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Any snake will eat eggs. I keep a pair of limb lopers next to the hen house door and cut the snake where ever I can grab onto it. Not fun sticking your hand into a nest box to get out eggs and find a snake in there. Someone on here uses a minnow trap he purchased at
Walmart...the kind that has cone entrances at each end. It comes apart into two halves. He baits it with an egg and has caught several kinds.
Your black snake with the red on it's side is a
rat snake. Really stinks when you mess with it. And, don't worry, you will see it again. It will be back.
Copperheads ... That is not a snake you want your children or dog to get hold of...kill that snake. The minnow trap worked on these.
Bull snakes of course will eat not only the eggs but will eat your chicks.
We have killed several big snakes that have a yellow belly and a crisscross pattern on it's back ...don't know what they are, but 5 - 6 feet is big.
I have placed ceramic eggs in the nest boxes to entice the hens in to lay and killed a rat snake a few weeks ago that had eatten one. Hubby saw a sanke he swore was 6 feet long...wouldn't fit in the minnow trap....but two ceramic eggs are missing so I know we have another snake. Going hunting in the hen house at midnight tonight armed with a flashlight and my limb lopers.
Nana,
The black snake with the yellow belly and yellow pattern is a speckled King snake, if you want to get rid of your other snakes leave them alone. The Speckled kings eat snakes and only snakes. They will not bother you, the birds or your eggs. They are great to have around and are a sure sign that you have many more snakes there.
We had those then about 3 years ago and now that explains why we are getting a few others. Thank you....I'll leave any of those alone.
Of course...convincing my husband that it is a good snake will be hard...to him all snakes are poisonous and as big as boa constrictors
Stephanie or Carl, if you end up with any Splash Cochin roos, I'll be interested in one and even a few pullets if you are going to sell some. (Splash roo for the blue pullets breeds more blue and splash, right?)