoted his posts.

But

I lined the entire inside of my coop with 1/2" hardware cloth... all 6 sides..... I call it 'The Envelope'.
Run is 2 feet below coop and I put an apron around the outside,
wish I had aproned the inside too because of chickens digging under that apron like they're trying to get out.
Ended up putting logs along the bottom of the run walls on the inside....still have places to bolsteragainst their digging.

 

[Gloryjasmine]

Was addressing semperchicken, why I quoted his posts.

But

I lined the entire inside of my coop with 1/2" hardware cloth... all 6 sides..... I call it 'The Envelope'.
Run is 2 feet below coop and I put an apron around the outside,
wish I had aproned the inside too because of chickens digging under that apron like they're trying to get out.
Ended up putting logs along the bottom of the run walls on the inside....still have places to bolsteragainst their digging.

Hi...yes I know this. But does it matter? This is a forum. I'm the thread starter,I'd like to be able to give my feedback to the both of you. That's why we "quote" one another. So that we can "reply" to them specifically. Lol I hope you don't mind. That is how it's supposed to work though. Thank you for your information! That's exactly what I'm talking about! I appreciate it.

 

[SemperChicken]

Didn't mean to thread hijack, just figured no sense in posting a new discussion if this one was so recent.

Anyway, I do appreciate all the comments and insight. I've got what little openings there were covered up. Have pieces of 1x4 that I screwed in so that spot is completely sealed.

Will definitely be doing some nightly checking of the coop. We have these two lovely alarm clocks that go off throughout the evening and morning called "twin boys" lol.

 

[Gloryjasmine]

Didn't mean to thread hijack, just figured no sense in posting a new discussion if this one was so recent.

Anyway, I do appreciate all the comments and insight. I've got what little openings there were covered up. Have pieces of 1x4 that I screwed in so that spot is completely sealed.

Will definitely be doing some nightly checking of the coop. We have these two lovely alarm clocks that go off throughout the evening and morning called "twin boys" lol.

Noooo no no! You didn't thread hijack! Lol love the terminology.

That's why I started it. I appreciate your posts. That's great! Please keep us updated. I need to do some re figuring as well. Losing my babies is so hard. Awwwww twins!

Oh yall must be pooped.