thanks
Nambroth,
The coop is enclosed. They have a fenced in run and 'grange' and a building to sleep in and boxes to lay. We shut the coop at night and they have roosters and places off the ground. I think they should be fine. They are a polish cross. Do you think they will always be skiddish?
It sounds like you are doing good. Check your coop for cracks, hole, and other points of entry for a snake, and close these off with filler or hardware cloth. I have my enclosed run lined with hardware cloth in a skirt (L shaped) and nothing but the smallest of snakes has ever made it into the run, where my hens have promptly eaten them! A large snake could possibly climb my fencing and make it in, but it would have to 'run the gauntlet' through the chicken run to get access to the pop door (the only entry into the coop that is left open during the day) and I know my girls would not tolerate that. I've seen videos of chickens killing even large snakes. Anyhow, if you close the pop door again at night as I do, then the chances of a snake getting at your eggs is slim. Snakes generally are not a threat to
adult,
grown chickens. If you have chicks or young birds, snakes can take them, so it's best to protect them. When snakes kill an adult chicken, it is usually at night when the chicken is roosted/docile/cannot see the snake coming. Snakes are fast, but so are hens, and alert adult birds stand a far better chance (especially if there is more than one.. boy do they ever gang up on things sometimes!). So if you can keep them out of your coop, especially at night, you are likely not to have problems! As with all things, nothing is 100% for certain. As long as you take precautions you are unlikely to suffer from 'snake problems'. Honestly, on my predator radar, snakes are very low. I am far more concerned about raccoons, foxes, domestic dogs, mustelids, etc!
I do not have any Polish chickens but I have heard they can be skittish and flighty. That might work in your favor if you are worried about snakes.
