TWO GIANT black snakes in coop

[pennyJo1960]

Any snake I encounter could hurt me by producing a heart attach!! I am terrified of snakes! I would fall over if I come across a snake in a nesting box or anywhere for that matter, I have my coop built inside a fortress of 1/4" hardware cloth and so far have not had any such problem, I continue daily to pray that I don't.

must have a pretty solid coop and great faith cannot say I would be any different living down there

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Thanks guys! They didn't have anything at Tractor Supply but they said they'll get a restock Tuesday so I'll check again. I don't think we'd ever take a shotgun to one of the black snakes since they keep the copperheads away. Thanks again!

 

[pennyJo1960]

at least get a grabit so you may picked them out without touching them

 

[therese13]

I would be afraid to use mothballs due to chickens eating them. Mine would eat anything! If you take bird netting and roll it and tack it loosely around the bottom of your coop, the snakes will get stuck in it and die. I always get large black snakes trying to eat my eggs. One even ate a golf ball. They are not poisonous and rarely will try to bite you. I Get gloves (because they are slippery) and grab the snake behind the head and hold onto the middle, then plop it in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, take it at least 2 miles down the road and dump it. Otherwise, once they discover eggs, they will be back.

 

[pennyJo1960]

that would be the reason to put them outside the runs not in them

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Earlier this morning the chickens were screaming bloody murder. I walk over there anticipating the worse; two of them run to me and one is looking inside the coop. There is one chicken in the coop so I look inside. All I see is that one chicken sitting there; I don’t think much of it so I walk off. Well, about 20 minutes ago I came back to check on them and make sure everything was alright. I open the nest boxes to get the eggs and there is a giant black snake. I look again and there are two. One was about six foot and the other about five. I get the chickens out of the coop and call my brother to get these snakes out. The girls aren’t injured and everyone is fine but I need help on how to keep snakes out. I know the snakes were most likely in there to eat the eggs but I don’t want to take any chances. My brother said something about this powder but I would like some more suggestions. Thanks!!

Oh no. We have recently been assured by another poster that these newly named rat snakes (alias chicken snakes) would NEVER..... never think of eating a chicken egg, no not in a thousand years.

Without a leg to walk on Florida pythons have returned to their place of capture from over 125 miles away and did it in less than one years time. So you had best lock the hen house door if you only take your chicken snakes 2 miles away because they may just beat you home.

 

[pennyJo1960]

ya right so got bridge I might sell you to

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just moved 1 large snake from next to the chicken coop today, the other slipped back into the pumphouse before I could get him I've had snakes in the pumphouse for over 25yrs. When I see them I usually snatch them up and help them make their way to the back of my property to an old wood pile, they can hunt there for the summer.
I do this every year, so I'm sure he will make his way back to the pumphouse by winter. All my chickens are too large for these at this point so I don't necessarily worry about the snakes harming them, but I also don't want to reach in nesting boxes and find a surprise. My hens do take great interest when they come near though