We caught the egg thief! Pic included

[CheepSunglasses]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rR4CpvVOtc

LOL! Yep, not one of his best. By the way, my mom was no fan of snakes when I was a little girl, either. But being a sharp cookie, she bought me a book on indigenous snakes, sat my little butt down, and made me learn which snakes to stay away from. It worked beautifully and she ended up raising a scientist, rather than a phobic.

 

[deerman]

I would worry alot more about the girl getting bit by a rat or mouse than the snake.....Snakes do a heck alot of good, it is a yellow RATsnake...because they eat so many RATS....relocate them to a barn ,or even here at my place

Can't understand all the fear of harmless snakes.....

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

It's lack of knowledge and teaching (and possibly scary movies?) that put this terrifying fear of snakes in people. I feel sorry for the poor things because they really are more harmless than most animals we keep as pets are and they are very useful.
The only time I would be scared is if I were tromping through the amazons or somewhere they are big enough that they could actually eat me. lol

If people were taught as they are about other animals they would not be so afraid. It's a far too common phobia and totally unnecessary.

Oh and by the way, a good chicken bite is more painful than that snake's bite would be.

 

[CheepSunglasses]

"Oh and by the way, a good chicken bite is more painful than that snake's bite would be."

I can attest to that. What an excellent point.

 

[mmpb1]

Chicken snake bites do sting and a bit of blood oozes out, but it's no worse than blackberry thorn pricks. Generally I leave those snakes alone unless they are in the chicken house. One can eat a lot of eggs and they don't leave- eggs are an easy meal.

I have found that they come in pairs, maybe as mates, and you will end up - ah- sending away two.

No hate for the good snakes here. I would catch, take to school, and release when I was young. Must be inherited because my grandson was told at school, "Travis, you put that snake over the fence and get over here!"

Margie

 

[Mushroomman1856]

We enjoy snakes around our house in western Pa. My kids find them in the yard and in the rock piles every year. They catch them and handle them mostly in the morning when the snakes are lathargic. I have been bitten and chomped on by my share of black snakes, milk snakes and rat snakes. They have razor sharp tiny teeth. Therefore the initial bite is painless. Snakes are only bad for rodent populations. And heck when you caught him he fessed up and spitup the egg. No harm no foul (fowl) punn intended. Oh and yes my boys can ID the snake before they wrangle it. MM

 

[Mahonri]

If you have chicks, get rid of it.

 

[Dust Bunny]

very pretty snake, some people have all the luck!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Also, some have raised concern about thier chicks. I say you have 2 or 3 ways to handle this. If the chicks are very valuable, invest in a good grow out pen or brooder without gaps and with 1/4 inch hardware cloth wire. Or, wrap larger gauge wire with shadecloth or screen, zip tied every inch or so along the top and botoom of the pen, leaving no gaps open. Or, brood & grow out in a secure builing (garage, house, well built outbuilding) until they are too big for snakes. I personally put my chicks into a grow pen wrapped with screencloth. Works pretty well, but if a snake does get in there...well, he can't eat too many! (I mean, there are only so many that fit in a snake at one time, and the tradeoff is yearlong rodent control. I consider it an offering. lol)

But honestly, I live in a snake hotspot, they are everywhere and I really don't often encounter them eating anything other than rodents. Or each other.