SNAKES!!!! LOOK WHAT WE CAUGHT!!!!! PS. It's not dead!!!!

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Oh no, that snake was not killed...even the snake that killed my roo yesterday was not killed. DH takes them far away into the woods or to the Tar River (miles away). Those snakes would have to slither a million snake miles before they can get back to my house. I do not believe that 2 wrongs make a right. I would not kill any animal period, the snakes only do what they can to survive.

 

[Jsto]

Quote:
Good for you! I think the only time I could justify killing an animal would be if it were hurting one of my own and I didn't see any other way to make it stop. Wouldn't hunt it down to kill it in retrospect, though, only if I knew I could prevent one of mine from being seriously injured or killed.

Snakes gotta eat too! They don't differentiate between pets and wild animals. It's just their nature. Still don't have to like them, though. They just seriously creep me out

 

[Southern28Chick]

Let me tell y'all when I saw the first snake I almost threw up (mostly because he had my roo half way down his throat). When I saw this one today I screamed so loud I'm sure people heard me states away!

Neither are dead though. I was ticked at the one that killed my beloved roo but what can I do? Like you said they don't know better. They just know that they are hungry and chickens are good eats.

Edited to add:
As you can see from the pic, DH is holding him strong on his head. That slightly parilizes (spelling) him so that he can't get away. Like holding a cat by the scruff of it's neck. Put it in a box and take it FAR FAR away from your property.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Are your birds contained or free range? If they are contained, hang some mess bags with mothballs in them outside of where your chickens are. They will help keep the snake, mice & other critters away.

Dunno what to do if your birds are free range.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
May birds are in a 40'x50' chain link yard with a game bird netting along the top and 3' high chicken wire along the outside perimeter. The snake today went right through the sulfar I laid down yesterday so tonight I put out Snake-a-way and moth balls. I put the moth balls on the ground on the outside of the pen. Is that ok? Will it hurt my cats? The moth balls are far from where the chickens can get to them.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Nah, cats will stay away from it too. I used to put it down in cellar of my old house. It wasn't secure so every critter known to man woud find it's way in. Moth balls did the trick.

 

[Seth]

Snake proofing has been an important consideration for me as I get ready to get my first chickens. Last summer I had a 3ft rattlesnake in my back yard. This week I found a new snake skin at least that long on the side of the house. I have 2 small children, and back up to a greenbelt, so I had already started my homework on the snakeproofing issue. Here is a sampling of what I found.

To exclude snakes from large areas, install snake-proof fencing. Snake-proof fences can also be constructed from 1-yard-wide hardware cloth (1/4 inch mesh). The fence should be buried 6 inches in the ground and slanted outward at a 30o angle. It is also important to keep vegetation down outside the fence, because plants can allow a snake to climb over a fence.

Here is an informative site about snake fencing (although a little too elaborate for my pocketbook), and setting up observation posts on your property to watch for snakes: http://www.conservancy.bc.ca/attachments/okanagan/sosstewardship/Snake%20Barrier%20Fencing%20First%20printing%202003.pdf

Here are snake traps: http://www.nixalite.com/snakeguard.aspx

One more overview: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/wildlife/Controlling%20Snakes.pdf

-Good Luck

 

[cybercat]

JFYI that is a full grown black rat snake non posionus and probably you could have sold it for 60 or more to a breeder. Some snakes are good for they keep away posionus ones like rattlers and copperheads. Do not kill kindsnakes for they are your best defense against those.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Cool!! He's a beauty...the snake too...LOL
I've heard that mothballs do the trick. Worked on the squirrel in my wall anyways...But make sure that your birds can't get ahold of them.

 

[bayouchica]

Wow what a pretty snake.Good to know yall didn't kill it.I re-home the ones we get around here too.
Miriam