Will a copperhead kill a hen?

[Triple Willow]

I want a Mongoose! Just ran into a black snake (probably chicken snake) on my deck.

 

[LTygress]

The problem with king snakes is that eggs and chicks are just as vulnerable to them, as they are to venomous snakes. Sure, a king snake will kill the venomous snakes - which will spare YOU. But if they get hungry enough, your chicks and eggs will disappear and quickly. I recently had to remove one from a hen's NEST. She refused to go back in (not to mention she was a bantam, and he was 5-feet long). By the time I found him, he had two nice lumps in his body from eggs he had eaten. She would have been next if she DID go back to the nest. He was far too big, and she was far too small, for her not to be a very enticing meal!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A 4 year old hen will often times just lay down and die. This sounds like what this is.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A mongoose will kill and eat every chicken in sight BEFORE it starts in on your snake problem. That black snake is likely a king snake.

 

[Triple Willow]

A mongoose will kill and eat every chicken in sight BEFORE it starts in on your snake problem.  That black snake is likely a king snake.

I wish it was a kingsnake! lol I have a bunch of chicken snakes (rat snakes) here. Yeah you're right, but I can dream. lol

 

[Triple Willow]

The problem with king snakes is that eggs and chicks are just as vulnerable to them, as they are to venomous snakes. Sure, a king snake will kill the venomous snakes - which will spare YOU. But if they get hungry enough, your chicks and eggs will disappear and quickly. I recently had to remove one from a hen's NEST. She refused to go back in (not to mention she was a bantam, and he was 5-feet long). By the time I found him, he had two nice lumps in his body from eggs he had eaten. She would have been next if she DID go back to the nest. He was far too big, and she was far too small, for her not to be a very enticing meal!

 

What kind of kingsnakes do you have?

 

[wildrooster1]

I was getting 10 to 12 eggs a day then went to getting 2...This went on for a month and on a saturday afternoon we found out why,first a 4ft diamond back inside laying box,got him killed went on about a hour later noticed my chickens quacking very unusual and killed a 6ft 2 in bull snake.I am finally getting my eggs back normal and my hens are still shy of the 2 nesting boxes where the snakes were.


WildRooster1

 

[locoguru]

Don't think the hens would like any snake living around the coop.

 

[Triple Willow]

I was getting 10 to 12 eggs a day then went to getting 2...This went on for a month and on a saturday afternoon we found out why,first a 4ft diamond back inside laying box,got him killed went on about a hour later noticed my chickens quacking very unusual and killed a 6ft 2 in bull snake.I am finally getting my eggs back normal and my hens are still shy of the 2 nesting boxes where the snakes were.


WildRooster1

If I found a diamond back (or a copperhead or a cottonmouth) in a nest I might be more traumatized than the hens! Venomous snakes freak me out a bit. lol I bet those two could eat a lot of eggs. I'm glad you found the diamond back before it found you!

 

[stevodod]

Don't think the hens would like any snake living around the coop.

No! Hens HATE snakes and freak when they see one, no matter how big. Mine tolerate a yellow rat snake but if he hangs out too long I'm sure he'd be toast!