Today I was outside working around my coop...talking to my chickens (tyring to convince them it's time for some eggs) and I noticed my dog acting strangely. She was backing up...looking at the ground...kind of whimpering...I didn't see anything. I went inside and got my DH to come look. He looked around in the tall grass and found a snake. It was black with a yellow belly, about 2 1/2' long. AND BOY COULD THAT THING MOVE FAST!!! I don't know what kind it was but I am sure it would have gotten any eggs that my dearest little chickies promise me they will soon be laying. I really think the snake was after some eggs or little Wrens that nest in the birdhouses out there. But we all know sooner or later he would have found my chicken house. Thanks to my dog "Maggie" he is now dead and long gone. I am thanking my lucky stars I didn't step on the thing.
well i think it's kind of sad that you killed a snake that you didn't know to be venomous. remember - red and black, friend of jack - red and yellow, kill a fellow. the snake hadn't actually gotten to your chickens or eggs so it had done no harm so far. snakes are a great part of the ecosystem. they keep the bug and mice population in check. i think it would be more important to snake-proof your coop and run than to kill every snake you come across. don't get me wrong - i've killed copperheads in my yard, but because i know they are dangerous and i have kids that play in my yard. recently i had a big black snake (5+ feet) in the yard right under my porch/deck. knowing it was helping keep the field mouse population in check, and wouldn't hurt us humans, i chose not to kill it, but i did sprinkle "Snake Away" around the house and deck to run it off. haven't seen it since, but i know he's around. of course you need to protect your birds, but please continue to have some respect for harmless wildlife.
Sorry if I offended you. Like I said, I don't know what kind of snake it was. I don't know poisonous from non. All I know was he was after the birds in my birdhouses. I also have a 7 year old daughter, and 3 grandsons. I didn't want to take any chances.
Probably a good time to learn what snakes are indiginous to your area and the differences in appearance.
I was snake ignorant for years. My DH raised them when he was a kid and he knows a lot of them. When we moved out to the woods I googled snakes of SC and got a great DNR website with pics and info. I bookmarked it and can now identify most of the ones we find. I DO NOT like them, but now I know which ones to kill and which ones to leave alone. Try to find the info for your area, it will save you from many heart attacks! Nothing like a good dog! My Lab can't tell the difference though, nor can my hound mix- so far, the Lab went for a rattler and the hound got bitten by a copperhead. He survived, but I check around before I let the killers out now. Yeah right, so mama can find them first.
snakes are our friends they have products for keeping snakes away, most sulphur based products i believe i've also heard mothballs work all god's creatures serve a function in our lives,
I know there are many snakes that are beneficial, however the OP was unsure if it was venomous or not. I my opinon, better safe than sorry. I don't blame the OP for not wanting to take the chance. Luckily I live in Maine and none of our snakes are venomous
I experience knee-jerk responses to snakes and spiders. Anything with less than 2 or more than 4 legs is, in my opinion, an abomination. I do know that both have plenty of harmless and even beneficial versions, so it's a good thing my knee-jerk response includes BACKING THE HECK UP AND GETTING AWAY. For the most part, the legless critters are also doing the same in the opposite direction. Spiders, on the other hand, have real estate they've created and are too vested in those mansions to just up and leave. I'll walk around as many as I already know are present. Unless they're in my garden plants or across a walkway, then I have to use a hoe handle to destroy their property. My cats catch the small snakes and bring 'em into the house!! Snakes then play dead, the cats lose interest, and snakey slithers away under the fridge or kitchen cabinet. Been there, scared spitless by that. I live alone. Me, my broom, and a large dust pan are good friends when it comes to inside snake removal. I better not find any out in the run or coops. I'll have to find some neighbor kid to come remove 'em. Probably not gonna be easy when some kid experiences a wild-eyed, probably incoherent, hefty old lady grasp at an arm, wheezing, "Come here! Come here!"
I just killed a 4 foot chicken snake stealing eggs from my broody, WHILE she was sitting on them. The snake was as thick as a half dollar! Edit: Also, so it doesn't make me look like a mindless killer, where i live the rattlers and the chicken snakes breed together so they're all deadly.
I experience knee-jerk responses to snakes and spiders. Anything with less than 2 or more than 4 legs is, in my opinion, an abomination. I am exactly the same way! I know so many are snake advocates here on this forum, however I am not! I killed a small snake next to my coop today. I don't know what kind it was, and frankly I don't care. IMO the only good snake is one on a belt or a boot. As far as insect and mice control, I have chickens and a very GOOD barn cat. For me, problem solved! Sorry if I offend anyone, but I agree totally with the OP!
