Are Gopher Snakes a Threat? (pics of the big guy)

[bj taylor]

pretty snake. considering the size of it's head, i doubt it would try for a grown chicken. i'm sure it would take on the chick, but i imagine mama will be diligent.

 

[Gopher24]

I will take him off your hands and relocate him to a safer home with other loving snakes to go with him

 

[Lenarta]

Know what our solution was? Kept a gopher snake as a pet! They're very docile. Of course, if you don't want to do that, you could try relocating it, but it will likely come back, or another could move in. If you haven't had a problem by now, that snake probably knows it can't swallow a bird that size. Of course, I don't know how long it or your chickies have been there. Regardless, Gophers are diurnal, so it likely wouldn't catch your girls off-guard.
If you were to try and catch it, don't corner it or it may get aggressive. I just got in front a few times and finally got it to slither op my arm. Sereizel always loved curling around our hands.
Shoot. Just realized this is an old post. Sorry guys!

 

[Coops Dad]

Many people here have had adult chickens killed by snakes that where to big to be eaten. Sure sign is dead birds head and neck slimed when snake tryed to swollow.

I had a 6' gopher snake kill two of my hens one night and that's exactly what I found when I went to let the chickens out one morning- two bodies with slimed heads and necks, all the wet feathers pulled upwards, and the massive snake working its way up the wall toward the roost for victim #3. I dispatched it with a shovel (no killers get second chances).

 

[OffGridChook]

I had a 6' gopher snake kill two of my hens one night and that's exactly what I found when I went to let the chickens out one morning- two bodies with slimed heads and necks, all the wet feathers pulled upwards, and the massive snake working its way up the wall toward the roost for victim #3. I dispatched it with a shovel (no killers get second chances).

Really!!?? I just relocated a gopher this afternoon to the other side of the property. Caught him going up the wire, over the hardware cloth, through the chicken wire! I grabbed him as he was coming down.
I close them up tight at night but dang! I am afraid the rattlers might attack (so I dispatch those) but I’ve caught this same gopher twice in the last two months, thus last time climbing into my chicken run! Great. A. That means I have mice and B. I was hoping it would not be a problem. I gather my eggs before 7 am.

 

[Coops Dad]

Really!!?? I just relocated a gopher this afternoon to the other side of the property. Caught him going up the wire, over the hardware cloth, through the chicken wire! I grabbed him as he was coming down.
I close them up tight at night but dang! I am afraid the rattlers might attack (so I dispatch those) but I’ve caught this same gopher twice in the last two months, thus last time climbing into my chicken run! Great. A. That means I have mice and B. I was hoping it would not be a problem. I gather my eggs before 7 am.View attachment 2643423

They have an insanely good sense of "smell" and it will be back. You have to drive it two counties away if you want it gone from your coop for good.

 

[OffGridChook]

They have an insanely good sense of "smell" and it will be back. You have to drive it two counties away if you want it gone from your coop for good.

Haha! Should I keep it around? I don’t want mice but I don’t want dead chickens. I don’t THINK it can get in my small coop but I’m not certain it would attempt to kill a full grown chicken in the middle of the day in the run! I have no chicks and they are all pretty big babies.

That snake inserted himself between the chicken wire and hardware cloth in an opening four feet off the ground!!!

It was a hot day today (89F). They do not yet know what hot is! Their first summer is coming.

 

[OffGridChook]

Well, you were right. It’s back. I caught it drinking out a leaky faucet and then it saw me and took off, caught it an hour later heading to the chicken run.

Now what? It’s super friendly. Free snake to good home.

 

[OffGridChook]

Seriously asking for advice. Should I just let it go and the chickens will just have to deal with it or drive it down the hill (about a mile). I’m kind of attached to it but if you think it will even try to eat a full grown chicken, it’s gone. We have mice the sure! So we could use a mouse killer. It truly is docile.

 

[OffGridChook]

Okay, I made an executive decision. I let it go near anequipment storage area about 75 feet away from the coop that I know has kangaroo rats, ground squirrels, mice, rabbits, etc. around it. I’d rather the gopher kill and eat the mice than a rattler because I know those roll go after my chickens. The problem is the mice, not the snake. I’m going to put out a couple traps tonight.