Among my hens are two slackers. One is a Red Plymouth cross who runs from me every night, refusing to come in the coop where she would be safe for the night. I call her Lucky. Instead, she sleeps halfway up in a holly bush. Successfully, so far. The other slacker hen (or was, until last night) a Buff Orpington, a beautiful fluffy golden gal, who spends months brooding. When I went to gather eggs last night, the Buff was on the floor of the coop below her nest box. She was dead but not a mark on her, except that the feathers around her neck were wet, strange because it wasn't raining and there is no water inside the nest area. Above, in her nest was a thick black snake, as long as I am tall, as thick in the middle as my wrist, the biggest I've ever encountered (and that's saying something). He had two large lumps midway down, more than likely the eggs the Buff was sitting on. One of those eggs will kill him, because it was the next to last one of the wooden eggs I was letting the Buff brood. By giving her a fake egg to brood, I reduced her attempts to take other hens' eggs and the breakage that resulted during quarrels.
I suspect the drama that occurred before I came on scene was this: the snake came into the coop, attempted to take one of Buff's eggs, she attacked him (and believe me, she was so protective of what she sat on that to gather eggs, I had to throw a towel over her head to reach under her) so, he took her head into his gaping maw, creating the wet and matted feathers around her neck. She died, he couldn't eat her so he pulled away from her head. She fell out of the nest box, he ate the egg another hen had laid where Buff was brooding as well as the fake egg, I dragged him out of the coop (scary moment that because he was heavy and held on), threw him out the shed door. I returned to the house with the certain knowledge that this is my last chicken flock. I find no joy in dealing with snakes. Hens yes. Snakes and other predators, no.
Written by
goatgal
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Sorry to hear about your chickens. But karma is going to get the snake for stealing the wooden egg. That is going to be one mother of a case of constipation!
That's so sad, goatgal but that's life. I have to remind myself to always take the bad with the good. It's so very hard to do sometimes, but that's life. Keep Smiling, my friend
I'm not easily discouraged but blacksnakes are numerous here. My place and the larger place next to mine have many many places where trees have fallen to create ideal habitat for rodents. The place next door has three tumble down sheds as well. From a snake's perspective, ideal homesteading. Then I started with my hens, and whoopee! Dine in and curbside food became available. I've been keeping hens for 30 years and I've dealt with diseases, rats, raccoons, coyotes, dogs, foxes, weasels...all of which are easier to protect against than these clever black snakes. There's absolutely no way to keep them from getting in my chicken coop during the day. I open the coop door, to let the chickens out into a large fenced area so the snakes can get through the fence and into the coop during the day. I guess I'm just a bit tired. The heat and humidity are up, it hasn't rained in six weeks so my garden is struggling, and the social distancing/change in all my routines is wearing on me. But I'll bounce back because I always do.
You certainly sound like you will bounce back and I agree with you, and it's something that I do as well. This 'social distancing' is not healthy for humankind to do ~ forever! I will do a rain dance for you, and in the meantime, sending you gentle vHugs, and air kisses. Keep Smiling
You really do need to write a book with all the antics that go on at your place. Pleased that you were not hurt, but I would like to be a fly on the wall when the snake tries to pass that wooden egg. Ouch 😣
Inless he decides to dine on termites who will eat into that fake wooden egg, this particular snake is doomed. Unfortunately, another is sure to take the same path within a week or two. I'll just have to keep on buying wooden eggs.
Oh no! I hate snakes. I have rabbits and the only thing that bothers them other than me paying attention to one of the other bunnies is raccoons. The rabbits are in big cage off the ground so the raccoons can’t get to them, thank goodness. I’m sorry you lost one of your hens
yes, unfortunately. I don't like snakes, but they keep voles, mice, and rats from stealing feed...and hawks will catch snakes when they are out in the open. So they have a role to play in the way ecosystems function. I couldn't kill them, I just snare them and toss them out of the coop but right now they are getting more eggs than I am!
Many, many years ago when I was a young child my elderly granddad had a chicken coop in his backyard. I recall that he would put a glass egg in a nest in the coop. A snake would eat it and die. I guess he then cut the snake open to get the glass egg out to use over again.
Wow! I learned so much about hens, eggs, and snakes from this. So sorry you lost your hen, but it sounds like there’s one fewer snake to raid the hen house.
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