Chickens and Snakes

[justusnak]

OK,well.....spring has sprung. Today, I was leaving to go to town, and about 1/8 of a mile from my driveway....there it was....a HUGE BLACK SNAKE!!

He/she was at LEAST 5 ft long....and as big around as a lighbulb......OH THANK GOODNESS I was in my truck.....I didnt run it over, I waited untill it crossed the road...going AWAY from my house, and towards the nabors house, who also has chickens.... WHEW !
Oh, I know it will visit my hens....and I will SCREAM some words that are not meant for this board!

From now on, when I go into the coop....I will take a small rake...just in case!!

 

[mlheran]

Okay I have to ask, HOW in the world do the snakes climb up to the rafters?!

I've been planning on building my coop with a raised base to deter rodents and such, but will it be enough? It's also away from trees -but I've never heard of snakes in trees here in California. We have plenty of garden snakes though, but as long as they do their business and stay away from me that's fine.

Is there any way to make a coop snake-proof?

 

[allen wranch]

Is there any way to make a coop snake-proof?

Everything covered in hardware cloth and any hole larger than 1/2 in. plugged. Maybe...​

 

[Citychick]

We are in Nebraska and have had about every kind of snake you can imagine. Growing up my grandma used to make us empty our pockets before coming inside because we lost one to many snakes in her house.

She about fell over when we show up from our walk with a 5 foot rattle snake we had found on the road and wanted to skin for a hat band!

Lol! We still laugh about the look on her face!

 

[65browneyes]

Just so you all know........I'm the biggest fraidy cat in the world. Can't stand spider (tarantulas are NOT pretty!), bugs give me the willies, lizards move too fast and snakes are just NOT on my agenda, thank you! LOL But, because of these posts, I now check out the rafters in the feed room and the hen house BEFORE I go inside!

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
You sound like me in the haybarn with spiders!

 

[suebee]

I got 4 boxes of moth balls and scattered them under the coop and a few inside the coop where the chickens couldn't get at them. No snakes yet.

In the four years I've had chickens I've only had 4 or 5 snakes, last year I had 3 so I'm not taking any chances. I hate snakes! I heard the moth balls deters them so we'll see.

We had a blue bird couple hatch chicks in our blue bird house that was nailed to a tree last year.
A black snake climbed up the tree and ate all the newborn baby blue birds.
Snakes a skilled climbers!

 

[crazy4daisy]

Hmmm...Haven't seen this thread in a while so I decided to find it and read the rest of the posts....

Wow...snakes in rafters - that grosses me out a little...I am going to be checking the celing everytime I go into the coop now!!!!

We live in Missouri and I have seen so many snakes I can't even count - I ALWAYS keep a hoe handy and somewhere where I can grab it quick.

Most of the snakes out here are black snakes - harmless, but all of the ones I have seen out here are at least 6 feet every time.

 

[Kirstyaa]

im all shivery after seeing those photos. I am SO glad to be English! agh i dont think id step outside if i knew one of those could be in my back garden!

 

[ozark hen]

After reading these posts and seeing the photos....I am sorry but if I see a snake, and we live in the middle of 82 acres, I do not take the time to see if it is poisonous or not, I will kill it. I have enough cats around here to take care of rodents. Just gives me the shivers to hear/see about those experiences you all have had. As an elderly woman, I could be dead by the time I check to see if that is a "good snake" or not.

I must say though, I have laughed so much at some of these posts that they have brought tears to my eyes

My husband used to put moth balls around the perimeter of our house to ward off snakes but I am afraid to use them now as I don't want my hens eating them or lord forbid sitting on them thinking they will have chicks!!