No eggs today Texas Rat Snake

[sealer39]

I took my daughters out to my coop to show them the roll out nest box I built. Lying in the coop was a Texas Rat Snake. He was about 4 1/2 long. None of my chickens or my Avatar “Scruffy” seemed to care that he was in the coop and I could tell that he had not eaten any eggs (yet). I showed my daughters the nest box, collected the eggs, and went to the house. About an hour later I went back out to get the snake and found him under a bail of hay. I caught him and noticed that he had eaten an egg. However, my golf ball was missing from the old nest box. I didn’t know Texas Rat Snakes prefer Titleist!

 

[Cyprus]

Hopefully, the snake will regurgitate it and be unharmed.

 

[bullfighting]

I took my daughters out to my coop to show them the roll out nest box I built. Lying in the coop was a Texas Rat Snake. He was about 4 1/2 long. None of my chickens or my Avatar “Scruffy” seemed to care that he was in the coop and I could tell that he had not eaten any eggs (yet). I showed my daughters the nest box, collected the eggs, and went to the house. About an hour later I went back out to get the snake and found him under a bail of hay. I caught him and noticed that he had eaten an egg. However, my golf ball was missing from the old nest box. I didn’t know Texas Rat Snakes prefer Titleist!

hopefully eating that ball will be his downfall

 

[Al Gerhart]

Snakes come for the rats and mice but will happily eat the eggs. Rodents leave a trail of urine and feces that put off both scent and for some birds of prey their trail can be seen in the UV spectrum as a glowing path. A proper feeder does more than save feed, it makes it less likely that predators are drawn to your coop.