Rat Snakes

[CandCChicks]

I have seen 3 GIANT rat Snakes in the past week. My egg production is down from what I thought but now I'm thinking the snakes may be the culprits. How do you guys keep snake population down? I have other animals too so I don't want to poison them.

 

[saysfaa]

Half inch hardware cloth.

 

[CandCChicks]

Half inch hardware cloth.

I'd still like to be able to free range. Am I out of luck?

 

[saysfaa]

Not entirely, at least. You could enclose the coop with aprons and clear out any piles of stuff so nothing could get to the nest boxes in the coop without crossing a lot of wide open ground. That won't completely eliminate the risk but would lower it a lot. Both because the snake won't like traveling across and it might cut down on rodents near the coop that the snake would also be eating if they are there.

Gathering the eggs more often might help, too.

 

[NY Coturnix]

There was a thread on here once where a guy made a trap for rat snakes. I honestly can't remember who it was but it was a pretty simple they can get in but not out type of trap. I think he even "rehomed" them. I'll see if I can find it

 

[Krugerrand]

There was a thread on here once where a guy made a trap for rat snakes. I honestly can't remember who it was but it was a pretty simple they can get in but not out type of trap. I think he even "rehomed" them. I'll see if I can find it

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/best-way-ive-found-yet-to-deal-with-snake-problems.515899/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/snake-trap-works.1126905/

some I found.

 

[NY Coturnix]

yep the minnow trap was the one I was thinking of. Thanks

 

[MomJones]

This is highly encouraging. We have copperheads, rattle snakes, ratsnakes and RATS all over the place where we live (formerly owned by hoarders and puppy mill-ers) and the only thing I try to get along with is Lester, our resident ratsnake. The rest I have no patience for. So glad I found this post!