snakes

[cgmccary]

Garter snakes do not eat eggs or chickens (nor quail).

I relocate snakes. They are beneficial to the environment and I like them --

Quote:
esp. I admire Bullsnakes (we don't have in Alabama -- we have the Pine Snake instead -- our equivalent), Bullsnakes will more often eat rats and mice. I have had them as pets though. A five foot specimen once contained 36 mice! Bullsnakes are rodent eating machines. It is a shame you did not relocate him away from your farm. I have left ratsnakes in my barn after seeing them so they can load up on mice (then I relocate after they are showing "mice bulges" & as long as they don't start eating a lot of eggs (they are not a danger to my Large Fowl).

 

[SSAcres]

Brought this back from the dead, so to speak, to share what we found in the yard this afternoon.

S/he was no longer relaxed... all puffed up and wider than normal. The girls came running to "fud lady" when I sorta bent down to snap the pic w/ my phone. This poor snake wouldn't have a stood a chance w/ our girls. One tried to peck at it and take away the prize. (I was holding two cups of hot coffee so I was zoomed in too close on the snake to get the girls in the pic.) The snake struck at CC (Chatty Cathy) and she jumped about two feet up and backwards. I finally let the snake retreat into the tall grass. I don't mind snakes, used to raise reptiles, but SO is scared of them.... he found the snake and pointed it out to me while taking our Great Dane to the kennel. He was plenty protected and the chickens were safe from the snake.



Would love to hear more chicken/snake stories and hopefully happy ending ones like mine.

L.

 

[riley081]

We have relocated several black snakes...but when we moved a nest box and found a copperhead curled up underneath...I'm sorry...he had to meet Mr. Club to the head! My stepdaughter was bitten by one in our driveway a few years ago and I don't intend to mess around with them! I'm always so anxious about my little feathered friends. I keep the chicks in a separate enclosed cage but after seeing how that bull snake got through....now I'm more worried! I currently have only 6 hens, 1 rooster, two approx 6 wk old chicks, and three 6 week old ducklings. Wish me luck as slithering season is once again upon us!

 

[Ribbit]

Regular garden snakes would mean grass snakes to me and as far as I'm aware I haven't heard of them troubling chickens or anything.
Though you probably don't mean them, I'd advise to take some time out to research what snakes live in your area and their diet.
If they eat anything that's similar to eggs or chickens then be worried and get some fine mesh to cover up your run, if not you can always do it anyway haha.

 

[mg15]

Brought this back from the dead, so to speak, to share what we found in the yard this afternoon.

S/he was no longer relaxed... all puffed up and wider than normal. The girls came running to "fud lady" when I sorta bent down to snap the pic w/ my phone. This poor snake wouldn't have a stood a chance w/ our girls. One tried to peck at it and take away the prize. (I was holding two cups of hot coffee so I was zoomed in too close on the snake to get the girls in the pic.) The snake struck at CC (Chatty Cathy) and she jumped about two feet up and backwards. I finally let the snake retreat into the tall grass. I don't mind snakes, used to raise reptiles, but SO is scared of them.... he found the snake and pointed it out to me while taking our Great Dane to the kennel. He was plenty protected and the chickens were safe from the snake.



Would love to hear more chicken/snake stories and hopefully happy ending ones like mine.

L.

The girls and I were out today in the yard. I picked up a flagstone and there was a baby snake. A garter snake about 8 inches long.
Got in hooked around a stick and went over to the girls to give it to them, and they all backed off. Eyed it and had nothing to do with the snake. In my imagination they pulled up their pink hoop skirts and ran for their lives screaming.

I have been told chickens eat mice and snakes, except here.
baby snake still alive here.

 

[Zootopia]

Saw this on my way to work yesterday morning. I had to hustle it out of the road before anyone ran over it (and by "hustle" I mean I poked at it with my umbrella and disturbed it's nap). This is an eastern kingsnake and they eat rattlesnakes so I appreciate them!

Beautiful!!

 

[LeBlackbird]

Garter snakes do not eat eggs or chickens (nor quail).

This is not entirely true. Snakes are optomist hunters, and Garters have a very diverse diet. In the pet trade, Garter snakes can and will eat small chicks and baby/juvi quail depending on the size of the specimen. (given as a dietary supplement) They'll eat anything that they find and can overpower. Because of their small size, most Garters stay away from larger baby chicks, although I wouldn't trust them 100%. Garter snakes aren't known to eat eggs, and I've never seen or heard of them doing so in either the pet world or the wild.
I have Eastern Garters, Black Rats, Black Racers, and Grey Rats here in the wild (for nonvenemous anyways), Rats are my favorite but they'll eat anything they get their mouths on. (I own a corn, big guy, right now he's around 4 1/2, 5 feet long. He's welcome to the chicks who die in he incubator, and he loves them)

For the OP, if what you mean is the Garter snake, then no, it's not likely that they will eat your eggs.

Here's my boy, have to show him off

He stays tucked away in the house, no chickens for him! No, this color does not occur naturally in the wild, he's a morph (Called Sunglow, basically no-white albino) Pics from summer '12

 

[ButchGood]

This is the second time the Texas Rat Snake killed one of my chicks. This happened last year once and then again this morning. The chicks are not small enough for them to eat, but small enough to kill. My pen is super secure but these guys get in some how. They just can't find their way out.....Not until I find them....then they leave separated from their head. If you find a dead chick and its got saliva all over its head and neck, its been a victim of snake attack. Start looking for the snake. In my experience they wont be to far away. I can handle a loss of one or two a year, I don't like it' but I can handle it. I hope that's the only one. A friend of mine said he's always found snakes in pairs. I hope he's wrong. I found a little rattler in the garden last weekend and now this rat snake.
Little Rattler here:

Texas Rat Here:

My poor little Turkey Poult Here:

 

[SSAcres]

This is not entirely true. Snakes are optomist hunters, and Garters have a very diverse diet. In the pet trade, Garter snakes can and will eat small chicks and baby/juvi quail depending on the size of the specimen. (given as a dietary supplement) They'll eat anything that they find and can overpower. Because of their small size, most Garters stay away from larger baby chicks, although I wouldn't trust them 100%. Garter snakes aren't known to eat eggs, and I've never seen or heard of them doing so in either the pet world or the wild.
I have Eastern Garters, Black Rats, Black Racers, and Grey Rats here in the wild (for nonvenemous anyways), Rats are my favorite but they'll eat anything they get their mouths on. (I own a corn, big guy, right now he's around 4 1/2, 5 feet long. He's welcome to the chicks who die in he incubator, and he loves them)

For the OP, if what you mean is the Garter snake, then no, it's not likely that they will eat your eggs.

Here's my boy, have to show him off

He stays tucked away in the house, no chickens for him! No, this color does not occur naturally in the wild, he's a morph (Called Sunglow, basically no-white albino) Pics from summer '12

Very pretty corn. I had ball pythons, a california king snake, a green tree snake (very cool, ate insects instead of mice) and a childrens python. All very fun. I miss all the reptiles I used to have.... they were my kids before I had actual human children and chickens.

The girls and I were out today in the yard. I picked up a flagstone and there was a baby snake. A garter snake about 8 inches long.
Got in hooked around a stick and went over to the girls to give it to them, and they all backed off. Eyed it and had nothing to do with the snake. In my imagination they pulled up their pink hoop skirts and ran for their lives screaming.

I have been told chickens eat mice and snakes, except here.
baby snake still alive here.

LOL... I was really hoping it'd be an all out war on the snake, but nope. We've found three more since that one and I haven't seen the first one since. S/he's missing part of it's tail so will be easy to spot. I actually took one to them to check out and play w/, but even the cockerel was scared of it and jumped about two feet up and backwards, squawked like a sissy and ran for cover. It was comical to say the least. Mr. Protector of the girls was more scared than the girls were. Wuss!!

 

[SSAcres]

This is the second time the Texas Rat Snake killed one of my chicks. This happened last year once and then again this morning. The chicks are not small enough for them to eat, but small enough to kill. My pen is super secure but these guys get in some how. They just can't find their way out.....Not until I find them....then they leave separated from their head. If you find a dead chick and its got saliva all over its head and neck, its been a victim of snake attack. Start looking for the snake. In my experience they wont be to far away. I can handle a loss of one or two a year, I don't like it' but I can handle it. I hope that's the only one. A friend of mine said he's always found snakes in pairs. I hope he's wrong. I found a little rattler in the garden last weekend and now this rat snake.
Little Rattler here:

Texas Rat Here:

My poor little Turkey Poult Here:

Sorry for you loss. Hopefully you won't have anymore for a very long time.