Snakes

[countrygirl911]

Hi i just lost my first 7 week old silkie to a snake in the last 1 and a half years i have never had a problem with snakes till now what can i do to prevent the snakes from getting more. my coop is a shed from lowes converted to a coop. it is hard to get all little holes closed up. i do not have alot of money to build one that is air tight. it did not mess with any of my older ones and it had a good chance to until today when my hubby filled in a hole around the run they had made. some say moth balls but that it could harm the chickens i just need to know what is a good way to get rid of them and to prevent it from hapening again any advice would be greatly appreciated.

this is one of my coops they both are like this

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

soda bottles with holes poked in them and mothballs inside - also hanging a mesh bag of a couple moth balls on the outside of the coop. - chickens can't access it but still a deterrant.

unfortunately as long as there is holes and cracks big enough for a snake to crawl through - they can and will get in. though with measures to deter them you make that less likely.

 

[CapricornFarm]

You can also catch snakes with a minnow trap , with eggs for bait.

 

[hennyannie]

I have heard that powdered lime sprinkled around outbuildings keeps snakes out, but you may have to keep the small chicks in a pen with smaller wire until they are bigger to be safe.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
very true but for those to work you need solid walls for the snake to be guided into the holes of a minnow grap - i don't know if the OP locks her birds up or not - she'd have to put out about 6 of them. You don't even have to bait the traps for snakes - they just follow a wall and wind up in the traps.