Snake in coop

[KreetchaKeepa]

I think they are fire ants. The boiling water didn’t work for me. Someone suggested trying orange oil. Haven’t tried it yet. I couldn’t find the netting I was looking for. Will have to order I think. I’ve been on lookout for more snakes near coop and run. So far so good.

Ugh, fire ants. I hope you win the battle with them. I've only had success at getting them to move by putting cinnamon on them. It didn't kill, but they relocated. My husband prefers poison so when I'm not looking he puts Amdro on them.
I got my netting from Amazon. I think it was about $4 or $5 per roll. Later I saw it in a store, but I can't recall where. Probably Tractor Supply, Lowe's, Home Depot or my local feed store. I'm glad you've not had more snakes!

 

[Ourgosling22]

No worries! It’s difficult to tell sometimes and often snakes have an effect on people and during the encounter the stress factor can inhibit making a correct ID. All creatures have their place, and I get that in a coop/house is not one we prefer them to be in haha. I keep a empty trash can and a snake hook/stick for relocating ones that need to be. My great grandfather would just smoke em with the shotgun or shovel… to each their own, but I do think you’d be surprised how many rats and mice one snake puts away in a year.

Old timers lol. Sadly I am one also to get my shovel if it’s a threat to my animals or too close to the house. Only thing about just relocating them was I didn’t want to chance them coming back to the coop. I figured once they know where it is, they will be back.
Copperheads and corals are the ones we see often enough as well as the occasional rat snake.

 

[Ourgosling22]

Ugh, fire ants. I hope you win the battle with them. I've only had success at getting them to move by putting cinnamon on them. It didn't kill, but they relocated. My husband prefers poison so when I'm not looking he puts Amdro on them.
I got my netting from Amazon. I think it was about $4 or $5 per roll. Later I saw it in a store, but I can't recall where. Probably Tractor Supply, Lowe's, Home Depot or my local feed store. I'm glad you've not had more snakes!

No, not winning the battle as of yet with the ants lol. And I have tried cinnamon as well! Didn’t do darn thing for me. I even tried Tabasco sauce. I’m just not a very lucky person. Amdro is what everyone is saying to try. So your husband has right idea I think lol. I may have to order it. Not in stores and feed stores close to where I am. May just have to keep my birds in the run while treating the mounds.
I was looking for bird netting like they use over nurseries. Figured it would be easier and quicker for me to put up. No one has that right now it seems.I watched the video you posted and I believe I saw that type of netting at my tsc. The lady up the road from me has that around her pen for her birds and she told me it doesn’t keep snakes out. They would tear it. That video proves her wrong I’m thinking. It certainly traps them and then we have the scary job of doing away with them in the net. Thanks for posting the video. It certainly helped. Is that what you have around your coop? And it works for you?

 

[Ourgosling22]

You can always tell by the belly. Those scales on the underside of the tail indicate that it was nonvenomous. Copperheads are usually smaller, and they have different facial features.

Thank you for the information. The more we know and learn, the more we’re armed.
I was also told copperheads have slits for eyes and rat snakes don’t? I’m not going to put myself in a position to be close enough to a snake to see what kind of eyes it has to determine if it’s dangerous or not. Just not safe. It was in my duck coop and it needed to be gone. I want my birds safe.

 

[Everose]

Thank you for the information. The more we know and learn, the more we’re armed.
I was also told copperheads have slits for eyes and rat snakes don’t? I’m not going to put myself in a position to be close enough to a snake to see what kind of eyes it has to determine if it’s dangerous or not. Just not safe. It was in my duck coop and it needed to be gone. I want my birds safe.

Yes they have slits, and pits.

My corn has little round orbs for eyes and no pits for heat sensing, just like rat and king snakes.
(Ignore the dirty window and sill, he always finds grubby spots to hide )

But yes as you said you'd have to be uncomfortably close to tell.
Copperheads, Water Moccasins (cotton mouths), and Rattlesnakes are all pit vipers and they all have the eye slits and pits, the only other venemous snake native to north america is the coral snake, so once you know what to look for it becomes pretty clear which are dangerous.

 

[Ourgosling22]

Yes they have slits, and pits.View attachment 3474042
My corn has little round orbs for eyes and no pits for heat sensing, just like rat and king snakes.
(Ignore the dirty window and sill, he always finds grubby spots to hide )
View attachment 3474038

But yes as you said you'd have to be uncomfortably close to tell.
Copperheads, Water Moccasins (cotton mouths), and Rattlesnakes are all pit vipers and they all have the eye slits and pits, the only other venemous snake native to north america is the coral snake, so once you know what to look for it becomes pretty clear which are dangerous.

You obviously know a lot about snakes especially since you have one.I come across a coral snake in my yard on occasion. I almost stepped on one working outside. Water moccasins is another one I’ve been careful around. They are fast too if the one I’m remembering was one. I’m from Louisiana and I remember my grandfather talking about them as well. Was never good. I usually try to ID with their pattern and shape but I’m not too good at it. Thanks for the lesson!

 

[Everose]

You obviously know a lot about snakes especially since you have one.

Maybe a little yes. I love him so much so most of what I know just comes from me vehemently defending their existence

I come across a coral snake in my yard on occasion. I almost stepped on one working outside. Water moccasins is another one I’ve been careful around. They are fast too if the one I’m remembering was one. I’m from Louisiana and I remember my grandfather talking about them as well. Was never good. I usually try to ID with their pattern and shape but I’m not too good at it. Thanks for the lesson!

I get it, they're hard to ID, I personally still don't trust myself fully to ID them and then just scoop one up, so I usually just use a shovel and pray to God they don't try to climb up the handle
My dad is from Louisiana, so in his book if it has scales and hisses it's gotta go

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

No, not winning the battle as of yet with the ants lol. And I have tried cinnamon as well! Didn’t do darn thing for me. I even tried Tabasco sauce. I’m just not a very lucky person. Amdro is what everyone is saying to try. So your husband has right idea I think lol. I may have to order it. Not in stores and feed stores close to where I am. May just have to keep my birds in the run while treating the mounds.
I was looking for bird netting like they use over nurseries. Figured it would be easier and quicker for me to put up. No one has that right now it seems.I watched the video you posted and I believe I saw that type of netting at my tsc. The lady up the road from me has that around her pen for her birds and she told me it doesn’t keep snakes out. They would tear it. That video proves her wrong I’m thinking. It certainly traps them and then we have the scary job of doing away with them in the net. Thanks for posting the video. It certainly helped. Is that what you have around your coop? And it works for you?

Well, it kept a snake in. We killed one and tossed it in the run for the chickens to eat. I guess it had a bit more life left and it got all tangled up in the netting while trying to get out of the run.
I think the trick to the netting is what you saw in the video. Loosely about, not tight and neat. If it was placed tightly, I imagine a determined snake may very well break it. It's flimsy stuff.
I have it between my hoop coop "walls" and predator apron. Since placing it, I've not had a single snake in it other than the one I mentioned above. I have had to put some of it back in place from time to time because mice will move it to get to the chicken feed. I fixed that, too. Grandpa's Feeders eliminated mice stealing chicken feed.

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

Here's a pretty good picture of a rat snake. This one was inside our future house (in the middle of full remodel) chilling in the box he's in. We were sitting right beside it for a while before I noticed it. It was relocated down the street.

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

Louisiana!! What part? Y'all my kin??