thinking of quiting chickens

[pipermark]

You need to do what you need to do.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Quote:
I have some black tailed reds,wcb polish,sultans,rhode island reds,black stars,red stars,Americana,black japanese,Silver Laced Wyandotte.When I caught them killing snakes,it was the RIR girls and the red star girls doing the killing,with my wcb polish rooster overseeing the action.

 

[SpottedCrow]

There's really no such thing as a "chicken" snake...what we see in our nests are black snakes, black racers, rat snakes, king snakes...non venomous snakes who are eating the rats and mice that inhabit your barns/fields/coops and eat the spilled bird food. Occasionally, they eat the chicks or the eggs because they're warm and that's how they hunt, by heat. Any bird or egg that gets eaten is just an accident.

 

[Buckguy20]

Quote:
I totally agree with blossom Hen. "Chicken snake" is a Colloquial term. Here in Oklahoma it is usually a black rat snake or an occasional bull snake. I have killed several Black Rat snakes through the years that are over seven feet long. If I catch them in my pens they are dead. If they are not in the pens I leave them alone. Once they have found easy pickings in a nest they will come back. They help control the rodents and I like them for that but when they start getting eggs or chicks then the war is on.

Monty

 

[wren]

Snakes do follow mice and rats. We had snakes coming around the house until we resuced 6 outdoor cats. The snakes moved on. Maybe get some cats that are mousers if you don't have any.

Hang in there, things will get better! Maybe let some of your animals go, and keep your favorites. Meanitme, find the poo and get rid of it before mom sees it.

Do some things that make you happy.

 

[Alleyoops25]

I understand how chickens can wreck havock on people. And they can be very frustrating. Ours recently got on a freshly painted piece of lattice work and pooped all over it. Now you want to talk about a mess, try cleaning it out of wet paint. As long as I can remeber I have always had chickens in life. I personally dont think I could live with out them. They are a part of who I was and who I am. And It is hard to explain that to people who dont understand. The decision like everybody has said is up to you. And if you see no other alternative then maybe you should get rid of them. But I would first try to reason, with your mom. Or maybe you let things be for a day or to, if you got into a fight with her then things may be to hot, to make decisions . People always seem to make bad choices when they are mad. Anyway I am sorry you are in this situation.And I am glad you have support from every one here
And that is funny Queen of the Lilliputians said that they didn't have running waer and that she was not that old.("sorry havent figured out how to qoute yet) I tottally understand. I am 25. And I swore when I was a kid that we were the last family in the world who didnt have plumbing.It was imbarrassing then. But people like us are more thankful of things like not having to walk clear out in the back yard in the middle of the night in a down pour, just to pee. We are also able to be prefectly happy with smaller things in life. It defintly builds character!!

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

We currently have 8 adult chickens and 6 chicks for a total of 14. We will probably reduce this flock down to a more manageable one for us. They are a responsibility with the feeding, cleaning, and they get into the garden occasionally wrecking havoc on the plants, and yes the chicken poop along with closing the pen every evening can be a chore I agree. But we will probably always keep at least 4 in the future. Our chicken have only come into contact with a small snake of maybe 6” in which they played with until one of them was able to shallow it, I had though at first it was a rather large worm.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

That's one of the nice things about living in Maine, it's too cold for most snakes.

I've never even seen one on my property. We just have little garter snakes anyway and I'm sure if my chickens saw one, it'd be lunch!
My chickens do like to poo every where though. One day they decided to sit on the top of my opened garage door and poo all over my car. Naughty chickens! I was not impressed in the least. They also love to wreak havoc in my garden, last year I didn't get one tomato! Of course winter sucks, too. Freezing my bum off to give them fresh bedding, and feed. But I guess that's the price I pay for fresh eggs in the morning, and to me it's completely worth it!

I couldn't imagine not wanting any of them anymore, it'd be too quite and boring.