WHAT CAN A SNAKE SWALLOW?

[jak2002003]

They can eat surprisingly big animals. I was loosing a duck each week for several weeks. First the young ducklings - I thought some kind of big fish in the lake was eating them. When they were all gone I started loosing the adults - first couple I thought had got lost - then I thought someone was stealing them as more vanished. NO feathers or signs of a struggle. My ducks were free range on a small lake in my housing estate.

Then one night my neighbour was knocking on my door frantically and told me a snake was eating one of my ducks. We ran out to the lake to see a huge python wrapped around a duck. Our torch and noise disturbed it and it swam away. While I was looking for new homes for the remaining ducks about a week later I was walking home and noticed a strange 'log' on the lake bank. Walking back I saw it was huge python sneaking up to my sleeping ducks. Only a few inches away from them. I shone my torch on it - it was very impressive and very beautiful, its skin shining with iridescence. I threw a palm leaf at it and it shot into the lake in a split second.,... so fast - not like on TV. My heart was racing and I will never forget the experience of seeing such an impressive wild animal so close.

This snake was very long - over 7 foot, but not very wide. My big fat ducks must have been difficult to swallow. Poor things. I have re homes most of my ducks now and just keep my favs as pets in my back yard - and lock them in a dog crate at night. Now they have to swim in a metal bath and I am sure they miss the lake with all its plants and snails to eat.

 

[dawg53]

We are in the panhandle of FL. As far as I know we don't have escaped pythons slithering around up here. Thanks for responding.

You have yellow rat snakes like we have though.They can easily swallow chicks (I lost 4 out of 6 in a brooder in my garage.) They cant swallow pullets/cockerals, but will kill them (had it happen to 3 RIR cockerals.) Then, a 5 footer dragged an adult Buff Orpington hen off her roost, out into the pen and tried killing her one night a few years ago. It was late at night and I heard the BO screaming bloody murder. I flipped the floodlights on and ran outside and witnessed the snake attempting to coil around her while she was still screaming. I got in the pen and killed the snake. I checked my hen out and she was ok, somewhat shaken up but that was it, luckily.

 

[mohillbilly]

They can eat surprisingly big animals. I was loosing a duck each week for several weeks. First the young ducklings - I thought some kind of big fish in the lake was eating them. When they were all gone I started loosing the adults - first couple I thought had got lost - then I thought someone was stealing them as more vanished. NO feathers or signs of a struggle. My ducks were free range on a small lake in my housing estate.

Then one night my neighbour was knocking on my door frantically and told me a snake was eating one of my ducks. We ran out to the lake to see a huge python wrapped around a duck. Our torch and noise disturbed it and it swam away. While I was looking for new homes for the remaining ducks about a week later I was walking home and noticed a strange 'log' on the lake bank. Walking back I saw it was huge python sneaking up to my sleeping ducks. Only a few inches away from them. I shone my torch on it - it was very impressive and very beautiful, its skin shining with iridescence. I threw a palm leaf at it and it shot into the lake in a split second.,... so fast - not like on TV. My heart was racing and I will never forget the experience of seeing such an impressive wild animal so close.

This snake was very long - over 7 foot, but not very wide. My big fat ducks must have been difficult to swallow. Poor things. I have re homes most of my ducks now and just keep my favs as pets in my back yard - and lock them in a dog crate at night. Now they have to swim in a metal bath and I am sure they miss the lake with all its plants and snails to eat.

did you call a game warden as there in Florida they will come catch or kill any pythons found

 

[Capvin]

The major problem you will have with most snakes in your area will be that they will eat the eggs. A four foot long pine snake will not be much of a threat to a full grown chicken, in fact, the chickens would probably end up eating it first. There are some big snakes that could be a problem if they got in, like the coachwhip, which is big and fast. The best solution is to have DH predator proof the entire area by putting up 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It will keep out everything, including snakes and rats.

 

[blmack]

Thank you to everybody who replied to my post. It means a lot to know I am not completely on my own. Hopefully someday I will be able to help another new egg. It is a blessing that I saw the snake, since I was just about to go back in my house for a few hours. If I hadn't seen it I would have a completely different story. Thanks again.

 

[jak2002003]

did you call a game warden as there in Florida they will come catch or kill any pythons found

No, because I live in Northern Thailand and the pythons are natural here. Its strange because here they are an endangered species because whenever someone sees one they kill and eat it! Now they are usually only found in large national parks.

Perhaps Florida people should get a taste for them - they are delicious in a curry or soup!

I have to say I like the snakes and its not their fault they have been released into Florida - although I can understand the damage they are capable of doing to native animals - and my ducks!

 

[Kate1]

blmack,
How did your husband snakeproof the coop? I live in your area- in Navarre. My chicks are just turning four weeks now and are still in the house. The coop has a translucent plastic corrugated sheet for a roof. This is great for ventilation but I worry about what can get in those open areas of corrugation. Maybe I should keep the chicks on the screened porch at night in a kennel until they are grown. Before putting the chicks outside, I plan to wrap hardware cloth around the chicken wire covering of the run to keep raccoons and possums from reaching through the wire and pulling the birds to the fence for killing and maiming.
The lady who owns our local feed store says that several of her guinea hens had the backs bitten out of her birds by a possum reaching through the chicken wire and pulling them to the fence. She found them in the morning - only some of them were dead and she had to dispatch them. She now has a double layer of fencing around her coop/run. All I can do about night rats is take food inside the house or place it in a metal trash can overnight.
I will leave water in the locked coop but they will have to wait for morning to have their breakfast. On another thread I read that someone leaves grass in the coop so the hens can snack in the night without attracting rats.
I still don't know what to do about snakes. There isn't any way to cover the corrugation openings with hardware cloth. That part of the coop is above the fenced in run. I don't care if a pine snake is not poisonous. All snakes bite and I am not reaching for a snake that big to toss aside! Your reaction was understandable.
Kate

 

[Beekissed]

Moth balls seem to help. I had 3 chicks eaten by a large black snake and usually where there is one, there are two. I placed moth balls around the coop(not where chickens could eat them) and never had another snake incident all these years since.

 

[OldGuy43]

Or you could use the old tried and unproven cowboy method and lay a rope around your coop. No, that doesn't work, and yes, this is yet another example of tongue-in-cheek humor on what is a serious subject.

You could cover the lower edges of your structure with pruning paint. The stuff I use is a nasty, sticky, tar-like substance that comes in an aerosol can. It will definitely waterproof the wood, but the only proof that I can offer as to it's effectiveness against snakes is the fact that I have no problems with them. I know from bitter personal experience that we DO have snakes around here.

Something else that might work is to liberally spread diatomaceous earth around your coop. The sharp edges might deter a snake.

Another approach might be a snake trap. While the commercial ones are rather costly for what they are they probably work, or you could make your own.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5462478_homemade-snake-traps.html

 

[suebee]

Deer netting works great. Here's an old thread with the info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/234701/using-deer-netting-to-keep-snakes-out-of-run-coop