Rat Snake killing my half grown hens

[brlaake]

Moth Balls and pvc, sounds like an plan to me. May have to do something similar and soon. Last night I went to the girls' coop and sitting with them on the rafters which are about 4 ft off the ground, was a young snake. It was going in and around their feet, about 7 chickens that normally huddle together in the same spot every night. I'm happy to report that every one of the chickens survived. However, the snake will be back, I'm sure.

 

[strawberry69]

I found a rat snake devouring my 2 month old partridge silkie last night, so obviously the chicken was much bigger than the snake. He had the head completely inside his mouth and when I killed the snake, yes that's right, the head of my chicken was a complete maceration but it's body looked fine. Then another snake was entwined in my netting I have over my run looking for his dinner as well.

 

[Lisa Wood]

Ok I was told by various people, like neighbors, other local chicken owner, guy from Tractor Supply, that my chickens were too big for a snake to eat, just to worry if we had any babies or bantams, which we don't.
Our first batch of chickens are a little over two years old, and we only saw one very young black snake going across our yard, not chicken yard, in broad daylight.
Then my husband was out of state working, and I had to go somewhere at night, which means the coop stays open with lights on, till I get home and lock up the coop like Fort Knox. So when I looked in the coop, the first thing I noticed in their loft, was all ten adult chickens, including a Roo, were all bunched together in the corner of the poop board, then I saw the snake. He went the entire length of the coop, plus he was coiled up some at the end where the chickens were, so I couldn't see his head. But it appeared everyone was getting along just fine, all sleeping together, snakes head under some chickens and the length of his body stretching across my poop board. So I thought even if the whole flock doesn't surround him and kill him, they would at least give two clucks about sleeping together? Huh? What's up with that? Or at least peck out his eyes so he was at a disadvantage? I ran to the side of the coop and reached in the poop board hole and grabbed his tail and yanked pretty pretty hard, and he didn't budge an inch, but I guess I did disturb his nap, because then he left.
Last night again, the coop was open at 9:00 and I was bathing a hen with a yeast infection, and it sounded like the birds in the coop were making their first attempt at building a new coop, there was such banging and thumping. It went on and on so I pulled Ms. Yeast out of the bath and I met snake leaving back door of coop. I locked him in coop and started screaming for husband, who should have heard me because we have a baby minder in the bedroom for the chickens. But he was asleep so next time I'll scream louder. We didn't want to kill it, but this thing was over six feet, at least seven feet. Twice I tried picking him up with these thick gloves when David had a forked stick holding him down, and twice David prevented me from trying. So he let him go.
After reading these posts, he's gonna have to be deceased. For all I know we may have a non-stop supply of black snakes.
But, in the end, it really does get me when people give you incorrect info. But that's always the way. You can read one book on a topic and learn one thing, and then read the second book on same topic and it says exact opposite.
I got our chickens for therapy, all ready had the dogs, and if I came around the corner and saw a chicken sticking her head in a snakes mouth, that would be freak out time. I would have had to take a Xanax.
Sorry I posted so long. I don't really talk to people that much.