My First Loss.

[ButchGood]

I got home from work yesterday and went out to the coop to check on the chickens. I looked up in the coop and saw a dead 4 and a half week old. I look the little guy over and noticed dried saliva all over its head and neck. No blood, no broken bones, Just looked like maybe my puppy got into the coop and played with it to death. I asked the wife about the pup and she said, she has never been in the coop. I dispose of the chick and went into the coop to look for clues on how this happened. This is what I found.



And this is what had to happen.



I hate killing a Texas Rat Snake. They do a lot of good....But I can't heve them killing my chicks or stealing my eggs.

 

[ChicKat]

ButchGood---

so sorry for your loss. It seems that the snakes are becoming very active around here too--right about this time of year. My dh killed a rat snake day-before-yesterday.

Chicken owners need to protect their chickens, snakes need to live elsewhere.........

 

[bj taylor]

that's really too bad.
everyday i keep expecting to see a snake. not yet. sure hope they don't get my girls. the coop is safe (except open during the day). the run is permeable to snakes though. i think i will take a closer look inside the coop in the afternoon before the girls go to bed to make sure one didn't slip in during the day.
i hate to think of a chicken trapped w/ a monster in the coop with them - no matter what monster (predator) that is. i don't hold any grudges against predators, but i think how it would be for a chicken to be trapped w/ no place to run/hide.
it would take a pretty big snake to eat my 7 wk olds, but they could kill them nonetheless.

 

[ButchGood]

This snake was not big enough to eat the 4 and a half week old, just kill it. My 10 week olds are safe from these snakes. And when they are full grown could probably kill this snake. When I lived back in Pa. I had a bunch of RIR. I saw snakes, mice, and one time a huge rat get killed and eaten by the chickens.
My coop and run is very secure. 2x4 welded wire, withe 2 foot of half inch rat wire at the bottom. Chicken wire top. The coop is tight. Chicken door and man door. 3 windows covered in the same rat wire. But the Texas rat snake can climb very well. I really like these snakes, beautiful color, nice big snake. kills a lot of vermin. But I cant have them upsetting my chickens.
Last night they were posting up outside ad were getting ready to roost outside. So I went into the coop and forked the litter real well, did a clean up of a couple blood drops from the snake. I then put all the chickens in the coop by hand. Let set in there for about 5 minutes. I opened the door and they all came back out. While they were coming out the small chicks went in. They saw this and turned around and went back in themselves. I'm sure chickens have a pretty short memory so I doubt they have any more problems with the inside of the coop.