Peed. My. Pants.

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Sara Ranch said:
Yes, I did. Reached in - even looked first, but it was in the shade/kinda dark - grabbed THAT. No egg. But THAT.

Yeah, it's NOT that dramatic of a predator. But it was enough to make me scream and pee my pants. And I always look in before I reach in. (Darn hens keep rearranging the shavings in those nesting boxes! Will be converting to sand in nesting boxes, like in my other coop.)

And it hasn't eaten any animals. Just consuming (it and it's friends - I'm sure it has a partner!) 10-15 eggs a day.

I didn't capture it. When I screamed (and peed my pants) I let it go as I jumped about 5 feet away. Went back with GLOVES and a canning pot with lid to try to capture it. Naw. Wasn't happening. At the time, I couldn't be sure what kind of snake it was. Now I am pretty confident it was a rat snake/black snake. Not poisonous. Still scary! Snake climbed the wall and went into the rafters.

Note to self - a large, uncrowded space for hens may NOT be the best when you have to go looking for snakes.

The snake hunt begins promptly at 7 pm. Please bring courage, gloves, and boots. The winner will have the pleasure of relocating the snake miles away and a dozen FRESH eggs. :)

**shudder**
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You're very kind, that would be one unlucky snake if it happened to me :lol:
 
theoldchick said:
Once I was at a horse show which I had entered my Palomino in the western trail class. This was a fun show that all proceeds went to some charity. I don't remember which one but my point is that was a more laid back affair than sanctioned shows.

So, anyway, I'm all big-headed thinking my beautiful Palomino will ace this class as we had done this many, many times and we were pretty dang good. Shane, the horse, knew his job and did it with just enough flair that people put down their cell phones to watch.

Oh my, we were really turning, backing, sidepassing, rollbacking, and going through the obstacles with finesse that would have made Clinton Anderson stand on the fence and watch. We came to the final obstacle, the wooden bridge. No problem I thought as I flexed my index finger to tell Shane where to go. And my mighty Palomino padded his way toward the slightly humped obstacle. Like a pro he put his nose where he wanted to go but he took a few steps and came to a dead halt.

The smile on my face froze. I clucked softly and Shane planted all four feet like a mule. My big-head began to deflate as utter embarrassment flooded my brain. Gently, I applied my heels to Shane's sides. He gave me a head shake that all equestrians understand as a flat-out-no-way-am-I-going-through-that.

Now I know my horse well and I suspected that he detected a defect in the structure. So I leaned over to study the structure. All seemed well then I spotted it.

A horse-eating monster that might possibly swallow us whole and spit out the saddle. A scaled demon with a gaping jaw whose teeth drooled acid. Big eyes that had laser vision.

The mighty monster was a two inch toad.

He sat proudly on the first board of the bridge soaking up the rays and meditating on all things that had wings. I saw his moist eyes watching us. Shane snuffled softly. Licking his froggy lips, the toad ambled under the bridge.

At that point, Shane stepped on the bridge. A 1500 lb animal who was held hostage by a two inch toad.
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That don't surprise me any, My Caddy can get that way over the silliest things. That seems to happen more often when there's people watching. :duc
Scott
 
Kendrasueh said:
Question for duck people... I have a large pond (half acre?) . would my ducks be safe if left to sleep on it at night?? What predators may swim out to get them? and would the ducks startle and swim away at night or will they freeze in the dark like a chicken does??
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Didn't catch the rest of the thread yet but... Raccoons can get through water and are very crafty predators. :old

Sorry if I repeated what someone else already said.. had a duck scalped by a raccoon last night! :mad:
 
I used to have a horse who was afraid of so MANY things! He even nearly bucked me off, when a large dry leaf fell!
Regarding snakes, I live in southern Colorado, and it is perfect snake country, especially rattlers. One very decent thing though, is that they tend to warn you before they do anything. You see, if a ratter gets nervous (maybe you are too close?), it uses it's rattle, and man--they are loud. Fortunately for me, whenever I have encountered a rattler near my home--usually in the woodpile--they blast that rattle to alert me. Then I go into the garage and get my trusty hoe. It is a perfect snake tool for me. I don't have to get any close than about 8 feet, and can scoop any snake up, and toss it into the clear, away from places to hide from me. Then I simply use the how to dispatch the snake. One good chopping swing, and off goes it's head. Then I simply toss it away from my house, and wait for any variety of critter to eat the carcass. I can even share a pic of a vulture cleaning up the remains of one rattler! Check it out:


vulture2.jpg
vulture.jpg
 

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