Snake!!!

[m&m chickens]

So we know there's been an egg thief on the loose.....and today I was unlucky enough to meet him - a >5' black snake!!!! He only comes every other day or so, but usually wipes out 4-5 eggs at a time. What's the best way to find him a new home?? and no, I'm not "just gonna reach in there and grab him by the tail"!!!

any ideas for a home-made trap??

 

[Marcymom3]

Do you know how he is getting in? Snakes are the worst! I have been known to hack them with a hoe or a shovel or cut their heads off with long handled pruning loppers. Hubs is a little more tolerant so he made a pretty good snake catcher.

To make it, you need a piece of 3/4" pvc pipe about 5' long and 16-17' of a heavy wire. (ours is an old phone cord, the kind that plugs from the phone to the wall) Fold the wire in half and thread it through the pipe until you have an 8" loop at the business end, leaving 1-2 feet of the cut ends at the other end. Tie a good tight knot in the cut ends about 4" from the end of the pipe. This keeps it from getting pulled all the way through if the snake decides to fight it. When you see the snake, put the loop around his neck (well, behind his head somewhere) and pull the cut ends until it tightens. You can use the tool to pick him up and put him in a bucket with a lid. After he's in there you loosen the wire from his neck, put the lid on, and relocate him.

There is not enough money in the world to get me to reach in and grab one! Ewwww!

Good luck!

 

[simplynewt]

As I am still working on building my first coop, I have not yet experienced issues with snakes as of yet. I have done alot of research on how to build it to prevent preditors from envading the coop and of all I have read, there is very little on how to prevent snakes from infiltrating the coop.

Concenred about this, I asked a couple people at work who own coops and I was told to put a couple golf balls in the nests. The hensd will still lay their eggs and the snake will eat the golf ball and eventually die because they cant digest the golf ball.

I am thinking this is a good idea as I despise snakes and the only good snake is a dead one. I live on a creek that spans the whole length of my 3.5 acre backyard and I am having a field day with all the moccosins I have seen this year.

Anyone hear of this trick and does it really work?

 

[m&m chickens]

Quote:
bleh....I'll try it....but 5' doesn't seem like enough distance between me & a snake!!! I like the long handled pruning loppers - but I hate to kill a black snake....they keep the mice at bay!!! Thanks for the advice!

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
Heres one that ate a fake egg. I got my egg back.

 

[m&m chickens]

Quote:
Heres one that ate a fake egg. I got my egg back.https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63768_snake_in_coop_004.jpg

That is a HUGE snake!!! they give me the willies......maybe golf balls are a good idea!!!

 

[simplynewt]

Quote:
Heres one that ate a fake egg. I got my egg back.https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/63768_snake_in_coop_004.jpg

Wow, so I am assuming that a golf ball would work. Or maybe I sould get a bunch of fake eggs to put in the nests. Thanks for the pic 7L

 

[Marcymom3]

7L.... ewwww! What kind of snake is that? Good call on the fake eggs!

 

[Marcymom3]

m&m chickens :

Quote:
bleh....I'll try it....but 5' doesn't seem like enough distance between me & a snake!!! I like the long handled pruning loppers - but I hate to kill a black snake....they keep the mice at bay!!! Thanks for the advice!

I totally agree about 5' not being long enough!

The loppers work great. I only kill them if they are in my space. A large one was coming up my basement steps a couple months ago. He went up and over 4 steps and I walked right past him when I was going to the basement for paper towels. I stood with one foot on the bottom step before it registered what I was seeing! There was no broom or anything down there I could use, and I had to yell for my husband to rescue me. LOL... what a skit! When he saw how white my face was he dispatched the snake with a shovel. Bless his heart!​

 

[whitecra]

I had one in my silkie pen about a month ago. I go out to check on them one night and see it hanging out of the nest. Told my husband. He took the gun and shot it. It had swallowed a golf ball.
Chris