SNAKES!!!!!!!!! And my hard working girls!!! (no pix)

[Tala]

So yesterday I saw one of my pullets get a baby snake, and an older hen stole it from her and gulped it down! Great! Congratulate those ladies on their had work keeping my yard snake-free!!!

Today, I was turning over some stuff in the garden. I had the chickens clean all the worms and bugs and snails and slugs out from under my cross-ties (that go around the garden) and I saw a baby snake skin under there. Hmmm, wonder if that was from the snake that they ate??

Then I turned over a few more items and found TWO baby snakes of different breeds, curled up together!!!!!!!!!!

So while I'm trying not to

the chickens are happily walking right over them! I tell them to eat those snakes!!
So the one hen grabs up the non-poisonious snake and runs off with it (while 3 other hens chase her) and everyone is ignoring the scary-looking snake. (I'm not actually afraid of it at this age - about 10" long, but no way I'm letting it grow up either!) The rooster even almost steps on it, and it never moved - good job at playing dead.
Then one of the Leghorn ladies (Cracker I think, though I'm never sure at a distance) grabs the snake and takes off down the fenceline. It tried to bite her and she ran around, shaking, pecking and expertly managing it until it was dead!!! Then she swallowed it tail first! Thing is nearly as long as she is!!!!!!!
I have a new appreciation for my hens and I don't think I'll EVER not have chickens!!

Go ladies!!!


So let's recap. Chickens - ate 3 snakes, plowed my garden, AND lay eggs every day(got a whopper today!) Dogs - uh, have uh, eaten their food? Barked at a few strange kids walking down the road? Cats - haven't brought me any presents this spring, except the hairball in the doorway the other night...

So the chickens are the hardest working animals on this "farm"!!!!!!

 

[BeckyBird]

Cute story! That's why I like chickens better than dogs

 

[newlyweds]

Great story, way to go chickens. My RIR hen the other day ate a small garden snake from our garden too, she swallowed it whole like a noodle. I don't think I will never not have chickens either, they definitely pull their weight around here.

 

[jettgirl24]

My babies just found and fought over their first grub yesterday! It was adorable... One of my BR hens won the prize, beating out my much bigger BO roo ! Go Rocky!

Not quite a snake but I think they're well on their way

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I agree, my chickens have been here less than a year and I have seen them eating mice, lizards, frogs, tons of bugs --both flying and crawling-- and snakes. I get 7-9 eggs a day, I use their poo to enhance my garden. My dogs bark at anything that moves, cries/whines for an hour until I feed them at 6pm, digs bomb size holes and ditches in my yard (where I don't need them), do their business, anywhere they want to, swim in my fish pond and eat the fish, have hair everywhere--the little ones are all old and wake me at 2am every night to go outside.. Th

 

[Cindiloohoo]

My chickies got one the other day too....slurped it up like a spaghetti noodle

 

[chickenGRAFFITI]

My silkies were at the edge of our backyard the other day (which they are never in as the stay in the courtyard) just sitting and dozing off and all of a sudden one screamed. I ran over there and saw the little baby black snake slithering away. All 5 of the chickens ran back to the house to get inside. Then again I have seen them afraid of a fly before.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
That's because they are silkies

(yes I'm anti-silky unless we're talking broody mamas, but I'm just teasing ya, so don't get yer feathers too ruffled!

)

 

[chickenGRAFFITI]

Quote:
That's because they are silkies

(yes I'm anti-silky unless we're talking broody mamas, but I'm just teasing ya, so don't get yer feathers too ruffled!

)

I must admit that mine most definitely should win an award for the most spoiled chickens out there. I prefer to think that they were just calling me to come get the snake, kill it, cook it and serve it up with some fresh cut corn off the cob and wheat grass.

I am sure they were just running to their little dining area waiting to be served.

 

[Noble Rooster]

Are snakes an acquired taste? My girls dug up a small (7 inches) garter snake from under some leaves the other day, clucked suspiciously at it until I gave the all clear, and then went back to eating worms. Perhaps if I painted it with yogurt they'd be interested?