Snake troubles

[2txmedics]

OH GOD!!!! I had a major heart attack today!!! I have a M.A.J.O.R "FEAR" of them, and I went out to do my detail cleaning of my coops, stuck my head half way into the play house coop and low and behold, there it was on the roost crawling across, I went stumbling back, got shaky, and started to hyperventilate. Call honey at work and of course, cant come home...so I was able to get my brother in law and my oldest son to come out, tore the house apart and didnt find it!!!!!

I never left the area, like I was told no matter how scared I was and ligh headed from the fear, I kept my eyes on the coop and never saw it leave!!!! was about 3ft or more long...and about as thick as my upper arms...

SCARED TO DEATH NOW....I can not see them in magazines, books, movies...I dream of them and wake up screaming.

 

[Wyo Chick]

One night I went out to collect eggs and grabbed a snake in the nest.Screamed, screamed and screamed some more. Now, I NEVER check nest at night and have a flashlight in chicken house. I heard that moth balls keep snakes away. Is this true?

 

[2txmedics]

Oh gosh, tell me its true, I will go out and buy a bunch of bags of mothballs!!! Honey bought some powder stuff that is suppose to repel them away....DOES IT WORK??? Honey also said you can fix your problem to catch/kill.....put golf balls in the nest...in all the coops...then it cant leave through cracks, but you'll have to know its there to kill it....AHHHH, LETS WAIT TIL YOUR HOME TO KILL IT....SO YOU CAN DO IT!!! *fear*

so does that powder stuff work?

 

[knjinnm]

So what are you doing to prevent snakes from gaining access to the coop?

 

[2txmedics]

What can I do??!!! I was told by DH that its all apart of nature and having chickens....this is the one they got into...

I have 3 other coops and this is the very first time in 2yrs that Ive had this happen

 

[2txmedics]

OMG!!!! 2nd time....yesterday, dh says you want me to go with you to get eggs? I said yes of course, Im still scared...usually dh is at work...but off yesterday...we walked out, I said Im gonna feed them, and dh says Ill get eggs...went to main coop and I hear real calm....'ah dear...can you come here'.....ok whats up? I need a shovel or something, ahhh ok whats up? your little friend is back and your getting ready to lose like 15 eggs in one nest............OMG!!! PANIC SET IN....

sure enough...I got this hoe handed it over to dh, and saw the fight of a life time! That thing wouldnt die, couldnt be cut in 1/2 either!!!! so I go and stand behind dh but not where I can see it, ....and dh is yelling find me something sharper, fast!!!! all of a sudden I heard a bunch of cussing and dh jumping out of the coop, hitting every roost on the way out and cussing more because of the roost in the way...seems that little creature started coming dh's way and trying to get away...I jumped out of the kennel run, and took off into the yard.....I have a huge fear, remember....so.....then dh says I need you to come hold this shovel here,while I go around from behing and outside the coop....WHAT!!!!??? No, I cant do it, I was yelled at to do it now.....sigh

all the while I cried and was nervous and a few screams here and then from fear and it got away some and I freaked out...after like a good 30mins dh killed it, brought it out of the coop, I wouldnt look at it, cant stand to see them either, dead or alive...dh measured it alittle over 4ft long!!! Now Ive been scared to collect eggs and go out and feed my flocks and dh is gone....I was told there might be more to keep an eye out.

The neighbor says Mothballs kill them????

 

[Bengalcats1]

Quote:
Just reading that makes my skin Crawl, we have so many snakes here and I don't know how to get rid of them, I bought that powder also but don't know if it is going to work......I would love any ideas people have for repellents

 

[Judy]

They say moth balls work but they are rather toxic and you don't want your chickens get into them. The snake trap is probably the best idea.

I bought 6 golf balls and now have 3 -- I figure that's probably 3 dead snakes.

 

[Shireshome]

I know you are freak out by snakes, please don't use mothballs. I can't stress enough how bad they are.The vapors that mothballs put off are very toxic and even once you throw them out they contaminate the soil effecting anything that digs/lives in the area such as dogs, cats, earthworms, wild birds, children, ect... According to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center just one mothball being eaten by a cat or dog can kill them.

You should try keeping the snakes out useing a plastic mesh or hardware wire around the bottum of your chicken house, an electrified fence will work very well too especially if they are climbers.
Depending on your setup you could keep the chickens in a temporary chicken tractor made of PVC and mesh, mean while fill the nest boxes with golf balls, any problem snakes will ingest them and your problem is solved.

http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-pastured-poultry-pen.htm Try this link for simple tractor plans.

 

[2txmedics]

Well I was thinking mothballs outside of the coop and run. Not where the chickens can get them. We bought that powder stuff and it didn't work!!! It smells like pepper.