The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

My grandma put out stone eggs... Snake would eat one, crawl off and die. That actually wasn't her intention... They were supposed to just be dummy eggs so that the hens woild know where to lay... However, over the years the snakes made off with them all.

If your actually in Kenia where the hell did the snake come from?
mea culpa not in Ak lol

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah.... Grandma was in Texas.


Ron... I used to be so against white eggs (good eggs are brown eggs.. ), but I am so happy now that I have white. I do think they makes all of the colors look much better.

 

[Beer can]

Any of you had to deal with egg eating snakes? Usually Chris gets up before me and handles the chicken chores. Today was my unlucky day. I went to open a coop and saw a snake. By the time I got Chris and his shotgun, the snake was gone. I have no idea what type of snake it is. I want it gone though. I would rather him not blow up another coop with his shotgun.

Don't remember where I heard this but possibly on BYC, drill a hole between all nest boxes and out the size of a golf ball, put a golf ball in each nest, snake eats golf ball and gets stuck. Will it work? IDK, don't even remember where I heard it but worth a try I guess.

 

[Beer can]

We were coming back from our timber where we were getting a tractor bucket of sand for our coops and saw this.


It was to the west of us and traveling to the southeast. Just a cool air vortex. We stopped the tractor, grabbed a camera from the house and still had time to snap off good pictures of it.

I have to admit it was pretty exciting seeing one and knowing it wasn't going to cause anyone any harm.

That's pretty cool, still wouldn't want to see it though.

 

[microchick]

Yes, Beer can, it was pretty unnerving seeing it. At first we set on the tractor and watched it to make sure it wasn't coming towards us before rushing to get the cameras. I said that would just about be our luck to have one come down right on us since we almost have the house renovations done. Luckily, it never dropped lower than what we saw and disappeared after about 10 minutes. Nary a word from NOAA. Once again, our tax dollars at work.

As far as the snake is concerned, I've heard that about the hole drilling trick to catch one. I just off the little boogers whenever I find one even near the barn or chicken coop. I've had people tell me how shameful it is to kill a snake, they are beneficial, they eat vermin, blah blah blah. Don't get me wrong, For the most part I let them go their own way and do just that......in the fields, in the pasture, in the ponds. Just NOT near my chickens.

What I would do is first off go on a search for where it is getting in and plug every hole you can find while you are searching.

 

[Cynthia12]

Wisher, I'm pretty sure I AM THE ONE that sent you that wonderful surprise. But, just to jog my memory post a photo of all the contents, including the items you cannot thank me for because of bad luck.

Well sweet Diva, you are full of surprises yourself. May not be honey, but just as nice a surprise!

I won't be able to get through all of the posts..wondering is Wisher posted photos? I'm also guessing honey.

 

[Cynthia12]

What do you do with all of those eggs??

 

[1kluckychik]

Feed mine to snakes

 

[Wisher1000]

I did not post pics... it was jam and garlic....was..........

I went out to do the evening chicken chores and found a ratty looking cull Campine hen on the nest. She was sitting well above the straw and there were several eggs within 6 inches of her. I was amused at her standing over the nest, thinking she was regulating the temp and humidity in our steamy weather but couldn't figure out why some were outside the nest. I reached under her to collect the eggs and discovered that she was, in fact, sitting on a mound of eggs! They were three deep and pulled up tight as she could get them. She was covering 30 eggs! Goofy bird.

ETA: I still have the garlic, but you've already seen pics of that!

 

[Cynthia12]

Yummm, what kind of Jam? My sis brought over some of her Raspberry jam the other day. Delish!