Holy cow - snakes!

[dangerzone]

I woke up this morning and sent out my chicks to the range. Left them feeds and water. I went back to my room, open my computer, and then connect to the internet. Just when I open my bookmarks to BYC, a really bad shout or squirm or chirp whatever it is but for sure it came from my chick. I rushed out and see maybe the other larger chicken tried to bully them and eat their feed. I was shock. A snake was inside the fence. It wasn't that big but for sure it could strangle my chicks. One of my chicks was coming at it. I have to shoo it away from the snake. I grab a stick and killed the snake. I know it wasn't a poisonous snake but I'm looking for signs of weakness from my chicks.

It's really scary, one of the chicks must have been bitten. Until now I feel sad because my chick might get sick. I know she was bitten. I just hope for the best. Scary.

So guys, if you can make a really small screen/mesh from the ground to about 2 feet of your fence, everything would be much safer.

 

[joletabey]

Hope your chick is OK!!!!

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I killed a 4 foot chicken snake in my yard right where our chicken run will been when we get it done. First snake I have seen in the 7 years we have lived here. I know it was not a poisonous snake but I don't want it getting into my coop and eating eggs or any chicks I'm brooding later.

 

[oldchickenlady]

My son killed a very large snake several weeks ago that was hanging out under my bird feeders. I wasn't there or I wouldn't have let him kill it. No idea what it was as DH threw it off into the woods before I got home from work. The last one that I saw several years ago in our yard was over 5'3" long and had swallowed something about the size of a baby rabbit. We carried that one 2 miles down the road and let it out by a creek. My girls have been in their outside run for 3 nights now with no apparent attempts to get in by any predators. Hopefully that will continue, but I doubt it!

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Many years ago a 6' Bull Snake got into a rabbit hutch with a doe that had just given birth to 10 bunnies. The snake ate 8 of them and the doe had multiple bites on her head and ears. The doe tried to stomp the snake and in doing so had killed one of the bunnies. The snake was so large it could no longer get out of the hutch so I had a neighbor come over and shoot it. Tried to save the last bunny because the mother would not get in the nest with it but even with special formula I was not successful.

 

[matthewschickens]

No wonder your name is dangerzone! A snake got into our coop not to long ago. A 4 and 1/2 foot black snake. He killed one and then we killed him

We tried to skin him but could not get the skin off at the spine.

 

[dangerzone]

Wow, you actually want to skin the snake? That I would never think of doing. Actually I do not hate snakes. Because we live in a tropical area, we do see from time to time these slithering killers. I usually just capture them and throw (not dead) them far away as possible from home, somewhere in the forest. It's just that that time I was very upset when my chicks were bitten. I mean I spent all day trying to do the best for my 1st batch of chickens and I just cannot allow anything or anybody to do harm to them. Just got carried away, I guess. As a matter of fact, I think I love raising chickens. I'm currently creating/focusing on a plan to build a larger coop so that one day I have plenty of chickens.

My neighbors have chickens too but the difference between us is that I have people here in BYC I can talk to and who knows what's best for my chickens Really. In fact, they find my ideas outrageous. I just laugh. I mean although they've been keeping chickens like forever, they are very traditional and does not want to try anything new and efficient, like feeding grains, grass, etc.

Ok I said too much. I can't help it. It's really nice when someone reads what you right and responds that wondering what to do and never really get ideas from someone.