Snakes Kill Chickens!

[newbie coops]

How terrible for you! There are just some things you can't be sure of, and one of them is the safety of your livestock chickens (or pet chickens) with so many predators lying in patient wait. It's all part of the cycle of life and we're all part of the food chain and unfortunately, there are some in wildlife that are just like people...they kill gratuitously and waste what they've harvested. It's unfortunate you couldn't grab the snake if you recognized it as one not harmful toward humans but golly, in the heat of an emotional situation the best thing to do is not endanger yourself. Thanks for the warning.

 

[theoldchick]

They sure can! But I'm surprised the snake attacked such lively prey. Egg are much easier to subdue and digest. Either the snake was lazy or there are slim pickings in your neck of the woods.

 

[EggHunter_66]

Last summer I let my duck sit on her eggs, i thought I would let her hatch out one batch. One evening we found a huge rat snake eating her eggs and the duck even went after the snake to protect her eggs and she got bite. She was okay, and out of 8+ eggs 4 were left. At the time we didnt know what kind of snake it was because her nest was in a thick row of bushes and it wasnt until my husband got his shotgun and killed it then we realized it was a rat snake which is good for keeping around BUT then again it would come back to feed again. The next day....the four eggs hatched!
Then this past May I finally got myself some turkeys and Guineas....they were just babies and I was so excitted. I put them in a sectioned off area in our coop where new babies go...NEVER had a propblem with anything going in there, two weeks later I went out one morning to find two dead turkeys w/snake bites and the rest gone...which was a third turkey and 5 Guineas. I was so sad and ticked off at the same time. We searched high and low for that snake because it couldnt of gone to far but no sign of it!
I was lucky that the person I got the birds from replaced my flock at no charge, which I thought was the nicest thing! Your awesome girl and you know who you are...lol.....

 

[scrappychick11]

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I'm sure you're right about the slim pickings. I live in Virginia, and we've had incredible heat for months and a bit of a dry spell earlier this month, which may have reduced the prey that the snake would normally go after. While I'm upset about losing my chicken, I can feel some sympathy for a hungry snake. When I'm hungry, I tend not to behave rationally either!

 

[city kid farm]

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Very true, but still, not all snakes are after the flock. Some of us who appreciate the slithery creatures among us just urge a little caution before killing the snake that might be unfortunate enough to be spotted near the coop. Most snakes, unless VERY hungry, will not go after something too big to eat and none kill for fun. Even a lazy snake will not go after a hen that is too large to wrestle down and swallow with some ease.

 

[theoldchick]

Maybe I should have said 'ambitious' snake.

 

[city kid farm]

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[MyBlackHen]

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So sorry about Addie and thanks for the heads-up for the rest of us.

 

[Lbrad7]

Rat snakes are very aggressive and they get huge. I have one in my barn that is over 8' long. I caught him and turned him loose in there years ago when he was 7' or so and he was a total hand full. I actually released him into the barn to help with the rats and never really gave any thought to him attacking my chickens and so far so good. I know if he wanted he could easily take any bantam at anytime and I do worry about it but thought the benefits out weight the negatives.

I'm really sorry to hear about your loss but I wonder if your RIR might have attacked him first. I know that once they are cornered... someone is going to get bitten! I just wonder if your bird might have jumped him then once the snake struck back it would have wrapped the bird instintively in defense. I can't imagine a snake killing a bird of that size to try and eat it.

Please don't think I am trying to take up for the snake. LOL If he had taken my neighbors pigeon and killed one of my chickens he would be on my list for sure!!! I am just trying to make sense of it.

One thing I can tell you for sure....he is going to get a LOT bigger than 2 or 3 feet!!! Especially if he is eating well! If mine starts taking birds I truly dread the day I am going to have to face off with him again. He was so thick he about twisted out of my hands. I'm not scared of snakes but he really had me nervous.

Good luck to you...you might want to take care of him now before he gets any bigger. Again...I am very sorry for your loss. That would have been a horrible scene to have to witness.

James

 

[fhughes]

My parents just found one of my chickens being strangled by a 4' long black snake inside the coop at about 9pm this evening. (Mom hit it with a flashlight and it loosened its grip, then slithered underneath the other hens who were sitting sleepily on the nest. Finally chased the snake out of the coop and my Dad killed it with a hoe.) Yikes! The hen is OK we think... I'm located in VA as well, and it's about the same time of year as the attack this thread related last year. I wonder if it has to do with the type of snake we have here in VA?

Does anyone know if a snake would attack birds on a roost? Several of mine have been roosting on the edge of the nest box which is only 1" or so off the ground. They have two roosts to choose from but haven't been using one of them...it's a small coop.
Ideas for how to get snakes away from the coop?

Thanks!