Snake getting my eggs

[PolarBear]

O.K., now I'm ticked off. For the past several days I am only getting 1 or 2 eggs a day, and they are the ones laid during the day time. I think a snake is stealing my eggs. I've had enough. I'm about to surround my entire run with 4' wide sheet metal and the last 2' in hardware cloth. This is ridiculous. I'm already feeding a large dog and 6 hens. I'm not feeding a snake.

 

[jessica117]

We were having the same problem a little while back. Unfortunately we were unable to completely "snake proof" our coop and run. My 5 yr old son and hubby were standing at the edge of the pasture so our son could pet the bull and a 5 foot chicken snake slithered right over his foot. He said look daddy, a snake! Hubby "took care of it" and now we are getting 3 times as many eggs. Mr. snake also seemed partial to blue eggs

Other than actually seeing the culprit and ridding your yard of him, snake proofing your coop may be your only other option. It took us many months from our first sighting of the snake to see him again so we could do something about it.

Do your hens free range, or are they solely coop/run bound? Also does your dog have access around the coop? If not, you might be able to use moth balls around/under the coop to keep the snake out. That's how we keep snakes and other critters out from under our house. We let the girls free range during the day so it was out of the question for the coop area.

 

[barnyardbonanza]

Well, I'm sure someone will not like my suggestion but we too had problems with snakes and were tired of getting only a few eggs a day. We put a golf ball in every nest. Snakes can't digest golf balls so afterward they won't be back!

Angela

 

[PolarBear]

I have to admit that I like the golf ball idea. I don't mind cruelty to snakes at all.

 

[TammyTX]

If it's a rat or chicken snake check the rafters of your coop. That is where we found the 5 ft chicken snake that killed a 9 wk old chicken. The chicken was too big to swallow it so it killed it for nothing.

On the weekends I go out often and check the rafters. I figure a snake doesn't know from Sat/Sun and if it is coming by on the weekdays then it will be there on the weekends.