no mice!

I keep hearing how folks tolerate a rat snake in the chicken coop but I just can't. I don't share my food.

Won't kill one but they can't stay here.

If there are lots of mice and rats, the snakes prefer them to eggs. I prefer to poison and shoot the rodents, if they build up a food aversion to bait, to having snakes in the buildings. I won't intentionally kill a non venomous snake. I would only kill venomous snakes, if they are in a place where they could cause a problem and there is no safe way to catch and relocate them.

Keith

The ONLY good snake, is a dead snake!

I was always curious about how black snakes figured out that eggs were good to eat.

Yukon John, you are absolutely correct. Cats love them!

If they can eat a chicken egg, they can eat quail eggs. Generally nothing without legs is tolerated on the plantation.

Heat.

Some more tough guys afraid of a little snake! Go back to mommy boys!

Who said they were afraid of snake’s?

If your livelihood depends on eggs or eggs hatching then snakes have to go. Otherwise they live. I’ll bring them to my house to put in the flower beds. They keep the rodents and insects away.

2x that Yukon John

X3

I had the same issue the other evening when I gathered eggs. A black snake in the middle nest box, and I reached in and grabbed him, and he and I went for a ride in the side X side. Sucker wrapped his tail around my leg on the way and wondered if I’d have to pull him into two pieces to get him to let go! I won and he lived!

This one HAD 5 in it!
Carried him about 1/4 mile, tossed him across creek.
Right back a day later.

Dropped him off at work next day, lol.

Usually have one in coop every 2 or 3 years

Wow I've never seen one loaded with eggs like that. That's impressive. As kids we would catch rat snakes and sell them to the pet store. They would take as many as we could catch. They paid by the foot

Thats cool

Training the hens to lay in their boxes I'll put a plastic golf ball in the nest. Was missing a couple yesterday, so I may have had a visitor too.

I wonder if they can pass those

Thanks Hobbie, that makes sense.

Plus, they follow the mice