Rat Snake killing my half grown hens

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I was under the impression that there were no copperheads in Florida, so I checked this site:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw229

Then I checked where Blountstown was, since Id never heard of it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bloun...code_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA


Lucky you.

Welsharon,

You live in a very special place. I have been down your way on three separate occasions to collect your hand paint bluegill occuring in the Appalachicola river drainage. You got a lot of other very cool endemic species and populations.
 
Quote:
I was under the impression that there were no copperheads in Florida, so I checked this site:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw229

Then I checked where Blountstown was, since Id never heard of it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bloun...code_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA


Lucky you.

Ha! I just assumed since we had them...everybody in North Fl had them. We are nicely situated between the capital and Panama City Beach. About 45 mins either way. And about 20 mins from the Dead Lakes. I imagine a lot of the natives here have no idea of the species we have that are not just everywhere. I would not want to live anywhere else!
 
Not sure if its the cinnamon and cat litter or the fact that the hens are atleast up higher off the ground but, they were all there when we got home tonight. Its not that high off the ground, not the rafters but, probably about 5 feet off the ground. Yay, they lived to see another day!!! We are going to get Snake Away thats been mentioned here and also begin to put them up higher and as well.
 
Quote:
I was under the impression that there were no copperheads in Florida, so I checked this site:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw229

Then I checked where Blountstown was, since Id never heard of it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bloun...code_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA


Lucky you.

Welsharon,

You live in a very special place. I have been down your way on three separate occasions to collect your hand paint bluegill occuring in the Appalachicola river drainage. You got a lot of other very cool endemic species and populations.

Here you go. I was up near Welasharon at Torreya State Park, northeast of Blountstown on the Appalachicola River. Had 3 of them spotted over Memorial Day weekend. They have had 2 dogs and person with copperhead bites in the last month and a half up there. Luckily, we don't have them down here in PC.

78335_copperhead2.jpg


78335_copperhead.jpg
 
I was sitting in the barn because it was raining and saw a Rat Snake climbing in the chicken coop. I watched to see it wrap around one of our chickens and begin to squeeze it. My husband took a potato hoe and pulled the snake off the chicken. There were no eggs in the nests so I was totally baffled by what I saw. There is no way the rat snake could have eaten this hen. Funny thing is a dead field mouse was outside the chicken coop which I am sure the snake dropped. Now I am wondering if we need to put small hole wire around the chicken coop.
 
bryan99705,

Aren't Guineas difficult to care for??? I have heard they need special care. I will check into that. Thank you!

Smallchickenmama..... - Thats exactly what I'm stressing out about.... snakes just doing a joy kill or what??? Our chickens are free roaming so the only way to protect them would be to have something that repels the snakes from our coop --- we bought moth crystals and Snake Away and we have cat litter and cinnamon all in our coop !!!!!! And hopefully our chickens will roost up high so they won't bother them.... during the day they roam all over the place and sometimes a predator gets them.... only if they leave the acreage because our Doberman is pretty scary to anything coming on the property.
 
I think I may have to get a couple of guineas as I am really enjoying watching our girls (hens) prance around so proudly.
bryan99705 Yes, I think it could have made a belt, but I HATE snakes and won't touch them.
 

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