I HATE snakes and need best advise on how to keep them away from coop

[redhen]

Thanks!..hubby is going to home-depot tommorow to get stuff to finish coop..i'll have him pick some up..thanks..Wendy

 

[Missouri chick]

I've been reading this thread, thank you to everyone. I'm horribly terribly undecribeable deathly afraid of snakes. Just came from home depot. Snake away ready to be spread tomorrow.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I want to set one thing straight about snakes here. They do serve a purpose and I don't "like" to kill them. The best thing to do here is to find ways to deter them all together so the opportunity never arrises to have to make a decision to dispatch or not to dispatch. That is why I suggest using Snake Away. I will say this though. Last week a woman here locally was working in her flower garden. She felt a sharp pain on one of her fingers and when she looked at it, she figured out that she had been bitten by a small snake. Before she could get help, she died. This was in just 15 minutes! Come to find out is was a baby rattler. Now I don't want to be the enemy here, but when you have kids in the yard like I do, you don't play save the snake. If it is a black snake and you are sure it's not a cotton mouth, let it go on it's merry way. The greens get to stay in my yard. The kids have a great time playing with them. Any other snake in my yard, it will be dispatched. I will not sacrifice my kids and their safety to save a snake. Sorry, but that is just the way it is. I love my kids more than the snakes! This isn't about being a hero, it's about being smart.

 

[pdsavage]

I like snakes and would proubly only kill one if i had to.Few days ago while i was trapped in the coop(the door i didnt want hubby to put on,the handle locked up)anyway it came in and the slid down the side of the coop and back out twords the field.I just sat in my chair and watched it.Hehe the chickens watched it also.

 

[countryatheart]

I, too, understand that snakes serve a purpose. We have had harmless snakes in our yard. We just relocate them to the back pasture. However, I would definitely dispatch a copperhead or rattlesnake which are common in my area. I have children and pets in my yard, not to mention myself working in flowerbeds!

 

[Chicken Coop Cop]

I think the snake population will be exploding in the South this season. I've seen plenty of snake on the roadway but so far this year my cat has not brought any on the porch or killed any in the yard. I know alot of folks have stated moth balls may not work but several have stated scattering them in the woods around the pen would detour snakes because of the scent (they hate it). I don't think it would hurt as long as they are not placed in the pen with the chickens. I'm still building my FIRST coop and trying to make it as safe as possible for the chic's.

Another Question: Since the outter fence is wire, if you run an electrical wire (as in electric fence for poultry) and attach it to the fence (low voltage), would that keep predators ie snakes, oppossum, racoons and the such away? Or should I say is it worth the expense?

Thanks, and thank all of you for your questions and answers.

 

[dacjohns]

I'm a sceptic at heart, probably from my science background. I think there is a lot of ancecdotal evidence and folklore pertaining to snake control.

I would like to hear from someone that acutally has evidence that any of these solutions work.

"Will snake repellant keep snakes out of my yard?
Mothballs and many other so-called snake repellants don't work. Snakes can be discouraged from staying in an area by cutting off their food supply and cover. Mow closely around homes and outbuildings, and store firewood and lumber away from residences. Reduce mulch layers around shrubs to about 2 to 3 inches in depth to discourage small animals. Snakes also are often found in or near mulch piles and compost piles." http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/snakefaq.htm

and

"Dr. T’s Snake-A-Way (7 percent naphthalene and 28 percent sulfur), a commercial snake repellent, was not successful in repelling gopher snakes (Marsh 1993), western rattlesnakes (Marsh 1993), brown tree snakes (McCoid et al. 1993), and plains garter snakes (Ferraro 1995). Napthalene and sulfur used individually were also not effective in repelling plains garter snakes (Ferraro 1995).
Several potential home remedies were evaluated to determine if they would repel black rat snakes. Treatments tested included gourd vines, moth balls, sulfur, cedar oil, a tacky bird repellent, lime, cayenne pepper spray, sisal rope, coal tar and creosote, liquid smoke, artificial skunk scent, and musk from a king snake (they eat other snakes) (San Julian and Woodward 1985). None of these remedies repelled black rat snakes.
Currently, there is not enough conclusive data to recommend these repellents for snakes."
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/natres/06501.html

I tend to trust a university more than someone trying to sell a product.

Snake bellies aren't that tender. It is a thick scale for protection and traction. Snakes crawl over all kinds of sharp edged rough surfaces.

I'm not an electrician but I think attached an electric wire to a fence will ground it out.

 

[dacjohns]

Just found this about clove oil, cinnamon oil, and eugenol. It is for direct apllication to the snake and for use in enclosed areas. It doesn't sound like it works for a barrier.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/tn_wmsnakerepellent.html


And another university.

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/herps/snakes/living.htm

As I told restaurant owners when talking about pest control, don't let them in and don't feed them.

It will take a physical barrier, not a chemical barrier.

 

[halo]

Thank you for posting this. I know those products dont work. I would be more worried that people would spread these products around their properties and have a false sense of security that they wouldnt have any snakes around.

 

[lovemychicks9]

A word about sulphur, it is very safe around all chickens of any age, very safe around kids and pets and the snakes hate it! They hate it, they will not cross over it because it burns their belly's. I have it all around my coop inside the run and out. My grandkids walk bare foot through it , and the chickens walk through it and all is just fine. It has no odor and I get a 50 pound bag for 14.00 bucks at the feed store. I really coat the dirt all around and I have no problems. I live in the middle of copperhead country along with black snakes and rat snakes and I have not seen a one in or around my chickens yet even though I have seen them in the field by the house. I have been told by my vet to NOT use lime around my property because it is very toxic to pets and it does burn your skin if it gets wet,