For the 1st time in 3 + years of having chickens I found a HUGE snake (6 or 7 feet long?) in the nest box on Saturday - I ALMOST stuck my hand in there (was getting dark but saw that dark mass wrapped around the eggs) ! I promptly made noise and stomped (vibrations) and the snake took off. I hoped being disturbed would deter the snake from coming back AND I left that particular nest box outside of the chicken pen hoping if the snake went back to that box and found no eggs it would move on?

On Sunday I checked the remaining nest boxes every few hours and on the 3rd check I found a snake in one with a mouth full of egg. Well I got the shovel and killed that snake. It had apparently been eating the eggs for many months, and it took me that long to catch it. Now I know why I kept finding what appeared to be egg contents on the other eggs yet no broken shells. That snake has been eating my eggs since it came out of hibernation it seems. I wish I could have relocated it, but it was so big/long I didn't want to try to catch it and risk being bitten.

What can I do to keep snakes out of my chicken coop?

Put better fencing (like rat wire) around. How is it getting in?

I'd put up a sign that said..."No Snakes Allowed" Ya never know, just might work....:shrug:....Or..."Any snake found in this nesting box will be beaten with a shovel by one angry human...Come on Snake, Make My Day"

It's a temporary setup so some things I can't change ... the bottom half is wood and the top half is wood and chain link, so he could be getting in that way by going UP the wall and through the chain link? Or there may be a couple gaps he is getting in near the ground?? I'll take steps to re-board up those small gaps but I hear snakes can almost always get in?

I didn't see how the snake got in/out because I dragged the nest box outside the coop area and he took off from there on Saturday.

Does that "snake away" stuff work? or moth balls?

You gave me a good idea though - I do have some 1" (and maybe some 1/2"?) hardware cloth that I could use on the inside or the outside of the chain link to limit that access.

I feel horrible for killing the snake.

Put better fencing (like rat wire) around. How is it getting in?

I'd put up a sign that said..."No Snakes Allowed" Ya never know, just might work....:shrug:....Or..."Any snake found in this nesting box will be beaten with a shovel by one angry human...Come on Snake, Make My Day"

:lol:
If I found a snake in my coop I would need cpr! :whistle: So far we have been lucky, nothing to stop them from coming in, we leave the coop door open everyday so chickens can go back in if they feel the need. Close it up early evening.

I wish I could have relocated it, but it was so big/long I didn't want to try to catch it and risk being bitten.

So it's OK to kill a wild native animal but you spend a lot of time and expense to save an invasive one :confused:

why would you kill the snake?
its only doing what is natural to it.
most likely a black snake, they belong here.
Nature in motion.
what gives your chicken eggs greater rights than those of the snake?

Now, lets look at the snake.
even if it did bite you, and that would be a rare thing, it is not harmful to you other than the possible stroke you might have when it did bite. Picking it up and relocating it would only pass the problem on to someone else, so the best thing to do would be for you to spend the money to put some screening around the coop and make sure there were no holes that the snake could gain entrance from. It would move on to better feeding grounds on its own soon after.

Killing a snake is not the answer, I like to have those big snakes around to keep the feral cat population in check.

All the chickens were in the vicinity of the nesting box acting anxious and I didn't pay any attention to them because I was trying to hurry and get the eggs before dark - I almost ended up bitten as I paused when I leaned over to start picking up eggs as I saw that dark ring around the clutch of eggs - hmm and then my brain went SNAKE !!!!!!! That snake would have died Saturday had I been bitten. I hoped to give it a chance like I did that Copperhead I found a year ago that never came back (I said you better not or you'll be dead).

:lol:
If I found a snake in my coop I would need cpr! :whistle: So far we have been lucky, nothing to stop them from coming in, we leave the coop door open everyday so chickens can go back in if they feel the need. Close it up early evening.

So it's OK to kill a wild native animal but you spend a lot of time and expense to save an invasive one :confused:

Now see that snake was not in its own habitat it was in her chicken coop. My yard, my habitat. Plain & simple.

For the 1st time in 3 + years of having chickens I found a HUGE snake (6 or 7 feet long?) in the nest box on Saturday - I ALMOST stuck my hand in there (was getting dark but saw that dark mass wrapped around the eggs) ! I promptly made noise and stomped (vibrations) and the snake took off. I hoped being disturbed would deter the snake from coming back AND I left that particular nest box outside of the chicken pen hoping if the snake went back to that box and found no eggs it would move on?

On Sunday I checked the remaining nest boxes every few hours and on the 3rd check I found a snake in one with a mouth full of egg. Well I got the shovel and killed that snake. It had apparently been eating the eggs for many months, and it took me that long to catch it. Now I know why I kept finding what appeared to be egg contents on the other eggs yet no broken shells. That snake has been eating my eggs since it came out of hibernation it seems. I wish I could have relocated it, but it was so big/long I didn't want to try to catch it and risk being bitten.

What can I do to keep snakes out of my chicken coop?


Kind of hard to ask for help AFTER you kill it.

Feed it feral kittens it will leave the eggs alone.


With chicken coops, seed.. droppings etc.. etc.. that snake was probably the only thing between you and a serious mouse/rat problem.


Kill the snake put out the welcome mat for mice and rats, as I doubt your feral (or any) cat is prowling inside the chicken coop.

Now see that snake was not in its own habitat it was in her chicken coop. My yard, my habitat. Plain & simple.

:yeahthat:

I usually do not kill black snakes either..but I have been missing alot of eggs too and I only get 4 a day so I am getting almost none now..I found a 5 footer in my chicken nest the other day too...he was gone when I got back with the shovel..but I am on the outlook for him..if he stayed to mice I would have let him go but as they get big enough to eat eggs they are
T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Our last house (1/4 mile away) was inundated with mice. I constantly had to treat the garage, and every time I cleaned the garage I'd find a 1/2 dozen or more dead dried up mice.

The new house backs up to the woods. I have a BIG black snake that nests in a hollow tree, and have spotted a few babies this year in and around the yard. BG found one yesterday and didn't kill it (I was so proud I almost cried), and she even gave me the opportunity as to what to look for as far as good snake bad snake. Baby Rat/ King snakes aren't black and a lot of people confuse them for copperheads.

Needless to say, NO MICE at the new house. Spiders up the kazoo, but no mice.

:yeahthat:

Now see that snake was not in its own habitat it was in her chicken coop. My yard, my habitat. Plain & simple.

sadly snakes will opt for the food that doesn't RUN every time (eggs, baby animals) - the mouse population continues to grow despite the snake presence - the snake was too busy eating eggs to care about the mice.

I was asking for help on how to keep snakes out of the coop for the OTHERS that may be visiting - who says there's just one? If I can keep them from eating eggs, maybe they will chase down some mice? :whistle:

If everyone who FEEDS feral cats would get them FIXED - the population wouldn't continue to grow at such an alarming rate. People who feed ferals but don't fix them are encouraging breeding AND increasing the survival rates of the kittens. Rah Rah FF (fix ferals) .... :popcorn:

Kind of hard to ask for help AFTER you kill it.

Feed it feral kittens it will leave the eggs alone.


With chicken coops, seed.. droppings etc.. etc.. that snake was probably the only thing between you and a serious mouse/rat problem.


Kill the snake put out the welcome mat for mice and rats, as I doubt your feral (or any) cat is prowling inside the chicken coop.

I actually don't mind snakes - hence why I let that Copperhead (was a baby) have its life a year ago. We took it way back in the woods and told it NOT TO COME BACK, and it didn't (maybe some other critter ate it?).

I know how valuable snakes are for rodent control, so I hope that by further snake-proofing the coop that the snakes will look for other prey, albeit harder to catch .....

Our last house (1/4 mile away) was inundated with mice. I constantly had to treat the garage, and every time I cleaned the garage I'd find a 1/2 dozen or more dead dried up mice.

The new house backs up to the woods. I have a BIG black snake that nests in a hollow tree, and have spotted a few babies this year in and around the yard. BG found one yesterday and didn't kill it (I was so proud I almost cried), and she even gave me the opportunity as to what to look for as far as good snake bad snake. Baby Rat/ King snakes aren't black and a lot of people confuse them for copperheads.

Needless to say, NO MICE at the new house. Spiders up the kazoo, but no mice.

Well I wish I had run the darn thing off again and then worked harder at snake-proofing before killing it - I can't get it out of my head how I brutally killed it with that shovel. I'm not proud of myself.

I usually do not kill black snakes either..but I have been missing alot of eggs too and I only get 4 a day so I am getting almost none now..I found a 5 footer in my chicken nest the other day too...he was gone when I got back with the shovel..but I am on the outlook for him..if he stayed to mice I would have let him go but as they get big enough to eat eggs they are
T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Kill the snake put out the welcome mat for mice and rats, as I doubt your feral (or any) cat is prowling inside the chicken coop.

Chickens eat mice.

If everyone who FEEDS feral cats would get them FIXED - the population wouldn't continue to grow at such an alarming rate. People who feed ferals but don't fix them are encouraging breeding AND increasing the survival rates of the kittens. Rah Rah FF (fix ferals) .... :popcorn:

and if we all ate rainbows we'd poop lolly pops :bigwhoop:

FYI - a snake with an egg in it's mouth can't bite you

Well I can not snake proof a whole barn..my chickens lay in a stall with hay...so my snake eatting snake will die...as I stated i have not killed a black snake in years..and they live there all year...he has probably been there for years and just got big enough to eat eggs so he has warn out his welcome..

yes it can - that's how I kept finding egg goo on the other eggs - the eggshell would succumb to the jaw pressure of the snake and crack allowing the egg goo to ooze out into the nest. So when the egg cracks the snake has much less volume in its mouth and can therefore BITE. For more on snake bites and other life lessons call 1-800-more-info ..

LOL


FYI - a snake with an egg in it's mouth can't bite you

I've seen the chickens eat lizards too - anything that MOVES in the pen that isn't too big for them to handle? They are ON IT - it's usually ICit that is the first to notice and she runs and grabs it, then they start chasing and stealing it from eact other and pull apart whatever it is ...... go ICit - she SAW IT and grabbed it LOL.

Chickens eat mice.

I've seen the chickens eat lizards too - anything that MOVES in the pen that isn't too big for them to handle? They are ON IT - it's usually ICit that is the first to notice and she runs and grabs it, then they start chasing and stealing it from eact other and pull apart whatever it is ...... go ICit - she SAW IT and grabbed it LOL.
:confused:

can I have the beginning of the conversation for $500 Alex?

Or can I phone my friend Turbo?

Hey wouldn't you rather your namesake be eating bugs and such? Rather than being jumped by Prince in As The Coop Turns? :jerry:

:confused:

can I have the beginning of the conversation for $500 Alex?

Or can I phone my friend Turbo?

PS - don't bring cross-dressing Turbo into it .... he just starts trouble trying to get more nest box time than the others :killingme

Hey wouldn't you rather your namesake be eating bugs and such? Rather than being jumped by Prince in As The Coop Turns? :jerry:

Someone suggested I try sprinkling lime around the perimeter of the chicken coop to keep the snakes out - I did that as an interim measure until I can block all the places I see that a snake can get in.

Interestingly my theory that there was more than 1 snake? Bingo - there is. I found several eggs coated in egg goo yesterday afternoon, so that means there was another snake in there yesterday! How many snakes have meal reservations in my coop? Sheesh!

sadly snakes will opt for the food that doesn't RUN every time

A few well placed shots from a decent pellet gun would slow those feral cats down so the snake could do his job

yes it can - that's how I kept finding egg goo on the other eggs - the eggshell would succumb to the jaw pressure of the snake and crack allowing the egg goo to ooze out into the nest. So when the egg cracks the snake has much less volume in its mouth and can therefore BITE. For more on snake bites and other life lessons call 1-800-more-info ..

LOL

at that point the snake no longer has an egg in it's mouth

:nono:

A few well placed shots from a decent pellet gun would slow those feral cats down so the snake could do his job

this is true - meaning it can then bite .....

at that point the snake no longer has an egg in it's mouth

Someone suggested I try sprinkling lime around the perimeter of the chicken coop to keep the snakes out - I did that as an interim measure until I can block all the places I see that a snake can get in.

Interestingly my theory that there was more than 1 snake? Bingo - there is. I found several eggs coated in egg goo yesterday afternoon, so that means there was another snake in there yesterday! How many snakes have meal reservations in my coop? Sheesh!

See post #3....You didn't do it did ya?....Well don't ask me for any more advice....:nono:

Snakes don't read silly ..... :razz:

See post #3....You didn't do it did ya?....Well don't ask me for any more advice....:nono:

Someone suggested I try sprinkling lime around the perimeter of the chicken coop to keep the snakes out - I did that as an interim measure until I can block all the places I see that a snake can get in.

Interestingly my theory that there was more than 1 snake? Bingo - there is. I found several eggs coated in egg goo yesterday afternoon, so that means there was another snake in there yesterday! How many snakes have meal reservations in my coop? Sheesh!

Are you sure it's not a hen eating the eggs?

positive - never ANY egg shells

Are you sure it's not a hen eating the eggs?

positive - never ANY egg shells

That's because they'll eat the shells too. :lol: I'm just thinking you might have a combination problem going on.

Maybe I've been fortunate but I've never had an egg-eating issue with any of my hens that I have seen evidence of. Anytime I've accidentally broken an egg in the coop I grab it all up fast and throw it outside the coop. I am going to spend more time watching to see what's going on and covering access points for snakes and see how it goes.

That's because they'll eat the shells too. :lol: I'm just thinking you might have a combination problem going on.

No sign of a snake the past 2 days and eggs are not coated with anything, although I don't have as many eggs as I have collected in the past - the lime isn't as prevalent around the perimeter due to the rain (most of perimeter when I put the lime is under an overhang and not in direct line of rain).

In my experience (most of my 43 yrs.) snakes swallow the egg whole, leaving no debris. When I have caught them I have often been able to make out lumps in their bodies that are the undigested eggs (should I add here that my brother has actually cut them open to check it out). More likely your egg goo is caused by one of the chickens laying a soft shell egg that gets broken. The hens will eat all they can of a broken egg, but properly fed and cared for hens will rarely, if ever, break an egg on purpose.

...and the only good snake is a dead one. I don't care what they eat. I have cats (non feral and fixed, thank you), chickens and a dog to care of pests. Don't need snakes. They all need to be dead, dead, dead!!!!!

I think my hens need a calcium supplement even though they are eating a "layer" feed. I have accidentally broken egg shells by handling them, so I know that the shells are not as hard as they could be. That said, I have SEEN an egg that was laid w/o a shell (rubberized outer membrane) - and it is weird looking. I agree that COULD be a possibility, but I am inclined to think that there are more snakes causing the problem. I just can't imagine that I have a hen that only lays eggs with no shell? I mean it happens 4/5 days a week that I see dried egg goo on eggs .....

In my experience (most of my 43 yrs.) snakes swallow the egg whole, leaving no debris. When I have caught them I have often been able to make out lumps in their bodies that are the undigested eggs (should I add here that my brother has actually cut them open to check it out). More likely your egg goo is caused by one of the chickens laying a soft shell egg that gets broken. The hens will eat all they can of a broken egg, but properly fed and cared for hens will rarely, if ever, break an egg on purpose.

...and the only good snake is a dead one. I don't care what they eat. I have cats (non feral and fixed, thank you), chickens and a dog to care of pests. Don't need snakes. They all need to be dead, dead, dead!!!!!

I think my hens need a calcium supplement even though they are eating a "layer" feed. I have accidentally broken egg shells by handling them, so I know that the shells are not as hard as they could be. That said, I have SEEN an egg that was laid w/o a shell (rubberized outer membrane) - and it is weird looking. I agree that COULD be a possibility, but I am inclined to think that there are more snakes causing the problem. I just can't imagine that I have a hen that only lays eggs with no shell? I mean it happens 4/5 days a week that I see dried egg goo on eggs .....

We mix crushed oyster shells with their scratch that we give them for a treat. We also mix the shells with their feed. You can buy them wherever you get your feed.

I have a tray I used to provide it free choice but I got lazy and haven't filled it lately ... let me punish MYSELF ... LOL :whip: :whack: :spank:

We mix crushed oyster shells with their scratch that we give them for a treat. We also mix the shells with their feed. You can buy them wherever you get your feed.

Ouch - Oooch .. okay okay I'll fill the calcium bin tomorrow .... I do feed a mixture of scratch grains and layer - maybe THAT'S my problem? Less scratch and more layer?

I have a tray I used to provide it free choice but I got lazy and haven't filled it lately ... let me punish MYSELF ... LOL :whip: :whack: :spank:

Ouch - Oooch .. okay okay I'll fill the calcium bin tomorrow .... I do feed a mixture of scratch grains and layer - maybe THAT'S my problem? Less scratch and more layer?

A lot can depend on age and breed of hen too. Oyster shell may help. I have seen a chicken lay an egg without a shell - very weird!!

Weird is right. I've also had some hens lay odd-shaped eggs in the past too.

A lot can depend on age and breed of hen too. Oyster shell may help. I have seen a chicken lay an egg without a shell - very weird!!

Since you have the feral cats around, catch one and comb out some of the dander and hair and spread it around the outskirts of the nests. You'll have to see if this bothers the hens, but it should keep snakes at bay as they try to avoid predators.

As far as being bitten, a black snake or other non-venomous snake only have grasping teeth that do very little damage. wearing a set of garden gloves as you handle the snake to remove to another location will protect your hands, although you may get blasted with some smelly uric acid as they evacuate their cloaca.

Don't kill snakes, they are too important to the environment and just shows that people have a silly phobea of these reptiles.

If I encounter another snake I'm not going to kill it - at the time I saw a snake the 2nd time I was not thinking straight and reacted badly by killing it. I was thinking that snake was the same one I ran off the day before and I was solving the problem by killing it since it persisted.

I actually don't have a phobia about snakes as some others do, as I handled snakes when I was younger. I just know to fear the venomous ones and the big constrictors.

I mentioned before that I felt bad for killing the snake, I still do.


Since you have the feral cats around, catch one and comb out some of the dander and hair and spread it around the outskirts of the nests. You'll have to see if this bothers the hens, but it should keep snakes at bay as they try to avoid predators.

As far as being bitten, a black snake or other non-venomous snake only have grasping teeth that do very little damage. wearing a set of garden gloves as you handle the snake to remove to another location will protect your hands, although you may get blasted with some smelly uric acid as they evacuate their cloaca.

Don't kill snakes, they are too important to the environment and just shows that people have a silly phobea of these reptiles.

Since you have the feral cats around, catch one and comb out some of the dander and hair and spread it around the outskirts of the nests. You'll have to see if this bothers the hens, but it should keep snakes at bay as they try to avoid predators.

As far as being bitten, a black snake or other non-venomous snake only have grasping teeth that do very little damage. wearing a set of garden gloves as you handle the snake to remove to another location will protect your hands, although you may get blasted with some smelly uric acid as they evacuate their cloaca.

Don't kill snakes, they are too important to the environment and just shows that people have a silly phobea of these reptiles.

There are enough of God's other creatures that do the same job. The Bible says "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." I'm just doing what God intended - "crush" his head.

Seriously though - once a snake finds your hen house there is no way to keep them out and they will keep coming back. Snakes are lazy creatures and go after the easiest meal. They are in no way "hunters". If you choose to move them you'd better do it several miles away. I'll continue to make them into good snakes (dead ones).

Just out of curiosity, other than swallowing the occasional rodent baby what is this importance snakes have to the environment? I never have been able to figure that out when people tell me that. And never have I gotten a satisfactory answer to my question from any of them.

oh crap - no sign of a snake today but only 3 eggs hmm. Then I go into the other area of the coop and find a hen dead by one of the feeders. She was one of the big, heavy hens! I looked her over and could see no trauma to her at all - darn it now what happened?

oh crap - no sign of a snake today but only 3 eggs hmm. Then I go into the other area of the coop and find a hen dead by one of the feeders. She was one of the big, heavy hens! I looked her over and could see no trauma to her at all - darn it now what happened?

How old was she? Sometimes that just happens. I lost a couple to the 100 degree heat that were on the larger side and their coop is well vented and they have plenty of free range space. She could also have been egg bound if she was older. Big, heavy chickens are also more susceptible to cardiac problems.

She was only 2 years old so at first I suspected she was egg-bound but I didn't feel an egg in her (if I was feeling the right spot?) .....

How old was she? Sometimes that just happens. I lost a couple to the 100 degree heat that were on the larger side and their coop is well vented and they have plenty of free range space. She could also have been egg bound if she was older. Big, heavy chickens are also more susceptible to cardiac problems.

A chicken and a snake that have RIGHTS? Your fricken killing me here.

Sure - it's obvious by your comment that they need protection from YOU ?? :popcorn:

A chicken and a snake that have RIGHTS? Your fricken killing me here.