keeping chicks safe from snakes

[OHSpartan]

My chicks are stinking up the garage with their brooding box. They are currently 1-wk-old Australorps, Orpingtons and guinea keets. I would like to move them to an area of my coop that is protected by chicken wire, but not hardware cloth. Coons, possums and other predators can't get in there, but I'm sure that a snake could. At least any snake that could fit through a 1" hole.

How old do the birds need to be before they would either be too big for a snake or able/smart enough to evade capture?

 

[Lollipop]

I used a large fiberglass dog crate to brood my last batch of keets, at least til they were to crowded. Had a 6' rat snake go through the 1" door wire and grab a keet. I whacked it with a shovel and it spit the keet out, which lived. The snake couldn't retreat back through the wire with the keet in it's mouth. Problem is, snakes come in all sizes and chicks really aren't safe until they are pretty good size, especially if they are confined in a small space. I wired hardware cloth over all the 1" wire on my dog box brooder. When I moved them to a larger brooder, the wire was 1 X 2" welded, but I never had another snake problem. They had their wing feathers when I moved them, but like I said, snakes come in all sizes. Hardware cloth is the way to go........Pop

 

[Ridgerunner]

They are never smart enough to evade capture, especially at night, even when adult. Some are better at it than others during the day, but they are never smart enough to totally evade capture.

Age is not what counts. The size of the snake and the size of the chicken are what counts. Large chicken breeds get large faster than bantams.

I'm not trying to be a smart aleck. There is no set answer to your question. It just depends.

 

[dainerra]

also, if they are only enclosed in chicken wire, they aren't safe from any other predators either.

 

[blobear23]

5 ft rat snake with a 1" head ate mt 5 month old sex link yesterday and found one dead today as well guess it got bit and I didn't find the injury killed the snake yesterday. But only after ate my chick one golf ball and two eggs. Put TWO bottles of snake away around the coop and rechecked for holes. Anything else I can do? Heard possibly putting something to rough for them to slither over all around the coop helps? Any other suggestions? My kids can't loose another and stay sane! They have raised then from our incubator checking on them every day and the hand feeding all them! And my poor husband was heart broken I have to do something to help! They all know and we're expecting them to be supper at later date and were aware of the other predators but seeing the fat belly on that snake was too much for them

 

[Nic&Chickies]

also, if they are only enclosed in chicken wire, they aren't safe from any other predators either.

5 ft rat snake with a 1" head ate mt 5 month old sex link yesterday and found one dead today as well guess it got bit and I didn't find the injury

killed the snake yesterday. But only after ate my chick one golf ball and two eggs. Put TWO bottles of snake away around the coop and rechecked for holes. Anything else I can do? Heard possibly putting something to rough for them to slither over all around the coop helps? Any other suggestions? My kids can't loose another and stay sane! They have raised then from our incubator checking on them every day and the hand feeding all them! And my poor husband was heart broken I have to do something to help! They all know and we're expecting them to be supper at later date and were aware of the other predators but seeing the fat belly on that snake was too much for them

Oh, I am so sorry for your loss, blobear23.

I have no suggestions for you, but it's a good bet that someone else on here will. With all the predators around, I never even considered snakes! (I don't think they are a problem near me--gotta check that out now.)

 

[blobear23]

Was my first one as well! Broke my little one hearts. I was trying to show original poster the size and how much they can consume at one sitting. I will be more prepared next time! I have since removed my chicks into our rabbit cage that is 4 1/2 ft off the ground with wire mesh on all side and put two bottles of snake away around entire bordering area and rechecked all areas for wholes and cracks and re cleaned inside coop and changed feeding containers to decrease on mess so no mice decide to show up attracting more snakes and payday I will be adding another ground border! I WILL be prepared! Lol

 

[Pinebox Provisions]

I know this is an old thread but still pertinent. We lost a 4 week old prairie BlueBell last week to a rat snake in an outdoor coop (wood & hardware cloth) that we thought was predator proof. Wondering how much longer I need to worry about rat snakes eating my now 5 week old chicks (BO, Cream legbar, Wyandotte, Buckeye, good sized birds!).