Pigs and snakes and chickens

[lava]

Would putting a chicken-friendly pig in a little pen around the chicken pens deter snakes?

I've lost 6 babies and killed (no flames--but they were in my chicken pen killing/eating my babies--the first one had my little red star baby hen in his coils trying to kill her when I whacked him with the axe) 2 big (5-6 feet) black rat snakes that were eating them in the last week.

I know, clear the land and/or redo the pen--the land-clearing is scheduled but won't happen for like a month (they are going over some flat land to get their treats) and redoing the pen is going to be done but will take a little time also.

Someone wants to give me a PB pig and I remembered that pigs hate snakes--but the two we've killed have come at night. Will the smell of the pig keep the snakes away or will he wake up?

Thanks!

-lava in SC

 

[Supermommy486]

I don't know about the pigs. But we are getting guineas for the snake problem we have around here. Good luck!

 

[WalkingWolf]

Simply buy a roll of dear netting from a farm store, and ball it up and put it outside the pen. Maybe put a piece of meat in the center. The snakes will enter and get stuck in the netting. You can also use a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled for the snake to enter, stuff it full of the netting, and put a dead mouse in the bottom of the bucket. When the mouse gets smelly just pull netting out and replace with a fresh mouse.

 

[tplummer]

I have a pot belly in with a few of mine. She gets along fine with them. No problems yet with other critters bothering them either.

 

[NitaAZ]

Some pigs love to eat chickens, so be careful who you put in there!

 

[lava]

Thanks for the replies so far!

The deer netting another post said black rat snakes could get loose from it--anyone know? That would certainly be the easiest thing if it would work! Also will goats or big chickens get stuck in it or anything (there are goats in that pen around the chicken pen--what I've been doing with the adult chickens is they run around the big pen in the daytime and are penned up at night in the smaller ones--the babies are still in the smaller ones all day until they're bigger--and the goats are in the big pen 24/7 except sometimes I let them all (goats, big chickens, horses, donkey, llama) out to play on the entire land (10 acres) for the day).

The woman who has the pig now says it hangs out with her chickens just fine--she found it as a stray a while back. But yeah, I know pigs eat chickens sometimes--won't be letting the babies out around even a chicken-friendly pig until they're bigger.

I thought about penning guineas around the chicken pen but adults are expensive around here (usually like $20 each). Also the 2nd snake killed a red star baby (do they attract snakes or is it a coincidence that both snakes went after them first?) that was way too big for it to swallow (as big as a small bantam, almost 2 months old) and tried to swallow it for a while (it was all slimy at one end) before regurgitating it and moving on to the 2 baby bantams it ate before I went out to check on them at 1 a.m. and found it--and the fact that it killed one too big for it to eat just makes me sick. Anyway, so I know adult chickens will kill snakes too though I hear they're not as aggressive about it as guineas--and I'm worried about a snake killing a guinea even if it can't eat it.

Also wondering if the smell of the pig will keep them out (versus the guinea will just smell like more poultry). Plus I'll have to put not only a fence around but a top on for guineas, right? I'm looking at how much $ I have to lay out at once unfortunately also.

Thanks and keep talking--you're very helpful

-Lara

 

[WalkingWolf]

It would depend on the head size of the snake. If the head is too big to get through the net holes then the snake may slither through. Once a snake is through the holes in the netting there is no escape for them. If your dealing with larger snakes I believe the netting can be ordered in different sizes. Snakes can also be caught in small bird or rodent cages. Once they eat the prey inside the cage they cannot escape until the prey is digested.

 

[mdbokc]

The netting is rolled and is tighter towards the center than along the edges/ends. A snake can enter the perimeter but as it works its way in, the netting is tighter and the snake cannot back out.

 

[ErieSpurs]

Quote:
I wouldn't worry about that. Guineas work together to kill snakes. They move much faster than you would think. You could just get a few guineas and house them with your chickens, no need to build another run around the cage.

Also I've heard that geese can be used to deter snakes.

 

[lava]

The 2 I've seen and killed were pretty big. (5-6 feet)

Is the netting safe for pigs/chickens/goats/etc., will they get stuck in it?