Chickens and snakes

[Liltygar]

So, my chickens have now been outside for 24 hours. Tonight, I heard them screaming. I have heard the stress call but never quite this loud and all of them at once (6). I ran outside to see what was going on and my husband found the snake. It was just outside of the tractor and they were all in the same corner that the snake was.

Is this normal? Do chickens attack snakes?


These are about a month or so old. The smallest black ones still have their baby fluff.

After my husband killed the snake, the chickens really went nuts. The oldest one was determined to be in the corner and the youngest ones were crawling uner the older ones. It was like feeding fish - just a squirming ball of feathers. The younger ones would even scream out when the older one crawled on their backs.

Has anyone seen this before?

 

[junebuggena]

Snakes will eat chicks, if it can catch and swallow it. Do not leave your chicken unsecured at night. End of story. Shut them in the coop. If a snake can get in, a raccoon hand might get in too. You don't want to find out what a raccoon can do to a chicken.

 

[Liltygar]

I have been putting them in the enclosed area of the coop at dusk. Trying to teach them to go in by themselves. The snake was found much earlier.

Thank you for the advise! I definately dont want harm to find them at all.