Look what I just pulled from my nest box!

[Flockandfowl46]

My hubby and I have a standing agreement...he does the spiders and I do the snakes lol he's terrified of snakes and they don't bother me I'll take a snake over a spider any day

 

[Gray Farms]

They also will eat your eggs and small chicks. I "relocate" 3-4 a year out of my barn.

 

[llombardo]

We don't have rat snakes but I do have a garter snake that is about 3.5-4 ft long. tried catching him yesterday and that little booger is lucky I didn't shock myself in the process. Luckily I was standing on a pile of wood when I grabbed the wire from the electric fence..

 

[Fishkeeper]

That's a really nice snake! Kudos for not killing it. Not sure exactly what kind it is, but it's definitely not a venomous one. Harmless to humans aside from the risk of a few fang marks, unlikely to go after adult chickens. Chicks and eggs are fair game, so I'd definitely move it away.

 

[Kfults]

Someone please tell me a coup with 1/2inch hardware cloth will deter snakes from getting in my coup! I hate snakes!!!!

 

[BlueBaby]

It wasn't in your nest box to hatch out any eggs for you! Did you figure out how it got in there?

 

[Flockandfowl46]

I think it must have gone in there sometime in the morning after I let the babies out the door stays open all day for my layers

 

[alexa009]

I think it must have gone in there sometime in the morning after I let the babies out the door stays open all day for my layers

Yup, summer is the time of year when you usually find snakes in your nesting box. That was brave of you to take it out!

 

[Fishkeeper]

1/2" hardware cloth will keep out all but tiny snakes. Snakes small enough to get through that will probably be eaten by chickens. It'll let mice in, though. IMO, go with 1/4" if you can, keeps out mice and all snakes except a few tiny burrowing species that won't be trying to get in anyway.

 

[bobbi-j]

My hubby and I have a standing agreement...he does the spiders and I do the snakes lol he's terrified of snakes and they don't bother me I'll take a snake over a spider any day

Sounds like my DH and me. I'll move a snake off the lawn while mowing, he chases them down with the mower.