Warning! Need I say more? Snake pictures below!
Let’s see . . last Tuesday there was the snake in the coop that ate all the eggs the hen was sitting on. Then Monday there was the snake by my garden trash can. Then . . this evening . .
When I go out to give the chickens fresh water, I very cautiously look inside the coop before retrieving the water containers. I looked inside. No snakes. Yay! I grabbed a handful of chicken feed to give to the hen who probably isn’t leaving the nest. I gave her food, checked for eggs in the egg boxes around her. There are three boxes on the left, then two in the middle, then three on the right and all three sets have their own lid.
I opened the middle lid, peering down into the egg boxes and right there on that ledge . . another rat snake.
Egg Box
I ran back to the house to get Vince . . as fast as my flip flops could take me!
Rat Snake
I was afraid if he tried to shoot it inside the coop, he was going to hit the hen sitting on eggs or at least he would have scared her to death so he maneuvered with the hoe to get the snake out and then decided to whack him against the side of the coop. Looks like a little washing and touching up the paint will need to be done.
Wooden Eggs
See the two wooden eggs inside him?
As much as I dislike snakes, I really hate killing a rat snake. Since Cat doesn’t seem too interested in killing rats, I guess a snake is the next best thing. But once they eat the wooden eggs, they’re going to die anyway and those wooden eggs get expensive . . as fast as the snakes around here are eating them.
I don’t want snakes in the chicken coop but I’m sure there’s an endless supply around here. We could probably kill several a day and not make a dent in the snake population around here.
It’s going to be a long time before I can go out there without being nervous about what I’m going to find.
Judy K. Hansen says
I thought I wanted to raise chickens someday – but maybe not. I think I would scatter wooden eggs all around outside the coops, so the snake would not bother the real eggs inside. You are a brave chicken owner.
JudyL says
I need to find a source for less expensive wooden eggs. I think these I have now were about $20 for eight of them. If I had a friend who played golf and had old golf balls, I could use those but golf balls are dang expensive too.
Joyce Jensen says
Vince could turn some eggs for you on the lathe.
Donna says
IS there not some type of snake deterrent you can put around the fence around the coop to keep snakes away? AT our lake house we used to put out something called Snake Away or something like that. Can you tell I’m a city girl?
Sherrill says
My Sunday School teacher fishes golf balls outta the ponds at the golf course and reuses them. Maybe you need to find a golfer who could do that for you! HA Do rat snakes bite? They would definitely scare the crap outta me! AND because of you, I bought 2 jars of Aldi’s hot fudge sauce. Haven’t tried it yet.
Diane in CA says
Amazon sells recycled golf balls 72 in a bag for $30.18 prime! and Caseyswood.com has eggs starting at 50 cents each, or 39 cents if you buy 25+ but shipping is $9.. Is there a golf range in town? maybe they will give you the beat up ones.. Thank heavens I live where the only snakes are pets..
lacefaerie says
Do you let the chicken eat the snake after it’s dead? Or are they poisonous?
Julie says
You and Vince need walkie-talkies.
Laura says
I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to go outside in Texas. Snakes scare me even if they aren’t poisonous!
SewAlice says
My husband teaches lathe classes and the first thing they make is a wooden egg. Doesn’t Vince do woodturning?
Diana G says
There was (notice I said was !) a fountain in our back yard a rather big one when we moved here. I loved it till I saw how many black snakes were in it one day when I went to clean it out. I made my Dearest Husband get rid of all snakes and the fountain. I don’t like them nor do I care for them in my yard. Brave Soul you are !
Dar in MO says
Judy, I can send you a box of old golf balls if you want. I’m not sure how many you want. I would be scared to death if I looked in the egg box and saw a snake. You are really brave. Also why are you still wearing flip flops out to the chicken cook or garden?
Debra McKinney says
I have chickens. Only had 2 snakes in last 2years. Lucky me. First one was huge chicken snake. Swallowed a plastic eggs and he was a goner. I use plastic Easter eggs. Just tape them together. Cheap way to deal with the problem