Snake needs to die....how?

[AliP]

OK, this isn't strictly chicken related, but I thought I would ask you all...

I was walking from the hen house to our house this morning and saw something sticking out of the bluebird box hole. Thinking it was a baby fledging, I went closer to find it was the front several inches of a snake that was sunning itself - apparently after his breakfast

. So I went and got the hoe and smacked it in the head a couple times before it retreated into the nest box. I plugged the hole with the butt of the hoe handle and left it there to get my son to school and myself to work.

Now the dilemma...how to get it out and kill it. I'm hoping it may get warm enough today (88) to cook it in there, but am not counting on it. My thought is to open the front side of the box (like we do to clean out the used nests every fall), use the hoe to scrape everything out and to beat the living heck out of that dirty snake. My Mom suggested shooting it, but I feel like that might be overkill (no pun intended!).

If snakes get in my hen house, I'm going to lose my mind!

Thanks!
Alison

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

OK, this isn't strictly chicken related, but I thought I would ask you all...

I was walking from the hen house to our house this morning and saw something sticking out of the bluebird box hole. Thinking it was a baby fledging, I went closer to find it was the front several inches of a snake that was sunning itself - apparently after his breakfast

. So I went and got the hoe and smacked it in the head a couple times before it retreated into the nest box. I plugged the hole with the butt of the hoe handle and left it there to get my son to school and myself to work.

Now the dilemma...how to get it out and kill it. I'm hoping it may get warm enough today (88) to cook it in there, but am not counting on it. My thought is to open the front side of the box (like we do to clean out the used nests every fall), use the hoe to scrape everything out and to beat the living heck out of that dirty snake. My Mom suggested shooting it, but I feel like that might be overkill (no pun intended!).

If snakes get in my hen house, I'm going to lose my mind!

Thanks!
Alison

Unless the snake is posing a danger to you/your family (ie is venomous), why does it need to die? If your hen house is secure, there is no reason to fear the snake getting in - if a snake could get in, so can other predators, so the concern should be security, not this snake who's only crime thus far was to get caught doing what a snake does in a way that posed no danger and did no harm to you/your hens. Snakes actually play an important role in the natural balance of things. I find it interesting that you would think a quick, clean death by shooting would be overkill but have no qualms "beating the living heck" out of it.

 

[nchls school]

Snakes have a purpose. Yes they eat birds, but they also eat rats and mice that are much more destructive. Is there a way that you can take down the box and release the snake elsewhere so that it is not a threat to your hen house and home?

 

[N F C]

The snake won't cook in there at 88 degrees. Open the slowly, when he starts to emerge (you might have to help with that), pin it to the ground with something like a strong forked stick, then chop it's head off with an axe.

If it were me, I'd just let it go but we have had to get rid of a couple that got in the coop and were trying to swallow eggs. And we did get rid of the one that got in with our newborn rabbits and swallowed one (then he was too big to get out).

Snakes play an important part in wildlife and I don't like to kill them unless they are a problem. Also, my son would dis-inherit me for just randomly wiping them out, lol. He has a doctorate in reptiles & amphibians and finds snakes fascinating. I've learned a lot from him over the years. Plus with a kid like that around, our pets were never boring!

 

[Cacique500]

I use these with great effect:

 

[AliP]

Unless the snake is posing a danger to you/your family (ie is venomous), why does it need to die? If your hen house is secure, there is no reason to fear the snake getting in - if a snake could get in, so can other predators, so the concern should be security, not this snake who's only crime thus far was to get caught doing what a snake does in a way that posed no danger and did no harm to you/your hens. Snakes actually play an important role in the natural balance of things. I find it interesting that you would think a quick, clean death by shooting would be overkill but have no qualms "beating the living heck" out of it.

Only seeing the head - which had the triangular shape of a copperhead - it's hard to tell for 100%, but with barefoot kids and dogs running in the fields often, and being in an area with many venomous snake sightings, I think better safe than sorry.

 

[torilovessmiles]

What kind of snake is it? If it's small, like a garter snake, it poses no threat to your chickens. House snakes (ringneck snakes) are 6-10 inches or so long and eat large insects, and are completely non-aggressive. I pick them up all the time. Milk snakes are also small, and again, are completely harmless and rarely bite. There is no need for any of these snakes to die. Small, harmless snakes are very common, and considering it's hiding out in a birdhouse, I'd say it's in the category of small, harmless snakes
Black rat snakes are the best to have, even though they are big. They will likely avoid adult chickens, rather eat rats, and most importantly, they eat poisonous snakes like copperheads and rattlesnakes!
The only snakes you need to worry about are poisonous ones and those that are big enough to kill a chicken. Just let the little guy go

 

[carolina91]

If you can identify it as venomous or are not sure - kill it. Better safe than sorry. A sharp shovel will slice the head off, my husband's method. I prefer to use a 22 rifle as I would rather not be anywhere near a venomous snake.

Non venomous snakes (rat snakes, corn snakes etc) are good at keeping the rodent population in check and we usually direct them elsewhere and/or leave them alone. They tend to avoid our geese anyway. However, when they become a menace to the population, they have to go. I lost two four week old ducklings to a rat snake last year. I wasn't about to leave him alive to get more.

 

[drumstick diva]

Anything that causes so much screaming (from me) can't be good. I go after them with a garden hoe. Then I will be shaking for hours afterward. They scare me badly.

 

[whoop whoop]

I agree, try and get it out by putting a piece of raw meat near the hole - then pin the head down (if its got any head left) and chuck it. Just be wary, now that it is injured they can be quite nasty and go for you and they are very very quick. If you have one snake chances are there are lots more around, my advice would be to wear shoes and socks. Snakes like the heat, the warmer the better, so any ideas of it cooking are very limited. My general expertise with snakes is the bigger they are the less venomous but that is just here in Africa. We have a mole snake who lives in our swimming pool he is very large, and ALMOST

a pet, and keeps lots of nasties at bay.