snake problem

[Jfab]

I have three red comets and used to get three eggs every day. It didn't matter if it snowed or if there was a hurricane. But a few months ago I started getting only two. About a month ago I found a chicken snake in my girls house and I killed it. I've been told snakes will eat the eggs and if there aren't any they will eat the chicken. I went out of town for a few days and my sister found another snake and her husband killed it. I'm paranoid now and expect to see one every time I go in. I have nightmares about it. I found a collapsed or empty rubbery feeling eggshell in in their house today that was beige and their eggs are brown so I don't know what the deal is with that. I have a chain link dog kennel with hardware cloth (small wire) buried a foot below and three feet up the sides and a tarp across the top. I even had wildlife netting around the pen. Today I put another row of hardware cloth around the sides and will put a new tarp on top tomorrow. How can I make sure no snakes can get in? This is really freaking me out.

 

[Quackter]

Snake eggs are usually on the ground, hid well. Chickens will lay a soft egg occasionally, When starting to lay the first time, sick, molting, diet, stress, old age,.......or when starting back laying after stopping for any one of the aforementioned. It could be a snake egg, but unless you moved something covering to get to it, my guess is, it probably wasn't. As for snake proofing, if they really want in there, it better be tight as a drum to keep them out. All kind of wives tails for deterrents. I can say you can look at it like this, if there is a non poisonous snake there, it is far less likely there is a poisonous one. If that helps?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Is it big enough to eat a chicken? We have the occasional black rat snake here in SE MO, but they only seem to be interested in eggs, not chickens. Even the gigantic, enormous, insanely humongous one that was my introduction to the species when I first moved here, that was as long as my body and big around as my leg (and I ain't skinny!) only ate the eggs. Scared six years off my life, though.