Coral snake bite?

[MackMomma]

Has anyone lost a chicken to a Coral snake bite? If so can you share your chickens symptoms? We lost a 1 year old hen suddenly last week and can not figure out the COD. The rest of the flock is acting normal. The morning she died she was acting lethargic but eating and drinking. We found her dead later that afternoon when we returned from work. We have found two baby Coral snakes in our yard in the last month. Wandering if this is the COD. Thanks

 

[nuthatched]

She would have been dead within 10 minutes for a coral snake.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

She would have been dead within 10 minutes for a coral snake.

Not necessarily, while coral snakes have the second strongest venom the way the coral snake’s venom is delivered into the victims system is less effective than other snakes. This is due to their fang length and shape. This often means minimal venom delivery into the victim’s body system which often delays death. It could take up to half a day to kill a chicken with a coral snake bite. However, I don’t think it was a coral snake due to the symptoms. Coral snake bite symptoms usually start with respiratory distress and paralysis leading to complete respiratory and/or heart failure.

 

[nuthatched]

Not necessarily, while coral snakes have the second strongest venom the way the coral snake’s venom is delivered into the victims system is less effective than other snakes. This is due to their fang length and shape. This often means minimal venom delivery into the victim’s body system which often delays death. It could take up to half a day to kill a chicken with a coral snake bite. However, I don’t think it was a coral snake due to the symptoms. Coral snake bite symptoms usually start with respiratory distress and paralysis leading to complete respiratory and/or heart failure.

Thats good to know, thanks. For a 6 lb chicken, I would assume that even minimal exposure would be a quick end.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Thats good to know, thanks. For a 6 lb chicken, I would assume that even minimal exposure would be a quick end.

It really all depends on how much venom was released at the time. Coral snakes are actually not aggressive at all unless you accidentally step on one or are purposefully trying to make it angry. I think in the past 40 years there have only been 1-2 recorded human deaths from a coral snake so data on actual length of time is fairly limited. I just know the victim won’t die as quickly as say a rattle snake because of the so little venom actually making into the victim compared to more aggressive snakes. It’s kind of like comparing the death rate from lead and mercury. Mercury is much more toxic than lead, but if you dose someone with low enough dose of mercury and another with a very high dose of lead the person dosed with lead will die quicker.