SNAKE!!!!

[Chica Lady]

Just saw a snake on my back porch. OMG... That's where the chickies are. That's what I figure he was after, because I have lived here for a year and never saw a snake on the porch. Last summer, I saw a snake skin by the ditch going under the sidewalk. That was by the road and it didn't bother me knowing it was there. But now, I have the chickies, So I figure that's what it was after. I moved them in the house now. They are only 2 weeks old, not old enough to stay outside yet. Now, I need to go clean off the rest of the porch to make sure it doesn't have anywhere to live.

 

[Kevin565]

What did it look like? Some aren't very likely to mess with your chickens they are full grown

 

[Chica Lady]

it was dark black with bright white in between the scales. The older chickens are outside, but the 2 week old chicks were on the back porch. That's why I moved them inside.

 

[SC-ChickMom]

Is this it? If so it is a king snake. In honesty if a snake is big enough it will eat your chicks but most likely it was looking for a place to sun. Your chickens will be a little too large after 2-3 months or so then the snake may find himself on the menu. On a high note: This in not poisonous. There was a post several months ago where someone used a minnow trap to trap snakes. That may be an option.

 

[Chica Lady]

That's the one. It was definitely looking for lunch. my porch is enclosed. not just a sun room or anything. It has real walls and windows.

 

[zazouse]

It may eat your chicks depending on how big the snake is but that is a great snake to have around , they eat other snakes , even venomous ones.

 

[joan1708]

I wouldn't want it on my porch either!

 

[dirtydozen]

To me, there are two kinds of snakes. 1. Rattlesnakes 2.. Cobras. If it dont rattle its a cobra. I dont care how beneficial king snakes or rat snakes are, they die when I see them. Years ago, I had an old chest freezer in the barn that I stored the horse feed in. One day I opened the lid and grabbed the feed scoop was bitten by a king snake that was in the feed. The bite hurt like hell! I slammed the lid down, got my shotgun and then blasted that sucker. I got barn cats that take care of the rats and mice. Dont need any beneficial snakes

 

[guppy85]

He might be going after those eggs too. We had a snake in the barn eating the eggs, we put a golf ball in the nest, he ate it and got stuck on his way out the crack in the boards. Wacked his head off.

 

[NorthCoastChick]

Just an idea for future consideration: I've heard from a lot of people that guineas will chase off snakes, even rattlers. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a few "watchdog" guineas around the chicks?