For those of you out there that hate King snakes (black snakes)

[TwistedSerpent]

Can ignore what people say but you cant ignore pictures! Some peop[le actually pay to have kings let go on their land.


ivan3 your first picture is not a prairie king, its a black rat, your second one might be too but its hard to tell from the belly. Prairie kings are much lighter brown and yellow with thinner banding and they have a much more rounded head and nose where the black rats is much longer.

 

[imtc]

Every time I read these posts I feel bad for killing one I found in my yard about a month ago. My 3yr old found it and wasn't scared at all...actually all excited to show me. I thought it was a copper head at the time so in a panic made sure it was disposed of. After freaking out about the "what if's" all day and researching online realized it was just a rat snake. I had small chicks in a cage at the time it was semi-near so I'm guessing I at least saved them. Would have been nice to keep a beneficial snake around though if I knew at the time it wasn't poisonous. Oh well, I"ll know next time and still feel a little guilty. =0)

 

[TwistedSerpent]

Thats not actually a ratsnake, its a watersnake. Dont feel too bad though, they mimic the looks of something venomous and do it very well.

 

[ivan3]

TwistedSerpent wrote:

ivan3 your first picture is not a prairie king, its a black rat, your second one might be too but its hard to tell from the belly. Prairie kings are much lighter brown and yellow with thinner banding and they have a much more rounded head and nose where the black rats is much longer.

Oh, it's my lack of photographic skills (why I listed the shots as a dorsal/ventral view of same snake). It is definitely a Prairie King (light grey to dark grey depending on age). They are very common here. Found one clamped on to the back end of a mouse in a snap trap, down in the laundry room, etc.

The Black Ratters overwinter under our house (old stone foundation). The first shot below shows the chimney to the left and the ratter's head poking through a knot hole in the door frame of a downstairs bedroom. The second shot is clearer (if you look at the right eye you can see that is milky - ready to get outside and shed). The last shot is of a Black Ratter that had had more than enough harassment from our turkey hen and went vertical.

Our favorites are the Smooth Green Tree Snakes:

We like having the snakes around (voles/moles/mice/rats). Unfortunately, so do the chickens...

(she's eating a Flat Headed snake)

ed:sp​

 

[lil'turkeymama]

Very good post.I do love the snakes.I always take care not to hurt/harass the good snakes.There is usually a few around our farm.Although,lately I beleive the rats are taking over control.I love that pic of george.We did have a very large grey/black rat snake that had been here for several years.I would find it crawling in the front yard and carry her back to the barn.I think it was a her because we still find young ones with her color.She made the mistake of crawling on the wrong side of the fence and was shot repeatly as I watched.Kinda hurt my feeling and shook me up pretty good to see the fear and hatred that triggered such a un-humane dispatching of a critter.I understand people are scared of snakes but I don't understand why.Anyhoo...I hope folks will take the time and learn the good for the bad.And if they can't stand to live with them give someone the chance to relocate it.

 

[ivan3]

lil'turkeymama wrote: I understand people are scared of snakes but I don't understand why

Probably has a little to do with the same reason the most common `dream' is that of falling. I've always remembered a passage from James Dickey's novel Deliverance as it seems to compass both the fear and fascination:

A mottled part of the bank slipped into the water, and it took me a minute to realize it was a snake. He went across about twenty feet in front of us swimming as if crawling, his head held high, and came out on the opposite bank without changing his motion at all, a thing with a single spell, a single movement, and no barriers.

Turkey hens, working in tandem, are very effective snake deterrents. Better yet, peeps and unsupervised pullets are best kept behind:

Good luck getting the rats!​

 

[TwistedSerpent]

Ah that explains why I was confused about the first and second pictures, I was thinking they were two different snakes!

 

[FarmGirl01]

I like to have snakes around the house. We don't kill any that we find. But it still gives me the creeps to see an animal with no arms or legs climb a tree. (like in the pics above) Its SOOOOO creepy.

 

[Oven Ready]

Are King snakes venomous?

We have King Cobras that do the same job, they clear out all the snakes in about a week and then disappear for two or three months. They are a little too venomous for photo shoots but they are not aggressive towards people or chickens.

I reckon most snakes are doing us a favour by keeping down the rodents, a payment of an egg or a chick now and then isn't too much to bear.

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Quote:
Nope, King snakes are not venomous like King Cobras.