Friend or Foe

[BountyHunter23]

I've occasionally seen this guy in my barn and consider it a welcome guest ( eats mice) but this is the first time seeing him in my coop.
What 'cha think?

 

[WingItRanch]

I think he wants some eggs...

 

[No Coop No Problem]

Handsome snake. He's probably harmless unless you have chicks without a mother confined somewhere nearby that he can get into. Might steal some eggs, but personally the snakes here are welcome to the occasional egg

 

[Al Gerhart]

Mice bring in predators much larger than that small snake. Plus stealing feed and bringing in disease and vermin like mites and fleas. Deal with the mice, it is going to cost you if you do nothing anyway.

 

[Tormund]

We have an adult Salt-and-Pepper Kingsnake that lives under our back porch and will periodically see green and diamondback water snakes in the ditch that borders our property as well as corn snakes' black racers and a beautiful coachwhip that lives under our neighbors shed. Snakes may cost you the occasional egg but as long as they aren't going after your chickens then they are welcome in our shed and in our coop. That being said small snaked typically avoid chickens because chickens will make a meal out of small snakes. That looks like a fairly young Yellow rat snake (they reach up to 6 feet long) So as long as you don't have small chicks in the coop then it is definitely a friend.