The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[deek]

OK, thank you. I will take care of them if I find more. We have diamond back rattlesnakes all over our property. They like our creek. Luckily I found a newly hatched one in my garden clogs. That would have been a nasty toe bite.

Irene, I can just hear those little darlings you have. I love them.

 

[aveca]

Renie...i was just about to ask what the big greyish one was but i see it now..hey...sure beats the teddy bears..the baby buffs are just fantastic....

dee it just seems theres no end to things that want to eat chickens and eggs..there was a great award winning documentary called my life as a turkey.a guy was surrogate mom to clutch of wild turkey eggs..he spent his days treating them like wild turkeys walking through the woods searching for food then at days end he locked them in a pen...a big rat snake went in and ate one of the babies, couldnt get back out through the chicken wire hole...

 

[deek]

I actually never kill a snake unless I can verify that it is poisonous. I like them. I have also always loved hawks. But all of a sudden Momma instincts kick in and I protect at all cost. I hated killing that snake. But watching it near my babies...

 

[deek]

Oh my goodness! That's exciting. They were out munching grass in the chicken yard today. They were in a pen though. Didn't want the biggies to get any ideas. Thank you Nellie, they will be spoiled!

 

[thedragonlady]

Oh my goodness! That's exciting. They were out munching grass in the chicken yard today. They were in a pen though. Didn't want the biggies to get any ideas. Thank you Nellie, they will be spoiled!

Those big rat snakes, while not poisonous, will constrict around a hen on eggs, and devour eggs and chicks.I actually whacked the head off one, one night at my farm in Ga. while he was constricting the hen, and got three chicks out of his belly. Rinsed them off, as snake saliva has an anti-coagulant, and the chicks were fine. So was the hen with just a few ruffled feathers.

Striped snakes are OK, Dee, but patterned snakes will eat eggs and chicks. You can keep your rattlers !

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

so cute Blarney!

 

[Renie'sPeeps]

Those big rat snakes, while not poisonous, will constrict around a hen on eggs, and devour eggs and chicks.I actually whacked the head off one, one night at my farm in Ga. while he was constricting the hen, and got three chicks out of his belly. Rinsed them off, as snake saliva has an anti-coagulant, and the chicks were fine. So was the hen with just a few ruffled feathers.

Striped snakes are OK, Dee, but patterned snakes will eat eggs and chicks. You can keep your rattlers !

Vickie... I find that totally fascinating since I am from Florida where seeing snakes every day was a very common event. I have caught, sold, and have even eaten snake..... A snake will stretch it's mouth over its victim squeezing the life out of it as it swallows it whole. So let's see....the snake had time to swallow 3 chicks before it was found trying to strangle the hen... Thus more time had past.. Those chicks should have been dead long before you could get them out... That was nothing short of a miracle.

 

[thedragonlady]

Vickie... I find that totally fascinating since I am from Florida where seeing snakes every day was a very common event. I have caught, sold, and have even eaten snake..... A snake will stretch it's mouth over its victim squeezing the life out of it as it swallows it whole. So let's see....the snake had time to swallow 3 chicks before it was found trying to strangle the hen... Thus more time had past.. Those chicks should have been dead long before you could get them out... That was nothing short of a miracle.

Renie,

It was a very large Rat snake, and a bantam hen with chicks who lived in my stable. I couldn't believe those chicks were alive either. They were so small, the snake didn't have to squeeze very hard to swallow them, is the only explanation I can give. The first chick was right behind the head when I wacked it off, and I saw the chick's feet move, so I grabbed it, and the other 2 chicks. They were barely alive, but they came back to life. I washed their faces, and stuck them back under their mom in a coop. They were up and about the next morning.

 

[deek]

OMG, miracles everywhere. Thank you marshy song, kiniska, DragonLady, and Renie for educating me. Handy to know stripe vs pattern because most of the time you're having to make a very quick decision.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day.

Also wanted to publicly thank Nellie for my chicks. They have the most amazing type! They are PERFECT. After all the activities and obligations today I will photograph my favorite...Emerald. Thank you, thank you, Nellie!!! Nellie is more than just a breeder. She does everything, and I mean everything, to make the buyer happy. Love you, girl!

 

[rebel yell]

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU GALS.