snake just ate my chicken

[aussiechicky]

My little babies are going missing one at a time. The first when they were 8 weeks old.. totally disappeared

the next a week ago about 9 1/2 weeks old... found her dead swallowed up to her chest... but the snake obviously is too small to eat her

then again this morning about 10 weeks old she was just dead... doesnt look like she was swalled much more then her head...

i hope this snake is too small to eat them and quickly learns this - I have 1 baby and 5 hens left!!

its just upsetting that they had to die and they were not even eaten.. died for no reason at all

Does anyone know if the solar snake repellers work in keeping them out of the coop? or will a hungry snake still fight to get into the pen despite not being big enough to eat them to try... just incase things changed since his last attempt?

 

[madscience]

As a snake enthusiast first and chicken enthusiast second, I feel obliged to comment. I would never kill a native snake under any circumstances. A female mouse produces around 40 babies in a year. Factor in that half of those will be females who will be breeding within months, and you can see how the population can explode quickly. Snakes typically eat on average one appropriately sized rodent per week. Remove one snake from the equation on your property and you are adding 52 rodents plus their offspring, potentially thousands over the course of a year.
Second, on the topic of non venomous snakes potentially attracting venomous snakes. The only venomous snake in the US that makes a habit of eating other snakes is the coral snake. There are however countless native harmless snakes that regularly prey on pit vipers like rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads. Killing non venomous snakes is more likely to bring about favorable conditions for venomous snakes. When there are fewer kingsnakes, indigo snakes, etc around to prey on rattlers and a corresponding spike in rodent population, the rattlers will move in.
Third, I can't help but find it comical that so many people are wasting ammunition to dispatch tiny harmless snakes that are small enough to crawl through chicken wire/hardware cloth. You would think they are going up against a lion or bear. I do understand that most people are not confident identifying snakes and probably want to play it safe. There are too many species for the average person with no interest in snakes to want to learn, but there are only 4 types in North America to worry about, rattlesnakes, coral snakes, cottonmouths(also known as water moccasins), and copperheads. There are many different sub species of each type, but they look similar enough to be easily identified. Cottonmouths/moccasins can be a bit tricky since there are a few water snakes that look similar and live in the same habitats. I would not recommend anyone handle a snake unless they are absolutely sure about the ID, but a long tool like a rake/shovel/hoe will safely move any harmless snake along. If you are in the camp that is set on dispatching snakes, the same tool will do the trick as well. If you just like shooting things, I guess that is understandable. You will definitely have the opportunity to use your gun more frequently on rodents after you take out the snake.
As far as protecting your chickens from snakes, 1/2 inch hardware cloth will keep out anything big enough to harm adult chickens. The bottom edge would either have to be buried or attached to a lower support that sits flush on a concrete footer. You would need cloth across the top of the run as well, since the species that frequent chicken coops are excellent climbers. Anything small enough to get through 1/2 inch cloth would just be a high protein snack for an adult chicken. Do a search on "chicken eats snake" on youtube.
Lastly, on Burmese pythons in Florida. These SHOULD be dispatched unless you know someone who wants a pet that will eventually eat goat sized meals. Report to FWC as they may want to do a necropsy to record what it has been eating. Contrary to what the media reports for the sake of a good story, these will not survive winter outside of South Florida. In fact, the larger ones were killed off by a cold spell we had a couple years ago. The smaller ones are able to find better cover and survive and have quickly grown up into large ones again. While the next generation may be a bit stronger, a true freeze like they get in North Florida will kill 100% of them.

 

[bugglesmommy]

As a mother to a small child venomous snakes are taken very seriously. Copperheads, cottonmouths and the likes are given no pardon. We will not kill non- venomous snakes on purpose and welcome king snakes gladly.

 

[madscience]

My little babies are going missing one at a time. The first when they were 8 weeks old.. totally disappeared

the next a week ago about 9 1/2 weeks old... found her dead swallowed up to her chest... but the snake obviously is too small to eat her

then again this morning about 10 weeks old she was just dead... doesnt look like she was swalled much more then her head...

i hope this snake is too small to eat them and quickly learns this - I have 1 baby and 5 hens left!!

its just upsetting that they had to die and they were not even eaten.. died for no reason at all

Does anyone know if the solar snake repellers work in keeping them out of the coop? or will a hungry snake still fight to get into the pen despite not being big enough to eat them to try... just incase things changed since his last attempt?

It depends on what kind of snake has been making the attempt. You live in the range of the coastal carpet python, the largest subspecies of carpet python. A female can get 12-13 feet and would easily eat an adult chicken. They prefer to feed at night, so locking up your chickens in a secure coop at night would probably help. If you have casualties during the day, an enclosed run might be necessary. Carpet pythons are excellent climbers as well, being semi arboreal.
It looks like you are dealing with a snake that isn't yet big enough to finish the job, but there is also the possibility that it is being startled before it can finish. Snakes that feel threatened while feeding will regurgitate to escape. Do you have a dog that could be catching it in the act? Based on your location, if the snake isn't big enough now, it may not be long before it is.

 

[whitneyV]

Hi i am brand new to chickens. I have two six months olds, that i have had for a week now and i bought 4 one month old chicks this past friday. I have had to separate one of the chicks to a coop build at seconds notice because of a pecking problem. But today i saw the first snake of the season. Its finally starting to warm up here in the upstate of south carolina. I think it was a racer snake, but in years past i have seen small copperheads on my property, i also have a 5 year old son that loves to play in the dirt. Seeing that snake this morning has me a little scared, i feel like if the chickens r going to attract more snakes thin maybe i should abandon my new found hobby of raising chickens which is sad because i am in love, just watching them. im Hooked

 

[aussiechicky]

It depends on what kind of snake has been making the attempt. You live in the range of the coastal carpet python, the largest subspecies of carpet python. A female can get 12-13 feet and would easily eat an adult chicken. They prefer to feed at night, so locking up your chickens in a secure coop at night would probably help. If you have casualties during the day, an enclosed run might be necessary. Carpet pythons are excellent climbers as well, being semi arboreal.
It looks like you are dealing with a snake that isn't yet big enough to finish the job, but there is also the possibility that it is being startled before it can finish. Snakes that feel threatened while feeding will regurgitate to escape. Do you have a dog that could be catching it in the act? Based on your location, if the snake isn't big enough now, it may not be long before it is.

Thank you Madscience... we found the cheeky little thing... living in the coop! no wonder I kept thinking "how is it getting in - It is snake proof!"
He was living in the roof... so we had to pull it apart to get to the ****** thing... so now my chooks are living in my garden shed at night til i can afford to get the coop fixed!

I attached a few photos... he was a 5ft carpet python... he is now gone to a good home with someone crazy enough to like snakes!!

The pen... this pic is of him pulling every roof panel up to get him out... didnt want to be caught!


The thin but long snake who made our coop its home


this is him hiding in the roof.... i can see how i only managed to see him once all the time i was in the coop with my babies... master of hiding

 

[johari]

Would little garter snakes be ok to let live? We get a lot of those living around here. Though my cats kill a lot of them.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Would little garter snakes be ok...

Yes, chickens love to eat little garter snakes.

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

i would love a non-venomous snake in the garden for the rodent control ...and my coop has wood and hardware cloth and i hope is weasel and so snake proof ...and i am not worried about the daytime ....

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

Thank you Madscience... we found the cheeky little thing... living in the coop! no wonder I kept thinking "how is it getting in - It is snake proof!"
He was living in the roof... so we had to pull it apart to get to the ****** thing... so now my chooks are living in my garden shed at night til i can afford to get the coop fixed!

I attached a few photos... he was a 5ft carpet python... he is now gone to a good home with someone crazy enough to like snakes!!

The pen... this pic is of him pulling every roof panel up to get him out... didnt want to be caught!


The thin but long snake who made our coop its home


this is him hiding in the roof.... i can see how i only managed to see him once all the time i was in the coop with my babies... master of hiding

so glad you found him ...and that little idiot should have learned the first time that the chicks were too big for him - glad he found a new home tho. so sorry about the chicky-babies