How far to relocate a black snake?

[peterschick]

Found a small-to-medium sized black snake in our coop that had just eaten an egg... eww!!! It was easy to catch but then it spit out the whole egg in the bag we were using for transfer (ick!) We then released it, but now I'm thinking we may not have taken it far enough away. Any thoughts on distance for a non-poisonous snake I'd rather not harm?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Snakes can retrace their steps without actually taking any steps and find their way back home from 200 miles away and counting. The only sure ride to ensure that No-shoulders doesn't return is the proverbial one way ride. It has yet to fail, even if the ride is only a couple of feet long..

 

[Pendragonz]

I agree. While these chicks were in the brooder I killed 2 black snakes for the simple reason that I knew they would be egg thieves, and/or the 6' one would be large enough to swallow a chicken before it reaches full grown size. Check out this video and you'll see why I'm ruthless on large snakes, http://abundantpermaculture.com/this-snake-ate-my-chicken-alive/