uggghhhhh Huge snake in the barn yikes!!!

[BitsyB]

TwistedSerpent- Do you own chickens? I dont think you do as you never lost a beloved pet chicken nor a baby chick(s) to a snake. You probably feed baby chicks to your snakes,

Umm, how can she (or he) feed baby chicks to the snakes if she doesn't own chickens?​

 

[ranchhand]

I like our rat snakes, though we do relocate them once they get to 6 feet or more. We have no mice, rats or roaches, thanks to those beauties.

Do I want one as a pet? Uhm, NO! Do I appreciate their place in nature? YES.

We do kill venomous snakes that get into the dog yard area. So far this year, 2 rattlers and 2 copperheads.

 

[treldib]

There is no reason a snake could not regurgitate something, whether it be a golf ball or a light bulb. If they can get it down they can get it back up.

Me, being biased about snakes because...well I keep and breed exotic reptiles....would advise you to relocate or even ignore non-venomous snakes as they are very benificial but, what the heck....everyone has their own opinion and we all have freedom to say whatever we want

And, yes many of the non-venomous snakes native to North America can and will eat venomous snakes....so think twice before killing a Rat Snake or an Indigo Snake-which rarely CAN get to 10' and are Federally listed as an Endangered Species
(Read this:http://www1.broward.edu/~ssimpson/IndigoSnake.htm)

California Kingsnake eating a Copperhead:

Eastern Indigo Snake eating a Grey Rat Snake (they will eat non-venomous snakes too):

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Don;t know if this is true, but years ago when I was a child at Camp Fire Day Camp we had an "expert" of some sort come and talk to us about snakes. He said that in the US, only non-venomous snakes can climb (trees and such), so if you see a snake in a tree or somewhere else that it would have had to climb, that it will not be venomous. In other parts of the world htere are venomous snakes that can climb, but not here. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[cpegram]

Yesterday I saw one of my BSL hens come out of the woods with a baby snake hanging from her beak as she is running around making noises as to say look what i got and you can't have any she finally ate it in two gulps....all i saw was brown with a white belly about 12" long...so not sure what it was but glad they will kill em

 

[treldib]

Quote:
Nope. North American "Hots" are more terrestrial than most other North American Non-Venomous snakes but they can and will climb trees.

Southern Copperhead....in a tree:
http://www.millercountymuseum.org/presidents/090706_18_CopperheadSnakeInASmallTree-AtEyeLevel..jpg

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
How interesting! A few days ago when I was mowing the lawn around my pond I found two 3 or 4" goldfish laying about 6 feet from the water. There was no blood and they looked like they had just jumped out of the water and died there. I couldn't figure out what had gotten them without leaving any marks and then just left them there without eating them. Coons and any other mammal would have eaten them. The blue heron that visits the pond flips them up in the air and gulps them whole, as does the kingfisher. You may have solved my little mystery for me. Thanks! Garter snakes are everywhere and I know I have them on the property because I've seen them and also found their moulted skin. I have always liked snakes and would never kill one, no matter how many of my fish they kill. They are great rodent controllers and I would much rather have snakes than mice or rats. I am sure I will also find rat snakes once my chickens are here. As someone here so aptly said, if a predator gets at my chickens, shame on me for not building a better coop. The animal/bird/snake was just doing what God put it on earth to do, survive. Every time something gets at my chickens I will improve my coop until my chickens are safe.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Interesting to say the least. There's a couple of youtube videos showing rattlers climbing trees. I've personally seen a cottonmouth in a small tree that was overgrowing the riverbank while fishing in my boat...up close and personal too...it opened its mouth showing me its white mouth. Too close!

 

[treldib]

Quote:
How interesting! A few days ago when I was mowing the lawn around my pond I found two 3 or 4" goldfish laying about 6 feet from the water. There was no blood and they looked like they had just jumped out of the water and died there. I couldn't figure out what had gotten them without leaving any marks and then just left them there without eating them. Coons and any other mammal would have eaten them. The blue heron that visits the pond flips them up in the air and gulps them whole, as does the kingfisher. You may have solved my little mystery for me. Thanks! Garter snakes are everywhere and I know I have them on the property because I've seen them and also found their moulted skin. I have always liked snakes and would never kill one, no matter how many of my fish they kill. They are great rodent controllers and I would much rather have snakes than mice or rats. I am sure I will also find rat snakes once my chickens are here. As someone here so aptly said, if a predator gets at my chickens, shame on me for not building a better coop. The animal/bird/snake was just doing what God put it on earth to do, survive. Every time something gets at my chickens I will improve my coop until my chickens are safe.

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
I have personally seen copperheads in places that they had to climb to get to - like way up on my doorframe.