Fox Snake in Iowa - heebie jeebies!

[stephhassler]

As we were coming home today we saw a large black stick laying across the driveway. And when I say laying across I mean all the way across! Turns out the stick was a huge snake. I think based on coloring it was most likely a fox snake, 3-4 long. It was at the end of the driveway, about 200' from the coop. This is the first snake I have seen of this size on our property. We have been here for 4 years. Is it because I tripled the size of my flock this year? I had 2 coon attacks and 2 owl attack this summer. Never had varmits before. Do you think the snake is coming for the chickens if he was that far away from the coop? I now have the heebie jeebies and don't even want to venture near the coop in the dark. Locked the girls up early tonight. Oh - and they free range during the day.

 

[gypsy2621]

Everyone is having issues with predaters this year.
more so than many years past.
I dont think its the size of th flocks that is doing it there seems to just be a higher concentration of animals.

 

[Oosik]

I saw a rat snake in our yard, but far from the coop where I had a new batch of chicks. The next day I found the snake in the coop with a chick inside the snake. I don't generally mind snakes and I had left it alone because I figured it ate mice. I wish I had caught and relocated the 4-5 snake. Instead, I ended up cutting my chick out of the creature.

While I agree about not relocating raccoons I think it's safe enough to all concerned to relocate a snake.

 

[stephhassler]

Hmm, ok, how exactly does one catch a snake in order to relocate it?