I really don't see what all the fuss is about. It always seems to me like people react the the idea of a snake with such horror and am immediate knee-jerk reaction to kill it. Did you know that more people die from snake bite when they're trying to kill the snake??? I'd start by improving the fencing around your coop and run. Judging by the size of the wire, it's way too large to keep most predators and vermin out! A snake can inch its way through wire gauge of less than 1", so get rid of the larger gauge chicken wire if you can and replace with something around 1/2". You could always keep the existing wire in place and attach the smaller gauge wire around that, but you must make sure that you snake proof the area as much as possible to make it safe for your girls. Too many people make the mistake of using large gauge wire, and it just isn't up to the job of protecting your girls or their eggs.
Btw, it'll choose an egg over a chicken any day!
It's a fallacy that a snake will return to the same coop to continue feasting! Where did that idea originate from? If it knows it's not welcome, it won't return. I had an Eastern Brown snake (the 4th deadliest snake in the world) visit my chickens earlier this year. We had neglected to install small gauge wire over the existing 3/4" gauge at the time, and the snake was caught in the act with half it's upper body inside the run! I knew it would have a hard time pushing right through or retracting itself to escape, so I carefully edged my way towards the other side of the run, slid the coop door shut from the outside mechanism, and left the run door OPEN. The last thing I would want to do is tackle a trapped and caged Eastern Brown!!! The best way forward was to make sure that it had an escape route. In the end it retracted its body, and let me tell you, it took great strength for it to be able to do so because it was that snug in the 3/4" hole! When it finally got free, the entire heavy gauge wire that we use (not the flimsy sort), made a huge loud popping like sound - that's how snug the fit was for the snake! It retreated just as fast as it had arrived. Our girls alerted us to its presence initially which is why we were able to get outside fast to see what all the fuss was about. It has never been back.
My advice is for you to tackle the problem with the type of wire you're using. Get rid of the lightweight stuff, and replace with heavyweight, smaller-gauged wire - the smaller the holes, the better! On a positive note, snakes are extremely useful. They keep the vermin down. Make sure you store feed and straw in metal bins that are secure so no possums, snakes or mice can access it. And whatever you do, DO NOT attempt to kill a snake, evuh! Seriously. It just isn't worth it. Give it the space it needs, and if it's not threatening you and yours in any way, just let it be and it will soon make itself scarce. Snakes are not out to "kill" us. We are the enemy here. They don't set out each day telling themselves, "which human can I kill today?"! Problems occur when we find ourselves between a snake and usually its nest or young. When in doubt, calmly and as quickly as possible retreat from the area, and if it looks like it's bunked down for the day, or trapped because its eaten too much and cannot escape, call the snake catcher who'll remove it humanely and relocate it to another, safer environment a few miles away.
Be snake wise! And survive.
aussiebushgirl
