Will rattlesnakes eat eggs?

[amber t]

I support Tanith T's input. My mother used to work for Bill Hasst, making antivenom in Miami, and so have been raised with snakes.
You may want to try moth balls, as snakes do not like noxious oders. I would suggest reading about their use around poultry just incase.

 

[molossus]

Don't waste money on snake away or mothballs - rattlesnakes don't care about either of them. I have found rattlesnakes sleeping on top of piles of mothballs. They just don't care. I live in Arizona and work with rattlesnakes daily - I agree with those who say that snake bite is not your issue, and the snakes are certainly not going after the eggs.

You do have coachwhips, who are more likely to stuff anything they can into their mouths, though just eggs disappearing doesn't implicate any sort of snake whatsoever.

 

[love22step]

It took me almost 2 years to get back to see your reply, but thanks. It probably was just a rat snake. I have a thin metal sheet looped over the edge of the egg box to keep the chickens from roosting over the egg box. The snake's tale was under the metal, so it probably did just vibrate its tale and make the rattling sound. The harm from snakes is, they eat my eggs. I've pulled out several and killed them. Some snakes not only swallow my eggs, but, also, the golf balls I leave in the nest. I always know a snake has been eating my eggs when a golf ball is missing.