Snakes and chicken eggs

[kemoran]

Yesterday I found a Large black snake curled up in my girls nesting box chowing down on an egg. I have been short eggs lately (my ladies always lay 6 eggs a day (sometimes 7)) and was wondering what was going on. My question is how can you keep the snakes away? Any suggestions? Also, can the snakes harm my hens? I have never seen a snake in my yard before but am aware that black snakes and copperheads live in my area. I have a 3 standard poodles and a border terrier that keep most everything out of the yard.

 

[ChicKat]

Here's what I have heard.....

Using 'soil sulfur' will discourage the snake.

I had a snake (we call them chicken snakes or rat snakes here....try to swallow one of my chicks. The chick was too large---but by the time the snake backed away --the chick (who was about 5-weeks old) was suffocated. Chicks can definitely be harmed by snakes.

Generally the eggs are their target.

There is a commercial product called 'snake away'. It is made of something like 90% soil sulfur and 10% naptha. (I think that is the designation. -- it can be purchased at feed stores and probably available on the internet.

Other from that -- netting, mesh or hardware cloth with no holes large enough for a snake... killing the snake or having an animal that would kill the snake are the only choices that I know of.

 

[azahn]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no reliable "snake repellent". You will just have to secure the run/coop as tightly as possible to prevent any critters from getting inside. They can squeeze through extremely small holes, so just do the best you can. Keeping the coop and run tidy and clean without a lot of excess feed will also help -- it will discourage mice and rats, which snakes are attracted to. Anytime I go into my run or check the coop, I always look around - I fully expect a snake in there one day.

One of my firefighter friends disagrees with me about the snake-away powder though; he kept a container of it in the toolbox of his truck, and swore that he NEVER had a snake get in there.............

.

Seriously, I've done some research on it, and there is simply no such thing as a snake repellent. Save your dough, get some hardware cloth and keep a shovel handy.