Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

I don't know about that, but I'd probably try something or other. I must keep a couple of spades handy in the chicken's areas.

Yep. I wished I had our machete to hand ~or even the tomahawk. Unfortunately he was able to wedge between the stumps & the foundation where he was extremely difficult to pin.

 

[Ribh]

Maybe he was genuinely frightened. Mean people are often very scared.

Lots of people are terrified of snakes so I won't hold it against him. I'm lucky I'm not, though wary as it was hard to be sure what sort I was dealing with in the dark.

 

[RoyalChick]

Bloody hell Ribh! Now that would be a shocker. Would the snake try to eat a chicken?
Well done on the rescue.

Bloody hell is right @Ribh - my heart is still racing from reading that. I am so glad everyone is safe now. I cannot even imagine how I would cope with something like that.

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't know about that, but I'd probably try something or other. I must keep a couple of spades handy in the chicken's areas.

I was thinking the same - some kind of weapon needs to be on hand.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yep. I wished I had our machete to hand ~or even the tomahawk. Unfortunately he was able to wedge between the stumps & the foundation where he was extremely difficult to pin.

I have a small axe - that would be good to keep on hand for that situation. Mostly I have to deal with foxes and raccoons so I keep some big sticks on hand.

 

[Ribh]

I have a small axe - that would be good to keep on hand for that situation. Mostly I have to deal with foxes and raccoons so I keep some big sticks on hand.

Snakes are territorial & we've had a large carpet snake in our roof for years which has never bothered anything except the vermin. However with so many more frogs around & the clearing of habitat we're likely to see a lot more. It's the browns & red bellies that really worry me. They're aggressive as well as venomous. That's what surprised me about this snake. Going into winter they are generally slowing down & not super aggressive ~ but this guy was active & mean.

 

[MaryJanet]

Snakes are territorial & we've had a large carpet snake in our roof for years which has never bothered anything except the vermin. However with so many more frogs around & the clearing of habitat we're likely to see a lot more. It's the browns & red bellies that really worry me. They're aggressive as well as venomous. That's what surprised me about this snake. Going into winter they are generally slowing down & not super aggressive ~ but this guy was active & mean.

There are brown snakes not far from where I live, but they'd have to negotiate 20 or so backyards to reach the hens.

 

[Ribh]

There are brown snakes not far from where I live, but they'd have to negotiate 20 or so backyards to reach the hens.

That's not far for a snake. Are there other chickens along the way?

 

[MaryJanet]

That's not far for a snake. Are there other chickens along the way?

Yes, many good for us, not so good for the others.

There are also lots and lots of lizards, wild bird nests, and detritus around the pub and beachside cafe. And two busy roads.

 

[Grammy60]

Good morning everyone

I may never be a sane woman again after last night!

We have been doing our tax ~ which is an unmitigated nightmare, as much because the man & I work very differently & he thinks I am a computer genius just because I know a little bit more than he does, as anything else. So it had been a super stressful day & I was doing something I rarely do @ night in an attempt to destress; I was still up watching a movie on the computer long after I'm normally in bed, & my earphones in, which is a left over from when there were lots of us & several were very light sleepers.

I was zoning quite nicely when I thought I heard a chicken ruckus.

Now I don't know about your flock but once mine has roosted I don't hear a peep from them till first light so I grabbed my phone, which has the only torch we still own [all ours ended up in the lads boats] & headed out to check on the girls.

I arrived @ the pen just as 2 chooks fell out of the coop!

You can imagine my horror!

I reefed open the door to find a snake wrapped right around Gloriana several times!!!

I'm not frightened of snakes but they're not welcome to help themselves to my girls either so I grabbed the metal rake & began reefing the coils from around Gloriana. I found myself with one really, really angry snake as it slithered away from the body. I was trying to hang onto my phone & wield the rake when I noticed I had a Vorwerk on a stump & the snake was heading right for it!!!

Rake down, Vorwerk grabbed & shoved in the coop.

I made a quick exit to grab a pitch fork, shoved the phone in my teeth & proceeded to try & deal with the snake, who was proving an elusive customer. I wanted to try & pin the head with the rake & stab it with the pitch fork.

I tried bellowing for the man a couple of times but he's deafer than a door post & I wasn't holding out much hope of him actually hearing me. About 20 minutes in he wandered downstairs to fend of night starvation, noticed I was missing & in checking out the window heard me ~ @ last!

With the cavalry in sight I figured we had some chance of dealing with the snake. The man used to keep all sorts of reptiles, including snakes, as a kid, so while I know the theory I've never had to actually catch one. With me shining the torch the man was able to pin the head & shove the thing in a bag. Pretty sure we have nabbed a carpet snake.

I was pretty upset, thinking we'd lost yet another chicken when all of a sudden I hear Gloriana's distinctive, distressed honking. She was up & looking for a way back to her roost so I grabbed her & brought her inside for a quick check over, some electrolytes & a sip of water before putting her back on a roost. The 3 smaller Vorwerks & Portia were all huddled in the far corner nesting box so I reefed them out one by one & put them back on a roost too.

Here is the Lady of the hour enjoying her morning in the sun

View attachment 2588090
The snake is bagged & due for a long car trip later this morning.
It's over 6' long but very skinny & the man reckons it was starving.
It's in even worse shape now, with several puncture holes from the pitchfork!
View attachment 2588093

I found the hole the snake had made @ a join in the wire & mended it but I think I am even more traumatised than my chickens​

Thank goodness you stayed up and heard your girls and saved them all.
I'm not afraid of snakes, but doing what you did I don't know if I could have dealt with it.