Snake in Lay Boxes -Dangerous ?

[pixiechic]

Quote:
Did it look like this?

 

[mizauntcathy'shenhouse]

I was discussing this same subject with one of the ag teachers in our district. I've always been of the opinion, "the only good snake is a dead snake". He did point out that chicken or rat snakes will eat mice and rats, as well as other snakes ( I like that part the best). So I have to rethink my opinion of snakes or at least chicken snakes.

We did have problems this summer with a chicken snake.... a 6 ft. one to be precise. We noticed that our egg production dropped way down. My husband found the shed snakeskin and was on a mission. He used ceramic eggs (golf balls are cheaper and don't break) in several nest and drained a couple of chicken eggs of the yolks and whites. He then placed a fishhook with about 5-6 ft. of fishing line attached into the small hole (only the hook inbside the egg, not the line) at the end of the egg where he had blown out the yoke and white. These eggs were placed in random nest boxes.

Well, guess who discovered the snake....yeah, yours truly and it was not one of my better moments. Thank goodness my 6'4", 300 lb, football playin' son was in the barn when the snake was discovered....I made him kill it! while I stood on the other side of the barn.

The snake had a ceramic egg and the fishhook from a consumed and crushed "egg" in him as well...the line was hanging out and he couldn't get away.

Remember whenI mentioned my sons height? Well, that's how I know how long the darn snake was...again from a distance, and yes the snake was dead...I had him hold it up...came to a little above his shoulders, with a few inches hung over the shovel handle and it's tail touched the ground.

Needless to say...egg production picked right up!

 

[chickmamawannabe]

I agree with OEGBman. A 2 foot snake isn't going to harm your chickens. More likely, they would gang up on it and kill it themselves. As long as it's non-venomous, I would just remove it from the area and try to figure out a way to deter it from getting into the nest box. Myself, I would rather lose a few eggs than have rats and mice breeding under the chicken coop spreading disease. Consider the lost eggs as payment for rodent control.

 

[mgibbzzz]

I'd take on your snake anyday! But you can keep those nasty spiders. I would catch and release.I agree taht there is more likely than not more than one, so keep an eye out when this one is gone. If you are worried about being bitten, the smaller ones won't break the skin but a larger one will, take a stick and lay it across its head and grasp it there. You may want to hold on to the tail or it will curl up around your arm. Happy Hunting!

 

[LV426]

I'm not sure why people think it's ok to torture and treat predators inhumanely. I don't agree with killing animals just because you find them to be annoying or they scare you but it's better than torturing them to death.

Feeding a snake golfballs or fishhooks is horrible. It's a painful agonizing death. Surely people can think of a better way to be rid of a snake. Snakes are beneficial to the environment and if you will collect your eggs in the morning you have a better chance of it not eating your eggs. If you let them sit all day the snake will be quite glad to relieve you of a few eggs. On the other hand snakes don't eat constantly like a dog or cat or even a coon so one or two eggs will probably last him awhile.

I've seen quite a few posts where people are killing snakes and then whine about the fact that they have rodents eating their chicken food or chewing on their chickens. Perhaps if one would think about the way the animals in your area affect the environment before you just start killing you would find a happy medium. Work with the animals not against them.

 

[chickmamawannabe]

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[birdlover]

I have a snake story: Last year, two buzzards landed in a corner of our backyard. (I live in the suburbs). I went to investigate and lo and behold, FOUR black snakes had died because I had unknowingly dropped a wad of bird netting there. Apparently, the snakes were just crawling along and got caught up in it. I felt HORRIBLE because I like snakes and it bothered me immensely that they had died a torturous death. So, a word to the wise (who like snakes).

The snake you described in your original post sounds like what I know of as a "ribbon snake". They are a type of garter snake and completely harmless.

 

[theOEGBman]

Quote:
Ellen, that is so sad. Atleast you felt bad about it, it shows you have a heart. Hi, by the way!

LV, I agree with you on that, 100%. You know that already though, haha.

 

[birdlover]

Hi back!!!!

Good to get a hug from YOU!!

 

[gypsy2621]

We did have problems this summer with a chicken snake.... a 6 ft. one to be precise. We noticed that our egg production dropped way down. My husband found the shed snakeskin and was on a mission. He used ceramic eggs (golf balls are cheaper and don't break) in several nest and drained a couple of chicken eggs of the yolks and whites. He then placed a fishhook with about 5-6 ft. of fishing line attached into the small hole (only the hook inbside the egg, not the line) at the end of the egg where he had blown out the yoke and white. These eggs were placed in random nest boxes.



The snake had a ceramic egg and the fishhook from a consumed and crushed "egg" in him as well...the line was hanging out and he couldn't get away.


* Honestly I think this is the most horrendous thing I have ever read on this site.
I was going to write more but I will leave it at that as I dont want to be banned.

Keep in mind where ever there are pet/production animals there will be preditors, They are part of life we can either deal with them humanely or sell off all animals we think of as pets/production.