Will a rooster protect the hens against snakes?

[LeskoLayers]

SO I have 4 (one month old) pullets. We are about to put them out in there coop/. But snakes are going to be an issue I cant have roosters here but my husband is considering it. (hes such a rebel) Any thoughts? how are you managing snake issues?

 

[schmism]

Ive heard of snakes eating eggs.

but a 4 month old chicken. what size snakes you grow down there that would get into a coupe?

If they are roosted on a high roost and require a jump of 2' or more i would think they would be safe from most snakes that would try to eat them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My roosters sure don’t. I’ve had 5’ long black snakes in the coop after eggs and the rooster stays well away. I don’t think a rooster would do you a bit of good.

I don’t know what snakes you would have in South Carolina that would be big enough to eat a chicken that old, unless maybe they are bantams. It’s always possible you could have one big enough to be a threat but your eggs and young chicks are going to be much more at risk. In Florida irresponsible pet owners have let pythons and boas loose in the swamps that could pose a threat.

I’ve had snakes eat eggs and really young chicks. I try to figure out where they are getting in and plug that hole, but it doesn’t take much of an opening for them to get in. I keep a garden hoe with a short broken handle in the coop so I have something handy to grab if I need it, but if I have more time, an axe works really well.

I also keep golf balls in the nests at all times. I gather the eggs at the end of every day, but there have been a couple of mornings I’ve gone into the coop and found a snake that had eaten a couple of golf balls. Those golf balls made him big enough around he could not get back out the hole he came in.

 

[LeskoLayers]

Thanks! We have alot of copperheads and cotten mouths and rat snakes. Of course Im worried about the poisnous ones.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I failed to mention, chickens in general will help with snakes. It doesn’t have to be a rooster. Any chicken will catch and eat a small snake. How big a snake? Well, how big is the chicken?

I’ve seen my full sized breeds catch and eat 6” to 8” snakes. They may go after bigger ones and I just haven’t seen it. They won’t go after any snake big enough to eat and egg but they will eat the small ones.

They won’t stop and ask them if they are venomous or not before they eat them. They peck them to death and sometimes to pieces before they swallow them.

 

[CuriousIndeed]

I have always had great success with my Easter Egger roosters killing snakes. We only get non venomous pine snakes but some are 5 feet long. The Roos will maul it to death. Last week they got one in the coop, I got to watch them attack. They're so fast, the snake didn't even have a chance to strike. Ripped its neck, head and back into shreds. With that being said, I ALWAYS choose the meanest most aggressive boys for this reason bc we free range. I've always seen my hens eating smaller 6 inch ones whole. I've also seen videos of Roosters fighting huge cobras. If you get the right Roo, it will do it's job.