Found my first snake in the barn today (that I knew of...)

[Twiggers96]

I got too proud.
My seasoned father & uncles & many others said, "You'll get snakes" when I told them of my dream to have chickens.

I've had chickens since August and just thought to myself last week, "You'll get snakes. I haven't had any stinking snakes!"
Well - this afternoon I decided to check on my hens & their two goups of biddies and SOMETHING caught my eye under a low shelf in the barn.
IT WAS THE TAIL OF A BEEFY SNAKE!!
Thankfully, I have a neighbor who is a grown Huckleberry Finn & he pulled it out.
I live in Desoto County, FL and he said it was a rat snake. Not so much long as beefy. It was trying to swallow an egg. Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee.
It was very slim, so it wasn't successful.

Sadly, something else got one of my 6 week old chicks today.
There were 12 belonging to the tribe of "Peaches" at 10am today and only 11 at 2pm today.
I am guessing a hawk. (

And so it starts.

 

[Zephyr Farms]

I'm so sorry about the chick.

Good thing you found the snake before it swallowed the egg!

 

[Twiggers96]

Here is a pic of the fellow.
Like I said, not very long but BEEFY.
As far as I am concerned - too close for my comfort!

 

[Twiggers96]

Quote:
Half the egg had a "wetness" on it. Snake slobber? I guess we caught him mid-swallow-process.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 

[clairabean]

We have only puny garter snakes here. I would literally die if I saw that sucker!

 

[leonphelps]

I went to college in Melbourne, FL. I remember coming home to the fraternity house and there were 13 dead snakes hanging on the handrail and my .22 leaning on the wall. Seems someone didn't go out and sat on the front porch and noticed some movement in the yard(it is lit up at night). Then they noticed more, then more.....

My friend left the bodies for the rest of us to see how we need to do a better job cleaning up the food sources.

 

[oldcrowfarm]

Not too big, Sibil found A 7 footer in the bathtub last year. Talk about a squeeeeel from the bathroom. They do grow em big in Texas.

 

[7L Farm]

I found this one this summer he ate a fake egg.

 

[Me & Jack]

I used to reach into my nest boxes for eggs without even looking carefully -- till one day I found a rather rubbery egg that moved when I grabbed it. Haven't pulled an egg out since without looking with my headlamp first! Ugh, I hate snakes!!