My dog is my hero.....SNAKE!

[ShrekDawg]

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yeah i guess you're right, probably not that many people, i dont really like snakes either but still... but id probably just leave the snakes alone unless of course theyre aggresive, like you said, but yeah... lol

 

[kichohana]

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There is no such thing as a "chicken snake". Chicken snakes are not one particular species or type of snake. Instead, chicken snake is a term applied to several different kinds of reptiles that are nonpoisonous and tend to feast on eggs, rats, and small birds. Along with referring to this group of snakes as chicken snakes, there are several other common names applied to the group, including rat snakes, corn snakes, and pine snakes. Because the chicken snake often consumes rodents, some farmers in rural communities prefer to not kill the snakes. Instead, the chicken snake found near a hen house is captured and released in a wooded area that is far removed from the hens and their eggs. In addition, many farmers will make the effort to seal the chicken houses so that the ability of the snake to enter the hen house is reduced.

"Rat snakes go by many names. In our area they are called Texas Rat Snakes, or Chicken Snakes because they are often found near chicken coops. Normally the rat snake will be dining on the rats and mice that thrive on the grain that is so plentiful in the chicken yard but sometimes they will eat the eggs." -

look, i'm not a snake LOVER! i'm not looking to cuddle with them!

my husband is the first to run and get a shovel to decapitate! i prefer a snake every so often to a batch of disease ridden rats or mice around my house and yard. i accept the fact that i live in the country, backed up to woods and marshlands. there will be snakes. before we fenced the yard we had more snakes here - even killed a 2' copperhead. if i find a snake in my coop i'm gonna kill it - not because its venomous or not, but because it has found a food source and will keep coming back. besides, most snakes -- even venomous ones -- are not aggressive and would rather avoid a confrontation with people. a snake can only strike with authority within a distance of one- half its body length. so a reasonable distance will keep you safe. give the snake time to go on its way.

edited to add this:

p.s. - There is an old wives tale that black rat snakes can cross breed with rattlesnakes. This is completely untrue. Their genes are too far apart to splice. For example black rat snakes lay eggs, whereas rattlesnakes are live born.

 

[RM44]

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Amen! Or a teeny tiny bee/wasp! LOL. I will hurt myself trying to escape from a spider or a bee, but I LOVE snakes!

 

[mercedes]

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Dude,I'm in Harker Heights too and the only Snake I have seen this Year was a dead and headless Grass Snake my dear Cats surprised my with.

 

[treldib]

I strongly agree with Kichohana's post. As you can see in my siggy, I keep snakes as pets and absolutely love them. There's something special about how unique they are. As a wise BYC'er once said "It's easy to say you love animals when you picture something fluffy and cute, but surround yourself with the creepy and the crawly, and you will see they should be appreciated just as much!"

Also, there is no such thing as a "Poisonous Snake", but there ARE Venemous Snakes

Poisonous-a toxin only harmful if swallowed.

Venomous-a toxin ONLY harmful if it enters the main circulatory system (injected...like by a snake bite). In fact in some parts of India it is believed that drinking the Venom of the Russel's Viper will increase fertility. Apparently it is quite sour

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

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Don't apologize for what you did...most ppl. would have done the same thing, including me..

 

[savila009]

If I saw a non-venomous snake at my ranch i wouldnt take a second look because they cannot harm any livestock located out there but at my home is a different story. If i see any type of snake near my chickens, ducks or family im killing it. I have cats to keep up with rodent control there.

 

[cfdf]

I would like to thank everyone who left kind words for me. I love reading the posts on BYC. They have been very helpful.

 

[cfdf]

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Hi neighbor! I'm just around the corner from you...China Spring....just West of Waco. I've already had a run in with a copperhead this year. Last year it was a rattler. There was an old homestead about a mile down the road from us. The only thing left of it was the chimney stack. The new owners built a huge house there 17,000 sq ft. Before they could build they had to blow up the old chimney. There was a snake den full of rattlers living there. Pretty wild huh?

 

[kichohana]

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just by reading your tagline i KNEW snakes and chickens could get along!