Found a snake in my brooder tonight

[JenniferMelissa]

Came home around 10 pm tonight, and went into the garage to feed and water my chicks. I've been keeping my babies in tubs in the garage, with wire over the top to keep them in. Went to remove the top, (wasn't really paying attention because the chicks were chirping like crazy, and staying on one side of the brooder when they usually rush to where I'm at....I had the thought.. "that's weird" when I heard something hiss at me. I look down, and there's a huge snake in one of my brooders. I completely freaked out, was screaming for the hubby and trying to explain that there was a huge snake that I thought was a cottonmouth in my brooder. He finally got out there with a gun and killed it. After it was all over, I found 2 dead chicks and it had ate 2 others. I've been really upset about it all night. These were my first babies I had incubated and hatched myself, and after a year and 1/2 of having chickens this was the first snake I've seen around. The fact that it somehow got into my garage has completely freaked me out, and just the thought of going out there now scares the bejesus out of me. I Hate snakes, there pretty much my biggest fear. .. and I've let my kiddo keep 2 chicks in the house as pets for her 4-H project. There in birdcages, but now I'm worried it's going to attract snakes into the house. Ugh....I just can't get over the fact it someow got into my garage.... and I'm devastated that it killed one of my favorite babies

The pictures below are of it after the hubby shot it.

 

[Mahonri]

Did it end up being a Cotton Mouth?

Scary.

 

[theoldchick]

I'd freak out, too! Looks like a black snake and a good sized one! YIKES!

 

[bluekerry]

Don't worry about a snake getting into your house. Snakes don't have easy access into a house. But they do have easy access into a garage. I insist that our garage door remain closed except when pulling our cars in or out. And I'm always careful in the garage when moving a box or opening a cabinet. I live on a ranch in Texas and finding a rattlesnake would not be unusual!

I had the same thing happen to me when I was keeping some small chicks in my garage. A snake managed to get into the crate. Do you have a utility room in your house that you can use to house the chicks until they are big enough to put outside? That was my solution. It worked pretty well, I just had to keep my dogs out of the utility room. I have raised many chicks in my utility room and have never had a snake come into the house and there is an outside door into my utility room.

Don't let the encounter with a snake ruin the joy of raising your chicks. If you move your chicks indoors you're not likely to see another snake.

 

[terrilhb]

I am so sorry that happened to you.

. We had that happen 1 week after we first got our chicks. Thank God it only ate 1. (I cried like a baby). We had them in a brooder covered with chicken wire(before I found BYC and heard of hardware cloth). Now our brooder is covered in the smallest hardware cloth we could get. Knock on wood so far nomore has gotten in. We have them in the shed.

 

[bburn]

Well that made me run to the garage and check the 3 1/2 week old chicks! I am so sorry that happened to you.

I walked out into the garage and flopped right back in one day because there was a snake laying there. Also killed one last spring walking to the chicken coop.....copperhead.

Scary.....I simply hate snakes.

 

[KansasBoy]

Looks like a rat snake, the good news is it's not poisonous! So sorry you lost the chicks, snakes are sneaky... Doesn't take long of having the garage door open to let one in sometimes!

 

[JenniferMelissa]

Well, we've had a few neighbors and friends over to look at it, and they all say it's a ratsnake. It's kind of a relief because it's not venomous, but it's still a snake and it was pretty big. My neighbor up the street told me to take golf balls, rub them against the chicks and put them under our trees and in the coop. Anywhere a snake would hide. I guess they eat them and it kills them. As for the babies, The hubby is building me a big brooder with screen material and wire mesh on top. This whole incident has me wondering why it happened now, and not last year. Last year we had baby chicks out in the coop, which is way more open and exposed than my garage, and never had a problem. The chicks were with their mom and other chickens along with my two male chihuahua's. Maybe the dogs kept the snakes away? Does anyone know if a ratsnake will kill a small dog? Also, just about a week ago the hubby built me a chick outdoor playpen in the front yard right by the garage. We had been taking the babies outside for a couple of hours each evening so they could run around more and play. Did the scent of that attract the snake?

Also, I'm pretty sure that the snake only recently got into the garage. Just a few days before my daughter had left the lid open to one of the brooders and about 8 babies had gotten out and were all over the garage. When we finally wrangled them all up, I counted and all of them were there.

This just has me so perplexed and I'm still a little upset about it.

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

Quote:
srry but dont feel to sure that a snake will not get into ur house because my grandma lives in FL and when she was using the shower she picked up the snake thinking it was asponge or something and it bit her....it was a black snake and it wasnt poinous

 

[naakte]

Quote:
I would have agreed until 14 months ago when i was sitting on the throne in my bathroom and without my glasses on saw what appeared to be a part of my doggie stroller moving, I am pretty blind without my glasses on, had my hubby bring my glasses and when he got into the bathroom he said" OH _ _ _ _ " it was a snaked that had slithered in thru a pipe hole that had been cut too big. The poor snake was molting and couldnt see anything we of course caught it and released it about a mile away from our home. FYI I have studied snakes because i was moving to Missouri 7 years ago. No such thing as a poisonous snake, There are instead venomous snakes.
easy to tell because venomous snakes have cat eye like eyes, and non venomous snakes have round pupils. I wouldnt get that close myself though to check it out. If biten by a venomous snake, it is really unlikely you will die because like with a venomous spider you could get a dry bite where nothing is really injected into you. and most venoms will just make you wish you were dead for a while. Snakes are great for keeping mice/ rat populations down and for that reason alone I wont kill all snaked on my property. I will kill all that i know are venomous though.

I just hatched my very first eggs yesterday. after reading your posting, i have decided to keep my baby chickies on my kitchen counter on a dedicated animal counter until they are bigger. I cant imagine how mad and upset i would be if i found a snake amongst my babies. Have you tried topping the brooder with a metal screen? or maybe a snake could get thru screen? i dont know myself. I am so sorry for your loss. ((((( a big hug for you ))))))

Donna in branson