What do you do about SNAKES??

[SportTees]

I'm clearing some land to put a house or mobile home on. I'm positive there will be plenty of snakes this summer. It is mountainous and rocky. Any ideas that work to help eradicate as many as possible of them? I know there are also coons and coyotes but I'm pretty sure I could see them coming.

I have heard non venomous keep the venomous away - if that's the case couldn't I just set a bunch of rat snakes loose to kill the copper heads, and so on? But then there would still be the snake problem. I've heard guineas will help but what will keep the coons and dogs from getting them?

Please help????

 

[kingbee]

I have heard moth balls work for a short time to keep snakes and other things away. May be enough to keep them away from pens at least.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

Here ya go...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2518688

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Yes......mothballs will help. Then an awesome coop for the guineas, which will have to be cooped for a while, to learn where home is. It is no good just getting them and turning them loose. But you are right, the guineas will help with the snake problem, as well as be a good guard dog and wipe out their share of bugs. When we went pick blackberries when we were little, Mom always said to make a lot of noise and move the weeds around a lot, because the snakes are more scared of us than we are of them. I would say, don't go out in Daisy Dukes. Be completely covered at your vulnerable areas. If you clean up enough where you will be walking, you should be safe enough, but if you live near wildlife and the woods, you will not get rid of them. You might just have to content yourself with having it clean enough to at least see them before you are in trouble. I live with snakes, coons and coyotes. I would never dream of walking in weeds or anywhere that I couldn't see my feet and everything around it, unless I had long jeans and boots.
And of course, when you get situated and get a coop......no need to tell you that you will have to have Coop Knox.

 

[NancyinAlaska]

I moved to Alaska

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Quote:
from where?

 

[Chicken Boo]

We make no effort to rid our snake population. They are really cool and keep the rodent population down. They are an important part of the ecosystem and should be pretty much left alone unless someone is a direct nuisance. We evidently have one or two living in the basement. We find a snake skin every once in a while but we never see them. However, we have no mice or rats in the house. The snakes in the yard avoid us, the dogs and the chickens. When you start clearing away their habitat and walking around the area more, they will probably make themselves scarce.

 

[satay]

Quote:
Got to agree with you. Where I live we have so many different deadly snakes and non venomous too. We leave them alone unless they were going to attack you. We have pet non venomous snakes.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I scream and run away as fast as I can!

 

[satay]

Quote:

You sound like my mother -in-law.