The Middle Tennessee Thread

[FeyRaine]

Sorry to hear it
Likely the Roo got bit, even the non-venomous snake bites can cause systemic septic infection really fast.

What type of Roo was he?

 

[Penny Hen]

A snake got in our coop yesterday. My husband killed it but it got one of our sebright chicks. Momma silkie was able to hide the rest by standing like a statue outside in the pouring rain with 4 little chicks under her. It was amazing. I couldn't see any chicks until she saw me & relaxed and all of a sudden these little heads started poking out of her soaked feathers. It also caused a young rooster to get hurt. Not sure how that happened. Maybe he was bitten or maybe just trampled or something but he can barely move now. Can't get up to eat or drink.

If you have to force feed the roo, I found a way to make it less of a struggle to get the beak open. Use a shishkabob bamboo stake and use the pointed end to part the beak open so you can put the food in the mouth. That way you don't have to use so much pressure with your fingers to obtain the same effect.

 

[Penny Hen]

Here in Tennessee we have 5 poisonous snakes. Depends on what part of the state you are in.
Timber rattlers "all over"
Eastern diamond back rattlers "Mostly in the eastern part"
pygmy rattler "mostly western part, but very rare it's on the threatened species list"
copperheads "all over"
cottonmouths "all over they live near water"

What color was it? I have had trouble with a viper here north of Nashville that I cannot find a reference for anywhere in the United States. It is not as poisonous as the copperheads or cottonmouths or rattlers. I had a cat and a Sheltie get bitten by it and survive without an antidote though is made them feel sick for while. The largest one we have killed was 3.5 feet long. Most were around 2 feet. It is yellow and black similar to a garter snake but the colors are not as clear. The yellow is muddy on the viper and the black is more charcoal than jet. Where on the the garter snake it is clear gold and jet. The head is triangular but not as wide based across the jaws as the pictures of the cottonmouth, rattler and copperheads.

Cottonmouths are a color variation of the water moccasin. The water moccasin is black. I am wondering if this is a hybrid between the garter snake and a water moccasin. Of course when we were first killing them we didn't think they were special and didn't save the snakes or even photograph them. I know they are still around because my dog was bitten 2 years ago but I have not spotted one much less caught one. We have a creek on the edge of our property which is why I suspect the water moccasin connection. I am wanting to catch one of these alive and take it to the Agriculture center in Nashville to have it examined. I have spotted and killed these over a period of 15 years. That is a pretty good indication of a breeding population not just a random sport. I think we at least have a new variety of water moccasin if not a cross between a garter snake.

And I know someone will say that the bite was not venomous for my dog. I know the difference between the teeth of a non venomous snake and the fangs of a viper. My dog had deep puncture wounds on the side of her jaw and by her ear. She was bitten twice. It was a viper. The same for the cat, who was a prodigious hunter.

 

[DMRippy]

just got home from Becky's.....might have to do that again yummy! If I could I would put the picture of Kenneth with his peacock feathers he played with them all the way home.

Becky I stopped at the farm and put the eggs in the bator! I know I will be tossing some of mine. I gave a roo away about the time I decided I wanted to hatch from him and my partridge roo dropped dead about 2weeks ago so the eggs should start getting clear now but got to try right?

 

[Peach2u]

What color was it? I have had trouble with a viper here north of Nashville that I cannot find a reference for anywhere in the United States. It is not as poisonous as the copperheads or cottonmouths or rattlers. I had a cat and a Sheltie get bitten by it and survive without an antidote though is made them feel sick for while. The largest one we have killed was 3.5 feet long. Most were around 2 feet. It is yellow and black similar to a garter snake but the colors are not as clear. The yellow is muddy on the viper and the black is more charcoal than jet. Where on the the garter snake it is clear gold and jet. The head is triangular but not as wide based across the jaws as the pictures of the cottonmouth, rattler and copperheads.

Cottonmouths are a color variation of the water moccasin. The water moccasin is black. I am wondering if this is a hybrid between the garter snake and a water moccasin. Of course when we were first killing them we didn't think they were special and didn't save the snakes or even photograph them. I know they are still around because my dog was bitten 2 years ago but I have not spotted one much less caught one. We have a creek on the edge of our property which is why I suspect the water moccasin connection. I am wanting to catch one of these alive and take it to the Agriculture center in Nashville to have it examined. I have spotted and killed these over a period of 15 years. That is a pretty good indication of a breeding population not just a random sport. I think we at least have a new variety of water moccasin if not a cross between a garter snake.

And I know someone will say that the bite was not venomous for my dog. I know the difference between the teeth of a non venomous snake and the fangs of a viper. My dog had deep puncture wounds on the side of her jaw and by her ear. She was bitten twice. It was a viper. The same for the cat, who was a prodigious hunter.

Did it look kind of like this guy? They can have a very triangle head.

These are Diamondback water snakes. They are not poisonous.
How ever, they have a nasty temper and act like cottonmouths.
They can get up to 4ft long and have fixed fangs. The larger the snake the larger the fangs.
The larger fangs are on the side like the vipers.
The fang also carry bacteria.
Since the fangs are large, fixed and very sharp. It hurts very much to get hit by one.
The bacteria can cause an infection if not cleaned well.
These guys live near water.
When I see them it scares me to death. Big ugly snakes that look like a cross between a rattler and cottonmouth!
They hiss and strike a lot too.

 

[Masonicflock]

Actually cottonmouths and water mocs are the same. Just depends on where you live. Kinda like hose pipe vs water hose.. and let the fight begin

 

[DMRippy]

Actually cottonmouths and water mocs are the same. Just depends on where you live. Kinda like hose pipe vs water hose.. and let the fight begin

haha I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Penny Hen]

Well they are very close to what I see here. The only major difference is that the lighter bands read more yellow than these pictures at least on my screen. Still not brilliant yellow like a garter snake but enough to say yellow as opposed to yellow green. I am sure it is the same snake. That is fascinating. I was unaware that their were any non-poisonous snakes that had viper like fangs. I guess my high school biology needs an update.

Did it look kind of like this guy? They can have a very triangle head.

These are Diamondback water snakes. They are not poisonous.
How ever, they have a nasty temper and act like cottonmouths.
They can get up to 4ft long and have fixed fangs. The larger the snake the larger the fangs.
The larger fangs are on the side like the vipers.
The fang also carry bacteria.
Since the fangs are large, fixed and very sharp. It hurts very much to get hit by one.
The bacteria can cause an infection if not cleaned well.
These guys live near water.
When I see them it scares me to death. Big ugly snakes that look like a cross between a rattler and cottonmouth!
They hiss and strike a lot too.

 

[Happy Henhouse]

Thanks everyone for the snake info. On reexamination, it looks like this was just a big old scary but nonpoisonois snake. I think I was so upset about the situation that it looked more viporish? than it really was. I think my poor little roo who died shortly after I posted about the incident was in shock. He was a young silkie bantam Cochin mix, his name was Fluff. He was a real sweetheart and we'll miss him.

 

[Penny Hen]

Actually cottonmouths and water mocs are the same. Just depends on where you live. Kinda like hose pipe vs water hose.. and let the fight begin

I always thought it was a color variation. The Cottonmouth was dark dark brown with a stark white mouth on the inside and out and the Water Moccasin was black. I have seen a Cottonmouth swimming in a lake before. My great uncle told me about going fishing with a friend of his in East TN around the Reelfoot area. They had loaded their boat with their lunch and a pail of minnows and he had gotten in the boat and his friend was about to climb in and cast off from the pier. His friend looked out over the water and shouted, "Gene, quick, get out of the boat!" He looked over his shoulder and saw a black writhing mass in the water coming their way. He jumped out and ran the length of the pier to the shore and looked back. Hundreds of baby water moccasins swarmed the boat and ate up the minnows in seconds and ate their lunch too (so he claimed). Had they already cast off they would not have been able to avoid them (rowboat not a motorboat) and most likely died.