Do chickens attract snakes? Poisonous rattler last night

[PatriciafromCO]

Yes they do.... I had 3 seperate water tanks of new chicks in my barn up on my chest freezers. Went in the barn before I went to bed for the night, to check that all heat lamps were in place and that the chicks were doing ok. I walked up to the freezers just fine and when I went to step back I heard the ssssssssssssssss rattle of a rattle snake, when I went to slowly take a step in the other direction I heard a second sssssssssssss rattle. I climbed onto the chest freezers looking around in the dim light, and there were 4 rattle snakes coiled sleeping at the chest freezers. for us in CO, real rattlers have a rock sounding rattle, the rat snakes that imatate rattlers as a defense posture have an air sounding rattle noise.

No doubt those new chicks peeping attracted the rattle snakes into my barn that night.

 

[WHB3]

We live in FL - not by any water - and I saw a Pygmy Rattler (highly poisonous) last night at our back door on the porch!!! If it weren't for our Great Pyrenees alerting me to the fact something was there in the dark, I - or he - would have been bitten. He hightailed it away as fast as he could. We haven't seen snakes here in over ten years. No one is laying yet so it's not an egg thing. Due to the extremely hot muggy nights, we have to leave the Omlet Cube door open since they suck at ventilation in the design. Fans are running in the run for air flow. While the coop and run are predator proof and include a 6" skirt all around, a small snake like that could easily slither through and get through the open door and window vent. We had some garden cloth around so I augmented the entire 9x12 run with it and tarps cover the top and south side for shade. I don't know what else to do about this situation. I called the extension service and they said to use the glue mouse traps. Well, that's not an option with dogs. I don't know what suddenly attracted this snake to the yard and don't know if chickens attract them...? We have a tiny yard with neighbors breathing down our neck on all sides, so it's not like we live in the woods. Any suggestions? Should I be worried? Thanks for any insight.

You've made your coop rodent resistant, but what about your house? Like most snakes the pygmy rattler will eat small rodents. Large rodents are often too much of a threat to the pygmy's health, but pinkies and babies are just right. Same for chicks (and small birds), but not full grown chickens. They also eat frogs, large insects, centipedes (and FL has some large ones!), frogs, and lizards. They're environmentally beneficial, but their small size, venom, and coloration make them a hazard to people and pets. If your house has a crawl space beneath it you may want to consider having it checked for the rattler's friends and family, and signs of snake prey foods. Best to relocate it/them, and to remember if one snake has found your house/yard/coop another can too.

 

[Bawkbok]

Good point. We do have lizards on the enclosed porch that sneak in when we open the door to let the dogs out. I've seen no evidence of rat or mice poo on the porch. The lizards are too fast for me to catch and release in the yard so I think they're living in the plants on the porch. We also have had a lot of rain lately. Without knowing much about snake behavior, I'm assuming they like to get out of the rain.

Our dog has been overly interested in a trailer filled with gardening pots and remnants of chicken wire, etc. over the last few nights. He circles it at night and barks so my suspicion is that something is living in there. The priority will be to clean that out this weekend. I'm also going to focus on pulling tall weeds and cutting short shrubbery located by the wood pile so I have a clear line of sight. We unfortunately have a large brush pile 8' wide x 6' high which is tree limbs and storm debris that is probably attracting who knows what. Can't burn the stuff until it dries out - if it ever dries out. Always something to do or worry about, isn't there?

 

[123RedBeard]

A shovel or hoe is a good venomous snake predator.

Moles are probably eating grubs in your soil ... certain "nematodes" may help reduce them ...

https://empressofdirt.net/beneficial-nematodes/

 

[Bawkbok]

A shovel or hoe is a good venomous snake predator.

Moles are probably eating grubs in your soil ... certain "nematodes" may help reduce them ...

https://empressofdirt.net/beneficial-nematodes/

Thank you for the article on nematodes - most helpful. I have no idea what kind of grubs we have to know what to target (details in the article) so that will be the next mystery to solve. I know our Comet does not like grubs, she passes them up along with worms. Picky eater.

 

[Bawkbok]

Invested 3 hours in the yard this morning trimming, cutting, pulling and cleaning out any areas that look to be inviting for critters. No sign of mice, rats or snakes. No fresh signs of moles or tunnels. There is only one place left to clean out and I'm not going there - the blackberry patch that is much too thick to deal with. Ideal for a snake though. Then there's the huge burn pile back in a corner. We are soggy messy wet this morning after heavy rain yesterday, more on the way today. Can't catch a dry break. I'll be buying large glue traps to place in the shed in case anyone is lurking in there.
Have a nice critter free day everyone.

 

[bmurphy349]

I have found that the black snakes all get along with my girls and (mostly) keep the copperheads away. I have 3 that hang around and in the spring, I’ll give them eggs! Saw a copperhead the other night - 1st time in 3 yrs - and we’re digging those bushes out. I haven’t let the girls free range as much tho cuz I’m seeding the yard. Snakes… grass… I’ll go dirt!!

 

[bmurphy349]

Invested 3 hours in the yard this morning trimming, cutting, pulling and cleaning out any areas that look to be inviting for critters. No sign of mice, rats or snakes. No fresh signs of moles or tunnels. There is only one place left to clean out and I'm not going there - the blackberry patch that is much too thick to deal with. Ideal for a snake though. Then there's the huge burn pile back in a corner. We are soggy messy wet this morning after heavy rain yesterday, more on the way today. Can't catch a dry break. I'll be buying large glue traps to place in the shed in case anyone is lurking in there.
Have a nice critter free day everyone.

While it’s soggy, do the burn if you can. I have 2 piles going but have to wait til October.

 

[Bawkbok]

I would but it would smoke out the neighborhood and we have people within 30 feet of us on all sides.......

 

[PatriciafromCO]

this is very true about Rat snakes chasing out the rattlers. Spent years removing/relocating the rattlers off property and leaving my rat snakes alone.( Snake stick is a good investment hang one right at your bird area) The month before your area gets it's first frost is what I call the feeding frenzy month, when snakes and all wild life are out trying to fatten up before they hybernate.