Glass Eggs - Can they kill snakes?

[ottovan]

My mother spoke to a friend of hers and she said that if you put glass eggs in the nest the snake will swallow it. This will kill snake then you can retrieve the egg once it dies(yuck). My mom says she remembers my grandmother telling her something like that. Has anyone else heard of the or tried it?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have heard this like forever. I do it myself to keep no-shoulders away from my hen nests. Does it work? I doubt it.

I have found snakes inside of a brooder coop with the mother hen and her chicks, then after eating a chick or two the snake can't get back through the wire. If this happens to you, don't delay or let the opportunity to easily kill a snake slip buy. If he becomes alarmed, the snake will spit up the dead chick and be on his way. Whats to keep no shoulders from tossing a golf ball or glass egg just a easily?

Almost all snakes that prey on eggs has a special "tooth" @ the top back part of its throat. This "tooth" is designed to pierce or cut the egg shell, something like a pipping chick does with its egg tooth. This spills the egg's contents so that it can travel to the snakes stomach. The crumpled egg shell is then quickly spit it up.

Would I still use golfballs, glass, stone, or pottery nest eggs? Yes, they are good nest eggs and I am convinced that they encourage hens to lay where you want them to, that is just as long as the hen agrees with our choice of a nesting sight.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

have not tried it...how would it kill the snake?? and how would you retrieve it, by cutting it open..YUCK...I'll just buy more glass eggs if that's the case.

 

[TCollier]

I imagine it would plug the snake up real good but I also imagine that it could regurgitate it. Never heard of that before.

 

[ottovan]

Quote:
Me neither, but I'm going to try it. I'm looking on ebay right now. With the electric fence the only problem I have is snakes. They really love baby quail, lost 8 quail last snake attack only 4 left. Now I have 2 silkies sitting on 20 quails eggs - these really are broody chickens! I'm only worried about my own supply of quail but so far the snakes are winning! I'm buying glass eggs however I don't even know if they are eating eggs! Thinking about buying one of these wildlife cameras to see what is going on!

 

[ottovan]

Quote:
what r u holdin in your hands???!!!!

 

[ottovan]

D'Angelo N Va. :

have not tried it...how would it kill the snake?? and how would you retrieve it, by cutting it open..YUCK...I'll just buy more glass eggs if that's the case.

Me too!​

 

[Louieandthecrew]

I had a bad problem with snakes. One killed my hen and ate almost ALL of the fertile eggs. Only two chicks survived. To keep anymore snakes out we sprinkled moth powder aroud the OUTSIDE of the coop. You can also use mothballs. We put old golfballs in the laying boxes. All you do is leave an UNfertilized egg in the box next to the golfball. The snake will smell the egg, go to the coop, eat it, eat the golfball mistaking it for an other egg... and die. They simply can't digest something so solid. Hope it works!

PS. Don't be surprised if you find a dead snake in the coop with a golfball lodged in it's throat

PSS. Don'tworry about your hens! The snake only killed mine because she was gaurding the eggs... gaurding the only way to its food. So it's a-okay.

 

[Imp]

Think I read a couple months ago, that someone had a snake eat the wooden egg or golf ball. Couldn't regurgitate it and couldn't get back out through the fencing. I imagine it would kill a snake.

I'll see if I can find it.

Imp

ETA- Here's that thread. My memory was a little faulty. The snake ate a golf ball. Opinion was that it could regurgitate, but not digest it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=342074&p=1

 

[elsiehammer]

This thread tickles me

Every year I collect chicken type books to read to my preschoolers and one favorite book that is in tatters is called
A Snake Mistake by Harriet Ziefert. It is (supposedly) based on a true story of a farmer who puts lightbulbs in the nest boxes to encourage his hens to lay, but along comes Jake the snake who eats a couple and well I won't ruin the ending for you.
On a serious note, I'd rather kill a snake by a mechanical means (golf balls, glass eggs, etc.) than by a poison. I'm always afraid of poisoning the wrong thing. Know any rat solutions beside poison? I think I have a couple rats though I haven't seen them yet. I bought d-con but would prefer to think of something else.
I like glass eggs too well to sacrifice so I'd go with the golf ball.