Snakes Kill Chickens!

[craychickenlady]

I just wanted to add that I too had a fairly large black snake approach the chicken's roosting area this evening and kill my rooster just after dusk. I walked out to close the door on their hutch and stepped on something in the dark. It was the legs of my dead rooster while the snake was still indeed wrapped around the other end trying desperately to swallow my 12 week old rooster, "Henry." I am so disappointed, as I was waiting each day for him to begin to crow. It was so exciting to see him mature from 1 week, all the way to 12 weeks! I too had no idea that a snake would tackle an adult chicken let alone my rooster! I am sure my chicken hutch is snake proof and if Henry had been all the way in the hutch and I had closed it sooner this wouldn't have happened. Just so sad...
Everyone beware---

 

[Swampgal]

Apparently a virginia thing! Over three nights now we've lost 2 hens to strangling black snakes hiding in the coop, the second ( who knew?) was in the hay in the nesting box. Both setting hens were found dead with wet head and neck, the big clue. Our coop is new and built into the corner of a cinder block barn. Tight, we thought. We are sick and looking for solutions. One setting hen on one egg left.

 

[tenmob]

If the snake was THAT small in comparison to the chicken, I would bet the chicken tried to eat it first, and the snake just ended up wrapping around its neck or etc.
Happens to hawks sometimes.

 

[CandJHens]

We had one of 7 week old chicks killed yesterday by a snake. The snake did the same thing, strangled her and then left her because she was too big. We are going to try to use snake repellent. Has anyone had any luck with that?

 

[SobbaChickens]

We had one of 7 week old chicks killed yesterday by a snake. The snake did the same thing, strangled her and then left her because she was too big. We are going to try to use snake repellent. Has anyone had any luck with that?

I just had a large rat snake get caught in my deer netting (wrapped around chicken run) a few nights ago. I've been researching and from what I can find there is absolutely no way to repel snakes, all you can do is take away their food supply and places for them to live. So if you have a bunch of stuff lying around your yard a good start would be to clean up. Take away their food supply is a bit more difficult considering they are coming after our chickens and/or eggs.

 

[k2smama]

3 nights ago I went out after dark to check on my chicks ranging from probably 6-15 weeks. Found a 5 ft rat snake with my beautiful 12 week old Cochin being eaten. Head and neck down. So glad I didn't send my daughter out like I normally do. I ran for my husband and the gun. When the snake saw me he promptly started pulling the chick out of his mouth. When he did finally he slithered through the chicken wire and my husband shot him. No sympathy for him at all. I love animals even some snakes. Used to work in a zoo, but he killed my baby and I was ******. I know he was trying to eat her, but I can't imagine how he could have gotten her down. He looked like he was struggling just on the head. Anyone got any suggestions on how to make the roosts available for the chickens to get into at dark, but not the snakes. I need a better design obviously. Tomorrow will be Chickadees funeral (to help my daughter recover from this) and I don't want a repeat. Please suggestions?

 

[3littlechickies]

I'm so sorry for your loss!

That sounds absolutely terrible!!

 

[CandJHens]

I know it is so frustrating and sad to lose a chick. We are just a year into having chickens and we've lost 3 to a fox and now a replacement chick to a snake. We bought some snake repellent which probably doesn't work, but it makes me feel a little better. We have fortified the coop as best we can, but it is still a worry. Every time I go out to see them, I worry...who is going to be gone today!

 

[Eggcessive]

We shot a 5 ft long black snake lying on a shelf in my big coop just yesterday. We have 3 and 5 week-olds in there with the large chickens, and they would surely have been killed. I wanted to remove the snake since we like black snakes on a farm for their rodent control, but my husband says that people get very nasty bites from trying to catch snakes. When they are in or next to the coop they die if we find them.

 

[HeatherEmme]

1/4" hardware cloth should help keep out snakes. Better safe than sorry.