Snake Wars

[Florida Bullfrog]

Each pic represents a separate snake or set of snakes I’ve caught and killed marauding bitties and eggs. I’ve caught and killed far more in the act than I’ve documented. So far about 24 white oak snakes and 5 cottonmouths over the past 3 years. No other species mess with the chickens except a couple of suspicious banded or brown water snakes.

The white oak snake, which is a kind of grey rat snake, must be a major predator of wild galliforms. In June and July, which is wild turkey poult season around here, they make b-lines to my coops. I have killed up to 6 in two week spans. Cottonmouths come in a distant second, preferring to raid runs where hens brood their bitties on the ground.

Rattlers and corn snakes never give me trouble even though they are present. I know that rattlers like to eat quail, so it surprises me they avoid my chickens, except perhaps for their self-preservation. I also never have trouble from racers. Rarely water snakes will cause problems. I’ve caught a couple possibly taking bitties but it wasn’t converted.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

You need Guinea Fowl! Badly! Like, a huge flock of them.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

You need Guinea Fowl! Badly! Like, a huge flock of them.

I’ve had up to 24 guineas here. All they do is crowd snakes and kekekekekeke at them. My current free range rooster recently killed a coral snake, but the rat snakes are huge and nocturnal. I rarely see them just out and about. The biggest rat snakes to raid a coop were a pair of 6 footers, but I’ve seen them in sheds as large as 7-8 feet.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

That is a LOT of snakes to have to deal with. I’m glad to see you got the ones you did…but man! I love snakes and their purpose to eat mice and what have you…but mess with my chickens and I will kill you. I’m not sure what you can do to keep them away. Are you finding them just during the day or are they finding other ways into your coop at night? I mean in the pictures I can clearly tell they were at least taken at night. The only snakes we have around here I really have to worry about is corn snakes. And I haven’t had a problem yet . I hope someone can help you figure something to help cut down on them.

 

[BlueBaby]

I wouldn't miss any snakes if they were all gone. I've had grow-out chick's eaten before by those rat snakes. I'm glad that you are taking care of those one's over there.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I wouldn't miss any snakes if they were all gone. I've had grow-out chick's eaten before by those rat snakes. I'm glad that you are taking care of those one's over there.

I actually like snakes. I simply can’t share space with one if its venomous or a threat to my livestock, and I’m not going to risk a bite or drive 30 minutes one way to relocate one.

If I caught a large indigo doing mischief I might spare it because of their rarity and because it would be nice to have one around to eat rattlers. Otherwise all threatening snakes get the chop.

 

[dawg53]

I like snakes also, except when they go after my birds. I lost quite a few pullets and cockerals when lived in southeast Georgia to yellow rat snakes. The snakes couldnt swallow them because they were birds were too big, so they regurgitated them.
I managed to kill a few of the snakes. Yellow rat snakes are aggressive, they go after birds day or night.

I havnt had any snake issues since moving here to Baker county, I've seen a few small garter snakes near the pens and was able to remove them.
We have an abundance of hawks here and that might be a reason I havnt had any snake problems.

 

[Callender Girl]

I suddenly am much more appreciative that the only snakes I have to deal with are garters and bull snakes -- neither of which bother my chickens and neither of which pose a threat to me.

I did once relocate a bull snake that was eating a baby robins that were in a nest in an arborvitae.

I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe the hawks and bald eagles that soar over the property are scaring away snakes. They sure make my poultry run for cover.

Much as I like snakes, if they became a threat, I would reluctantly sacrifice them to save my birds.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

That is a LOT of snakes to have to deal with. I’m glad to see you got the ones you did…but man! I love snakes and their purpose to eat mice and what have you…but mess with my chickens and I will kill you. I’m not sure what you can do to keep them away. Are you finding them just during the day or are they finding other ways into your coop at night? I mean in the pictures I can clearly tell they were at least taken at night. The only snakes we have around here I really have to worry about is corn snakes. And I haven’t had a problem yet . I hope someone can help you figure something to help cut down on them.

Their number is a function of where I live. My farm is a singular homestead on the finger of a high pine ridge in the middle of thousands of acres of lower woods and swamplands. Almost like a island. The habitat is naturally a snake magnet and made moreso by the presence of eggs and chicks. I free range my birds 24/7 except when they’re separated into pens or coops for controlled breeding. Some of my coops are hard for them to get into and others are not.

I find the snakes raiding nests after dark. Every night I go around the farmyard and check on birds I know to be brooding. During the day I often find canebrake rattlers but they don’t mess with the chickens. I will also sometimes see white oak snakes and rattlers on the road. All of my dogs have been bit by venomous snakes here at least once.

Lots of snakes here:

Rattler in my hunting blind between my legs. Look under the camcorder where I threw it on him to jump out.

Rattler in hunting camp by my ATV bay.

Coral snake in my hunting blind. He tried to go in my backpack.

White oak snakes mating in my shed. The big ones in the 7-8 foot range.

Baby cottonmouth I stepped on barefoot on my porch.

White oak snake crossing the road. I see them regularly on the roads.

Cottonmouth at the hunt camp.

Rattler off my front porch that bit one of my dogs.

Baby canebrake rattler on the road.

I have a pic I can’t share of a baby rattler at the scene of an emergency where it was coiled up by where the patient’s head was. The EMT didn’t know he was standing and reaching right by the snake.

BTW my hunt camp was in Baker county between Olustee and MacClenny and my farm is in Hamilton county.

 

[dawg53]

It's a wonder that you wernt bitten by that baby cottonmouth and the others. You must hunt in the Osceola wildlife area. I stopped hunting years ago. All the places I used to hunt are now subdivisions, that was up in Georgia near the sub base at Kings Bay.