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Post by bullfrog on Jul 20, 2023 22:30:31 GMT -5
Of the big 6, my farm has timber rattlers, pygmy rattlers, cottonmouths, and coral snakes. I kill all rattlers and cottonmouths on sight. I’m more laid back with coral snakes, but my chickens kill them anyhow.
I kill all white oak snakes on sight.
Anything else gets a pass if they aren’t causing trouble. Interestingly, corn snakes (red rat snakes) don’t bother my chickens. Even though there’s no reason they shouldn’t. They’re bird predators too, but apparently not as much as the white oak snakes.
I had a black racer tamed up that would hang out with me on the porch. It would smell my toes and come up to eye level from me and look me in the eye. But my dogs finally killed it.
There’s a scarlet snake that lives at my largest chicken coop. I see it once a year.
There are some truly hateful venomous snake species in the world. I think we’re blessed in that our pit vipers are more laid back than many.
I believe that big rattler I killed this evening has been living around me for a while and probably knew me better than I knew it. I think that’s why it didn’t strike. I’ve probably passed within striking distance many times and it probably learned that if it stays calm, I’ll overlook it.
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Post by whitebacon on Jul 20, 2023 23:07:44 GMT -5
Of the big 6, my farm has timber rattlers, pygmy rattlers, cottonmouths, and coral snakes. I kill all rattlers and cottonmouths on sight. I’m more laid back with coral snakes, but my chickens kill them anyhow. I kill all white oak snakes on sight. Anything else gets a pass if they aren’t causing trouble. Interestingly, corn snakes (red rat snakes) don’t bother my chickens. Even though there’s no reason they shouldn’t. They’re bird predators too, but apparently not as much as the white oak snakes. I had a black racer tamed up that would hang out with me on the porch. It would smell my toes and come up to eye level from me and look me in the eye. But my dogs finally killed it. There’s a scarlet snake that lives at my largest chicken coop. I see it once a year. There are some truly hateful venomous snake species in the world. I think we’re blessed in that our pit vipers are more laid back than many. I believe that big rattler I killed this evening has been living around me for a while and probably knew me better than I knew it. I think that’s why it didn’t strike. I’ve probably passed within striking distance many times and it probably learned that if it stays calm, I’ll overlook it. I say this too much, people think I'm gay or don't believe it..come down to Belize and fish with me! A legit prosecutor !!!!! And a country boy!! MI casa, su casa
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Post by BallaCoiPersici on Jul 21, 2023 3:59:01 GMT -5
Here’s a first. I’ve had some young, small, ground-roosting pullets go missing one or two at a time every few nights. I’ve been on the look out for a big white oak (grey rat) snake as the culprit. Its always white oak snakes doing the mischief on chickens at night, with cottonmouths being a distant second place. Most other species of snake don’t mess with the chickens. Twas likely this big timber rattler. I caught her making a b-line to a freshly killed stag. I stepped barefoot, no exaggeration, an inch or two from her face. She was coming through the gate of my yard and as I rounded the post I saw her stretched out and my foot came down by her head. I walk with a shuffle. I’m surprised I didn’t kick her head. She didn’t strike at me. The stag was dead side of my house, still warm. She was trailing him. He would have likely been a bit too big for her to swallow, but I have learned that doesn’t stop a snake from trying. This is the first time I’ve ever connected a rattler to a predation on a chicken. I have seen this on YT. Pretty disturbing. Not sure if the snake survived the encounter with your feet... Edit: read the following post. RIP snake...
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Post by BallaCoiPersici on Jul 21, 2023 4:09:15 GMT -5
Oh, and about the snakes issue. Do you have ever think to install an electrified fence? Here in Italy they are pretty common and they work pretty well.
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Post by bullfrog on Jul 21, 2023 5:49:16 GMT -5
Oh, and about the snakes issue. Do you have ever think to install an electrified fence? Here in Italy they are pretty common and they work pretty well. It wouldn’t keep them out. They’d just crawl under the wire. And besides, my farm is large and in the middle of the woods. There’s no keeping the snakes away.
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Post by BallaCoiPersici on Jul 21, 2023 6:11:36 GMT -5
Oh, and about the snakes issue. Do you have ever think to install an electrified fence? Here in Italy they are pretty common and they work pretty well. It wouldn’t keep them out. They’d just crawl under the wire. And besides, my farm is large and in the middle of the woods. There’s no keeping the snakes away. Obviously you need a base in the ground and then place the the fence (metal net) over a wood/plastic support layer. A guy I know who live in the wood too, successful keeps out rats and snakes that were killing chicks and eating eggs. On the web you can check various solutions, if interested…
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Post by bullfrog on Jul 21, 2023 7:02:01 GMT -5
It wouldn’t keep them out. They’d just crawl under the wire. And besides, my farm is large and in the middle of the woods. There’s no keeping the snakes away. Obviously you need a base in the ground and then place the the fence (metal net) over a wood/plastic support layer. A guy I know who live in the wood too, successful keeps out rats and snakes that were killing chicks and eating eggs. On the web you can check various solutions, if interested… Out of what exactly. A coop? You may have a mistaken impression about how raise my chickens. This rattlesnake wasn’t in a coop. Neither was the chicken it killed.
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Post by ferris1248 on Jul 22, 2023 7:50:15 GMT -5
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Post by BallaCoiPersici on Jul 22, 2023 11:16:47 GMT -5
Obviously you need a base in the ground and then place the the fence (metal net) over a wood/plastic support layer. A guy I know who live in the wood too, successful keeps out rats and snakes that were killing chicks and eating eggs. On the web you can check various solutions, if interested… Out of what exactly. A coop? You may have a mistaken impression about how raise my chickens. This rattlesnake wasn’t in a coop. Neither was the chicken it killed. If they are free-range day and night in a big area obviously no way an electrified fence can help (unless a very expensive project). I thought they are into a coop since many pictures in OP…
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Post by illinoisfisherman on Jul 22, 2023 13:23:36 GMT -5
I wonder if anyone ever thought of raising king snakes and releasing them to control the venomous snakes in the area?
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Post by illinoisfisherman on Jul 22, 2023 13:24:16 GMT -5
Would king snakes kill your chickens?
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Post by tonyroma on Jul 22, 2023 14:43:35 GMT -5
I wonder if anyone ever thought of raising king snakes and releasing them to control the venomous snakes in the area? Mother Nature has a way of balancing things out, introducing stuff that’s not supposed to be there rarely works out in our favor.
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Post by illinoisfisherman on Jul 22, 2023 15:02:19 GMT -5
I believe that - but king snakes are native to the area. I want to let some loose around our house. My friend killed that huge cottonmouth by our dock and a neighbor was almost killed by another a few years ago while mowing his lawn. If not for a helicopter medivac to. Tallahassee he would have been gone.
I am very concerned about the children.
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Post by tonyroma on Jul 22, 2023 15:13:15 GMT -5
21 million people in Florida , 300 venomous snake bites, less then a handful result in death. Raising an army of king snakes to patrol the property seems a little drastic. Plus releasing hand reared kings might be illegal.
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Post by cadman on Jul 22, 2023 15:39:48 GMT -5
I believe that - but king snakes are native to the area. I want to let some loose around our house. My friend killed that huge cottonmouth by our dock and a neighbor was almost killed by another a few years ago while mowing his lawn. If not for a helicopter medivac to. Tallahassee he would have been gone. I am very concerned about the children. How would you keep them in the yard? They would just wonder off unless you had a lot of food for them and if there was that much food present, they would already be there, or maybe they are and you don't see them. It is not illegal to release kingsnakes, but it won't work. They will just wonder off searching for food. they aren't going to sit and wait on it to come to them.
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