Snakes Kill Chickens!

[CandJHens]

You go girl!!! I'm not a fan of killing the snakes, but if it's them or my chickens...they go. We haven't had any further problems, but I still am careful when I walk into the coop.

 

[Nambroth]

A simple (depending on your setup) way to avoid snake predation of chickens is to not let them into your coop. There are two ways into my coop-- a chicken (pop) door, and a human door. They both close tightly with no gaps or holes. Snakes can't get into my coop during the day-- my chickens wouldn't let them. They can't get in at night either as everything is locked up tight.
This also keeps mice and rats out.



I'm thankful for our snakes... they keep the pest population so low that I don't even notice it. And yes, I have lived in Texas and Georgia-- I know how thick some areas can be with snakes. Keeping them out is still a nice way to co-exist with them.

 

[Ameraucana122]

A rat snake got into my coop and started constricting my 8 week old hen too! I saw her flapping around and my brother mangaged to shoot it without hurting the chicken. I think that snakes will attack bigger hens if the hens try to hurt the snake. My chicken is still living, but the other one's are staying locked up for a while. Sorry for your loss

 

[Triple Willow]

A big 5-6' rat snake is capable of killing a grown chicken of any breed. I guess they usually don't because they don't have a need to, they can't eat a big chicken.

 

[clousert]

Snakes freak me out. Poisonous or not. I've always just stayed away and left them if I knew that they weren't poisonous but this afternoon a snake attacked one of my 5 wk old polish roosters. He was wrapped up around him and my poor baby was freaking out. Thankfully I was right there and was able to scare him into letting go before he killed him but I had no idea what kind of snake he was and didn't have anything around me so he got away. Tonight when I went out to check on the babies the snake was back in the run. By this time I had looked it up and knew it was a rat snake. There was a hammer close by and I had to kill it. It was only about 2 ft long and no way it could have eaten the chicken but it was sure going to try. Venomous or not I will kill any snake that comes around my chickens.

 

[DuckRaiser]

I heard geese will eliminate all of the snakes

. They are BIG snake eaters!

 

[DuckRaiser]

We saved a freezing baby rat snake but it wasn't the kind that killed chickens so no worries there, my dad called it the devil though

. So, he was safe and my chickens since then were not harmed by any snakes

. So, I like reptiles and snakes and I don't think of them as a threat, I think they're another cute animal but I won't tolerate one killing my chickens. P.S, something's trying to get to my birds and we set a trap and it ate the cat food, closed the door, and nothing was in there!

What should I do???

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I would love to dig them all up so they would freeze.

 

[DuckRaiser]

I would love to dig them all up so they would freeze.

You MUST understand they have to eat! I love snakes even though they could kill my chickens, and I don't want them to freeze!

 

[hosspak]

We saved a freezing baby rat snake but it wasn't the kind that killed chickens so no worries there, my dad called it the devil though

. So, he was safe and my chickens since then were not harmed by any snakes

. So, I like reptiles and snakes and I don't think of them as a threat, I think they're another cute animal but I won't tolerate one killing my chickens. P.S, something's trying to get to my birds and we set a trap and it ate the cat food, closed the door, and nothing was in there!

What should I do???

Sounds like a squirrel or raccoon or some other rodent... or even a cat!!! Get a live trap and bait it up... You will catch something in time. I took out my 2 squirrel problems...