What keeps SNAKES away?

[Bedste]

I have killed two snakes this week in my coop. One was a chicken snake caught swallowing an egg.... and the other was BLACK with a yellow belly. Both are DEAD now... but what can I put in my yard to help keep them away from my chickens and grandbabies.?

 

[BellLisamo]

someone made an awesome snake trap on this site. try searching for it. other than that, i have NO IDEA! My austrailian shepard did warn us about a rattler under the porch, right where the kids play. EKKKKKK. My guineas also told me there was a bobcat. Soooo other animals have helped me alot. But as for deterant.... someone told me moth balls, dont know the truth to that....

ill be following along here. LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Moth balls worked for me but make sure chickens and other animals cannot eat them....will poison them.

 

[nursemeh]

I am currently using moth balls around my coop, as I have 2 week old chicks out there with their momma hen.(they are surrounded by harware cloth, but I don't want a rat snake slithering around trying to get in.
The mothballs have been out there about a month, from when she was setting on the eggs, now chicks are almost 2 weeks old. Havent seen a snake! Does that mean that mothballs work? well, of course, no!

In my online research, there was some gov study that showed mothballs don't actually work on snakes; however there is just so much anectodal about it working. I've read over and over about ppl who put out mothballs....never saw another snake!

I put them around where chickens can't get to them, yes, they are toxic, no pets/kids should be able to access them.

also, the black you describe sounds like a speckled king snake,maybe?

its a shame you killed the snakes, they are benficial animals and not venemous. But I know I'd be mad if I saw one with one of my chicks in its body! Still, my son is a snake lover and we just wouldn't kill it around here.

But, if an animal is not endangered/threatened then by all means dispatch it, of course. I am not that ridiculous about these things. You did what you wanted to do with a predator. There are plenty of Texas Rat snakes and King snakes out there slithering around!

 

[jeffro29]

Some of the oldtimers around here suggested putting a black hose down on the ground along the back of the yard. They said another snake will not cross it because they think it is a black snake that will eat them. It is an old wives tale but some people believe it will work. I dont know but you could try it. jeff

 

[Bedste]

My motto is when in doubt KILL IT

I do not like snakes -- I will get moth balls and I will get a black hose.

Thanks so much everyone.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

If you want to discourage snakes, you must make sure that your yard in general, but especially around your chicken pens is competely clear and mowed. Leave no bushes or junk piles for them to have cover to hide under. Snakes hate crossing open areas without the cover of brush and high grass becuase it leaves them vulnerable to bird predation. Second, fill the gaps or holes around your pen with spray insulation foam. Third, if you can, keep baby chicks in brooder and grow out pens constructed with 1/4 inch hardware cloth. Fourth, collect your eggs regularly. Leaving eggs out provides opportunity and temptation. Lastly, cut down or eliminate your rodent population, which is probably what attracteda snake to your place initially. I klnow, people always say they don't have a rodent population, but you probably have more rodent's around your pens than you realize. Mice love to drink from water dishes, eat fallen food, and so do rats. So, keep the food stored in rodentproof containers, put uneaten food away at night, don't spill food when you are feeding. Use exclusion and traps to reduce your rodent population. Do these things and you will have less snakes. It's that simple.

 

[trulefty]

Free Range Guinea Fowl!!!!

 

[Bedste]

do guineas eat snakes?

 

[Oven Ready]

Where we are, in Thailand, the most effective anti-snake weapon here is the King Cobra, it eats virtually nothing but other snakes.
Unfortunately it is also deadly venomous but it's not an aggressive snake.
They come and go from time to time and it's noticable that when we see them around, we don't see any of the other more common snakes - rat snakes, who do like chicks and other snakes who prefer cold blooded prey like frogs and toads.

Another thing people do here is to collect their urine and spread it round their boundaries. Whether this works or not is open to debate but there is no doubt that all snakes, except perhaps Pythons, have an inbuilt fear of humans - more so than we have of them - and perhaps the scent of 'man' may well put them off.

Trapping is possible, but then you have to do something with what could be quite a dangerous snake.

The best thing to do, as someone has already posted, is to make the area uninviting to them. Trap/kill small rodents as these are really what attract snakes, the snakes follow their urine paths (mice and rats continually urinate while moving from one place to another and they usually use the same routes day in, day out) and where do they lead to? Directly to your coop because that's where they go every night to feast on chicken feed.