Sad story of a broody hen and a snake

[bburn]

Quote:
Now that's a funny picture in my minds eye!!!

I have a three pronged thing that I use to weed the garden and one of those hoes that is shaped like a triangle. The triangle thing got the snake....the three pronged thing held it down!! Last year when I killed the copperhead it had just ran over my toe....was in burkenstocks! I looked and there was a shovel behind a piece of tin leaning against the coop. Grabbed it and slammed it down on the head of the snake right before it went into the coop. Only had to kill it once though as it's head was about four inches down in the ground. THEN I screamed for my DH......for him to throw it away in the woods!

I do not like snakes.

Where are you in Arkansas?

 

[Reyvaughn]

I'm sorry about your eggs, bburn. I haven't had to deal with a broody, but I bet she's quite upset, too.

I was afraid to post this because some BYC members don't believe in killing trespassing snakes. Two weeks ago I had 5 snakes in my "Hen Shed". Two were young rat snakes (3 1/2' long) and three were garders. I had week old Cochin bantams in there and I was not taking a chance that any snake would get their mouths on them... They were also enjoying curling up in the cage with my 4wk old BB Orps. Of the 5, I killed 4 of them. The rat snakes were high on my list of priorities to permanently remove from my property. The garders just caught me on a day I was mad and sick of seeing so many snakes in a 4 day period.

Also, in my own defense as to why I kill and not relocate, this place is loaded with snakes. The previous tenants had a load of junk laying around this place. The one corner of my barn had an old awning off of a camper, tires, metal, wood, ect. The rat and garder snakes bred in that section under the awning and I literally had 1000's of adult and little baby snakes living in that area. My kids and I had to walk right past that mess to get it the barn and get hay/grain for the horses. The one large truck tire had at least 6 snakes sunning on it every time I walked by (one was almost always that 6' rat snake and it didn't like me much and it let me know - in the end, I let it know how much I liked it, too). Yeah. I don't feel sorry for killing the dozen and a half or so snakes I've killed in the last 3yrs here.

I like snakes for their rat and mice elimination, but they need to stay away from my chickens. Period. You cross that line and you're dead.

 

[Theapplechicks]

I would have cut the snake open to see if the eggs were still in one piece!!! (sorry if that's a little graphic for some) But seriously, we had a snake at the bottom of our deck! Big 4-5 footer and my hubby is terrified of snakes so he take this big pole thing (whatever could do the job and keep him the farthest from it and hits the snake middle w/ it. The snake had a bulge from where it had eaten and when my hubby did this it cut the snake's middle and out hopped a toad!!! Still alive! So maybe you could have saved a few???

That is so sad for her though, so sorry!

 

[ozark_chickies]

bburn
Today 12:09 pmozark_chickies wrote:
I keep a shovel in the hen house, and a old garden pitchfork in the coop, to use as weapons. If I see a snake(or anything else) then I have something handy to grab. When I had chickens 20 years ago, I found a 12 foot black snake in the hen house, and nothing to kill it with. I managed to catch it with a piece of 2x4 I found. Then I drug it to the house , holding it by the neck,and yelled for someone to come help. My mother-inlaw about died when she opened the door and saw that big snake, but she tossed me a hatchet, and I chopped it's head off! Don't want to be that close to a snake again, so I have weapons handy.
Now that's a funny picture in my minds eye!!!

I have a three pronged thing that I use to weed the garden and one of those hoes that is shaped like a triangle. The triangle thing got the snake....the three pronged thing held it down!! Last year when I killed the copperhead it had just ran over my toe....was in burkenstocks! I looked and there was a shovel behind a piece of tin leaning against the coop. Grabbed it and slammed it down on the head of the snake right before it went into the coop. Only had to kill it once though as it's head was about four inches down in the ground. THEN I screamed for my DH......for him to throw it away in the woods!

I do not like snakes.

Where are you in Arkansas?

I'm in central Arkansas, near Clinton. Where are you?​

 

[MobyQuail]

my buddy frequently does the snake dance at his place...

sorry about your eggs.

 

[bburn]

Quote:
I'm in central Arkansas, near Clinton. Where are you?

Delaware.....turn right at Dardanelle and go 13 miles to Delaware....up on a mountain.

 

[bburn]

Quote:
No eggs left....all the eggy stuff came out when I killed it. Ten eggs!! If it is not one thing it is another around here! Try to keep them safe and look what happens. Sometimes it just gets frustrating.

 

[ozark_chickies]

Delaware.....turn right at Dardanelle and go 13 miles to Delaware....up on a mountain.

Cool, you're near Russelville, I shop there sometimes.​

 

[bburn]

Quote:
Cool, you're near Russelville, I shop there sometimes.

Yep.....lived in Russellville until six years ago when I married my DH. Russellville is finally getting some good places to shop. I love the Clinton area. It is really pretty up there.

 

[Jerseycoop]

You are very brave...few things scare me but a snake is high on my list! Sorry about your eggs