I caught my egg thief, now what?

[Chicky_Baby]

I have 6 new hens who were just starting to lay when suddenly they stopped. At first I thought I was doing something wrong but tonight I found a huge garter snake trapped in the plastic bird netting I had put up to catch snakes. My problem now is do I kill it or leave it for the chickens to "practice" hunting on? Normally I kill them if I can't get them loose but now that I have chickens my priorities are different. Either way he is chicken food but I feel guilty letting him suffer. On the other hand he is trapped and can't fight back so it seems it would be a good way for the hens to learn to kill large egg eating snakes. Please advise me.

 

[FireTigeris]

how big is he?

 

[walbarbsa]

Remember the food chain? This is when it comes in handy?

 

[Chicky_Baby]

Quote:
I couldn't get a tapes measure to him but he is well over 3' which is huge in my area for garters.

 

[Moabite]

If you got a garter snake big enough to eat eggs, well you really gotta post some pics.

 

[geebs]

Today 8:49 pm

If you got a garter snake big enough to eat eggs, well you really gotta post some pics.

Uh... ya... X's 2​

 

[ByeByeBlackBird]

Its a garter snake.... Let it go.... Jeez.

 

[CCourson05]

Show it to your rooster!

 

[Trunkster]

I would fix the problem that allows the snakes access to the nest boxes in the first place and will never kill a harmless garder snake. Besides having a taste for eggs they also control small rodents, mice etc.

 

[Chicky_Baby]

will do on the pics in the AM, he really is a doozy... honestly I had to double check to be sure he was a garter he is so big... I feel bad killing him because he is such a beauty