Snake

[cmom]

I had a couple of snakes attempt to get into my pens and probably into the coops. I do have electric wires around my coops and pens. When the snakes tried to go through the fence and touched the electric wires they were electrocuted. I have my fence grounded so anything that touches the hot wires and the fence will know it. Only once did a snake actually get into a coop. It didn't get into a nest box and it was a rather small snake.

 

[cmom]

If you have rats or mice around they will attract the snakes. I see snakes every now and then. I'm sure they are after the rats. I do have poison in rat bait stations that I have in pet carriers on shelves in our barn which is right behind the coop where nothing but the rats can get to. I have see rats in the barn too so that is why I placed the bait stations in the barn. Our neighbor has cattle. I'm sure it all attracts rats which is what the snakes are after but I think they will attempt to take a chicks and will take eggs too. I bought the rat bait stations when I came across a rat in a nest box. I haven't had anymore rat issues. I'm sure they still come around. There were tunnels next to the barn and coops I assume were made by the rats. Since I haven't found any dead rats laying around I also assume they go into their tunnels and die.

 

[Awestruck]

I have found snakes 3 times recently in my chicken yard. One of them was a huge rat snake. The hens don't seem to be afraid of the snake and they follow the snake as I try to get it to go out of the yard. One of the snakes ended up inside the coop. The chickens were inside and didn't seem fazed. The rat snake lives in a palm tree right next to the coop. I wish I could get rid of them or at least keep them out of the chicken yard. But if they live in a tree in the chicken yard, I have no idea how to get rid of it.

 

[McChooky]

That is completely false. We had a rat snake kill 2 of our hens when my mother-in-law locked it in the coop overnight. The snake kills by acting as a constrictor then tries to swallow them starting with the head. Because it cannot get past the shoulders, it moved on to it's second kill. Both hens were found with the tell tale slimy, wet heads and necks. My kids and I were devastated. There are plenty of postings with similar stories. I, too, once thought they were harmless, but no more!

Thank you for sharing your experience with rat snakes.The misinformation is a real problem .It causes a lot of peoples chickens to be killed.They'll also make you sick even though they aren't venomous.Snake bites aren't fun.

 

[McChooky]

I have found snakes 3 times recently in my chicken yard. One of them was a huge rat snake. The hens don't seem to be afraid of the snake and they follow the snake as I try to get it to go out of the yard. One of the snakes ended up inside the coop. The chickens were inside and didn't seem fazed. The rat snake lives in a palm tree right next to the coop. I wish I could get rid of them or at least keep them out of the chicken yard. But if they live in a tree in the chicken yard, I have no idea how to get rid of it.

Bird netting or minnow traps will trap them. Then dispatch.