Lost 4

[kidrooster]

Got my order from Cackle yesterday. 25 Barred Rocks and 10 Buff Orps. All doing great. I got home from work today and my 7 yr old The chicks are doing really well. Wait... only 9 Buff Orps. Where did the other one go? I sent my son to get a flashlight and when he returned I laid down to look under the house. I flashed the light all around looking for a lost chick. Finally my eyes focused on something about 6 inches in front of my nose. A black snake!! I really like black snakes, but this one had to be relocated. When I fished him out, there were four lumps along his length. I thought I had sealed all the cracks and crevices in the old hen house with foam insulation, but he found a place to sneak in. I have a dozen 5 week old RIRs that I are in there too, and I let them out for about an hour a day. They scratch all around the base of the hen house. I think they were a little too big or too fast for the snake. Anyone tried mothballs around the chicken house (where the chickens can't get to them) to keep snakes away?

-Kid Rooster

 

[gumpsgirl]

Sorry to hear about your loss. It's always disheartening to lose babies, especially when you are so certain that they are safe. It is good that you have figured out where the snake got in from, so you can fix that problem.

As far as mothballs are concerned, you need to be very careful with them if you choose to go that route. They are lethal to chickens if they ever get ahold of them. I would go the route of buying a product called "Snake Away". You can get it online or places like Lowes or Home Depot. I personally have not used it, but my mom has to mark off areas to protect wild birds nests and has had great luck with it. Snakes used to get into the nests she is now protecting and eat the eggs and/or baby birds and she hasn't had anymore problems since she's been using the Snake Away. Just a thought.

I also would like to welcome you to our wonderful site!

 

[mediazeal]

Try cutting some pieces of hardware cloth and stapling it over any cracks you see.
I did this on the inside and put 1 by 4 trim boards over my joins on the outside.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[citygrl74]

How sad:

Sorry for your loss

 

[crtrlovr]

Wow. Major bummer. Sorry for your loss, but at least you've found the culprit and hopefully you can relocate him far, far away and repair his access area so the rest of your babies can be safe.

BTW, welcome!