Rat Snake and Raccoons in the Coop!

[aart]

Yes, a snake can regurgitate it's prey that it might not be able to fully ingest.
It's usually after prey is dead tho.

I trapped two coons that week and transported them to another area(wanted to kill them but I just can't and my bf was out of town on business). I set a live trap every night with bait in it to assure that they will go to the trap before trying the coop and has worked great so far

Don't trap if you're not going to kill what you catch. Might need to find someone to do it for you.

 

[Ren2014]

This is very curious to me, and I am not arguing with you, it's just that it goes against everything I know about snakes, so please educate me. I did not know that a snake could release its prey! At least no snake with which I am familiar, as most snakes' jaws unhinge and the snake literally envelops the prey, and its teeth point backward toward the belly, so the prey travels in only one direction. If there is a snake that can do otherwise than this, please let me know what kind it is, I'd really like to know. Sorry, hope this was not too graphic for anyone.

Edited typo.

I've seen rat snakes release eggs. Does that count? We just found 3 dead chicks with wet heads and no other trauma. I'm guessing snake because nothing else could have gotten in.

 

[Acre4Me]

Sorry about your losses! Hopefully no more have occurred.

No one else mentioned it, but it is often illegal to release an animal somewhere else. You’ve then given a problem to someone else or sentences that animal to death bc it is no longer in its territory, but another animal’s territory. Check your laws, but usually if you catch them the animal needs to be dealt with/killed/or released back onto your own property . Someone else can do it for you too.

 

[flyin-lowe]

I had what I believe to be a weasel get into my coup a couple of weeks ago. It chewed the heads off of 8 of my hens and one had an injury similar to what you have in the picture. I assume it either got away or the weasel finally lost interest in killing that night. I don't know a lot about snakes but don't most of them kill prey, either by poison, or constriction, before they eat it. I know sometimes they will kill and try to eat something a little larger then they can handle, but I would think it would take huge snake to try to take on a full grown live chicken....