snake attack

[aldarita]

I have been keeping chickens for 9 years and never experience a snake attack before. There have been snakes in my runs and chicken yards (mostly rat snakes) with no incident. They got inside thru small spaces in the runs. I have worked hard covering all the possible places where they can get in. Unfortunately I missed one hole in one of my runs where I have 2 hens and 3 pullets. They are still working on integrating, even though they have been living together for 3 months, the hens do not let them in the coop yet and they have been sleeping in the run which was very safe until the snake got in. It got in at night and attacked one of the pullets, it took a big chunk of skin but thankfully it did not go thru the muscle so there was very little blood. I sprayed the wound with blue cote and the vet gave her antibiotics for 5 days. She has been back with her flock and is doing very well, however I wonder is anybody has experience attacks to their flocks by a non venomous snake. The run is totally snake proof now and the snake was found and killed

 

[Duckbreeder2020]

Was the snake poisonous?

 

[aldarita]

Was the snake poisonous?

No it wasn't, it was a rat snake

 

[Duckbreeder2020]

No it wasn't, it was a rat snake

Oh ok, what u think you should do is this:

Clean the wounds carefully with one of these:
Hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or bedatdine

after this, put the chicken in a clean separate area and check the wound for infection 6 times a day.
Apply light pressure to the wound to help healing.
Clean the wound 2-3 times daily

 

[abenardini]

I have been keeping chickens for 9 years and never experience a snake attack before. There have been snakes in my runs and chicken yards (mostly rat snakes) with no incident. They got inside thru small spaces in the runs. I have worked hard covering all the possible places where they can get in. Unfortunately I missed one hole in one of my runs where I have 2 hens and 3 pullets. They are still working on integrating, even though they have been living together for 3 months, the hens do not let them in the coop yet and they have been sleeping in the run which was very safe until the snake got in. It got in at night and attacked one of the pullets, it took a big chunk of skin but thankfully it did not go thru the muscle so there was very little blood. I sprayed the wound with blue cote and the vet gave her antibiotics for 5 days. She has been back with her flock and is doing very well, however I wonder is anybody has experience attacks to their flocks by a non venomous snake. The run is totally snake proof now and the snake was found and killed

So sorry to see this happened to your bird. I've never seen a colubrid cause this kind of damage to a larger animal. Their teeth are extremely small (even in larger colubrids) and would have a tough time getting under the feathers. I kept snakes as pets for many years (constrictors and colubrid snakes). Even very large species of rat snakes would have a tough time doing this type of damage. Could it have been something else potentially? Please note, I'm not defending the snake (I'm just surprised that it could do this type of damage).

 

[McChooky]

I have been keeping chickens for 9 years and never experience a snake attack before. There have been snakes in my runs and chicken yards (mostly rat snakes) with no incident. They got inside thru small spaces in the runs. I have worked hard covering all the possible places where they can get in. Unfortunately I missed one hole in one of my runs where I have 2 hens and 3 pullets. They are still working on integrating, even though they have been living together for 3 months, the hens do not let them in the coop yet and they have been sleeping in the run which was very safe until the snake got in. It got in at night and attacked one of the pullets, it took a big chunk of skin but thankfully it did not go thru the muscle so there was very little blood. I sprayed the wound with blue cote and the vet gave her antibiotics for 5 days. She has been back with her flock and is doing very well, however I wonder is anybody has experience attacks to their flocks by a non venomous snake. The run is totally snake proof now and the snake was found and killed

I've seen snakes attack a chicken & suffocate them but never seen a physical injury like this. I do hope your chicken gets well & hope you keep us updated!

 

[aldarita]

I have a HDTV camera in the run where my pullet was attacked. I was able to play it back and clearly see the snake getting in and roam around the 3 pullets for a while until it finally got one of them.
Interestingly the snake got in thru a hole we made to run the wires for the camera, we totally forgot to cover it after the installation.
We found the culprit the next day hiding under the roof drafters, caught it and kill it.
My pullet is doing very well, she is 16 months old now and is a happy camper!

 

[McChooky]

I have a HDTV camera in the run where my pullet was attacked. I was able to play it back and clearly see the snake getting in and roam around the 3 pullets for a while until it finally got one of them.
Interestingly the snake got in thru a hole we made to run the wires for the camera, we totally forgot to cover it after the installation.
We found the culprit the next day hiding under the roof drafters, caught it and kill it.
My pullet is doing very well, she is 16 months old now and is a happy camper!

Old timers called them chicken snakes because they commonly kill chickens,chicks,pullets and sometimes broody hens to eat their eggs.

 

[abenardini]

I have a HDTV camera in the run where my pullet was attacked. I was able to play it back and clearly see the snake getting in and roam around the 3 pullets for a while until it finally got one of them.
Interestingly the snake got in thru a hole we made to run the wires for the camera, we totally forgot to cover it after the installation.
We found the culprit the next day hiding under the roof drafters, caught it and kill it.
My pullet is doing very well, she is 16 months old now and is a happy camper!

Wow! I'm glad to hear you found the culprit at least (and the weak spot). Cheers to the pullet to hopefully heal very fast!

 

[ashcons]

There are a lot of people on this board in denial about rat snakes attacking and/or killing chickens; I found a post from 2018 from some lady saying she put a snake in her coop because she saw a mouse.

Lost an adult bantam last night to one (dead bird in the run in the morning, head & neck up to the "shoulders" covered in slimy mucus). It's shovel season on the black rat snakes I have previously been leaving in peace around here now because I thought they would only go after younger chicks - the pact has been broken!