Snake in the hen house!

[FenDruadin]

This thread makes me very happy.

So many people will kill a snake as soon as look at it, and yet you're giving this beauty a chance even though he's eating your eggs.

That's a great shot, by the way. If snakes had facial expressions, his would say, "It wasn't me!!!"

I think relocating is a great idea. It's bad for the ecosystem to release non-native species, but this is a native snake and a change of a few miles isn't going to hurt anything (well, the snake won't like it much, but he'll get over it).

As good as snakes are, if this one is in the habit of eating your eggs and making a significant dent in your harvest, he's gotta go. Relocating is a wonderful choice.

Good luck!

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quote:
Side bar here.

Oosik, are you from Alaska? I don't think too many folks here know what an oosik is.

I do now!

Oh thank you Wikipedia for my education!

Yes. Now I won't be able to sleep.

 

[chooniecat]

we have a resident (wild and outside) black rat snake I caught a couple of years ago(probably several of them) that is 5' long and I do NOT have any visable rodents so I am sure she helps(as do the 24/7/365 snap traps) I see what I believe to be the same snake every now and then around the barn and there are small garter snakes around chicken shed. beautiful interesting picture. hope you do well with relocating it.

 

[purpletree23]

You can mark the snake if you want. just put a little dab of nail polish on it. It won't hurt the snake and if it doesn't wear off it will go away when the snake sheds it's skin. I used nail polish once to mark (very tiny) chipmunks.

 

[Elliemaeburt]

Nice snake. Also a good snake, but having him around isn't good for the eggs. To bad it isn't a King Snake. Haven't seen any around my place, but I have a feeling that we will after we get the chickens going. I am on my first batch and marking off the days on the calendar. good luck .

 

[SunshineSilkies]

I have goose bumps right now looking at that picture........I don't care if it is a "nice" snake, I don't want them around my chicken house!!

 

[mikeksfarmer]

Your picture is excellent! You should find some local Herpatology sites on line and post the pic. Additionaly you should ask for someone to come and remove the snakes large enough to eat chicken eggs. If you remove the adults in June they will have laid thier eggs already. The young ones for at least 5 years are not big enought to eat chicken eggs. If you remove the big ones release them at least a half mile away. I have always felt that a dozen eggs has always been worth the mice and rats they ate until they got big enought to eat chicken eggs. When there that big its hard to detour them, short of relocation. Any one know how to speak Slithereen?

 

[Caramel12]

How the snake enter that place?The pictures is good.To all chicken lovers try to scan the area to avoid the some snake to enter your chicken area..


Regards

Albert

____
Pret immobilier

 

[bluey]

Awesome action shot!

I agree with Daccers. He has given some sage advice. A few hundred feet move will result in the snake finding the coop again real soon!

Good luck!

 

[juliecox]

Just be careful if you have chicks or young chickens. I had a rat snake kill a 2-month-old Marans and a 2-month old Ameraucana. >.< He couldn't even eat them, they were too big. When I finally caught him he had a 2-month-old sex link rooster in his coils! That one had to go. I have a pet corn snake, so I like the critters, but a proven chicken-killer was not welcome! If it had just been eggs I would not have minded so much.

So you folk with youngsters, LOOK OUT!