I recently inherited a chicken coop & small flock from a friend that had to give them up. They’ve got a big-ass yard to forage in with lots of grass, tree cover, and all the pumpkin plants they can destroy because i wasnt planning on having chickens when i planted them. Still learning birdcare, but half of them have learned to love headpets and are as fat & happy as I can keep them.

However they’ve also attracted rat snakes & racer snakes to the coop. None of the snakes in my area are big enough to eat a full grown chicken, but it’s stressing the chickens out and they keep trying to eat the eggs.

I dont wanna hurt any of the snakes, they’re adorable and dopey, but im grabbing a 4 foot frightened snake out of the coop everynight. I keep sealing up new gaps and they keep showing me new ones. Its getting kinda old & I’m starting to wonder if its a different snake every night or just a few really persistent lil guys.

Is there a way to get them to fuck off? And how do biologists tag snakes? Is there like, a little thing i can clip into a scale or is it safe to hit them with a dab of paint or something? Cause if its just the same 2 dumbasses i keep greeting everynight i can just drive them to a nearby lake what i imagine snake heaven would be.

  • BountifulEggnog [they/them]
    English
    10•10 months ago

    I’ve heard that cinnamon/clove/peppermint oil can keep them away. Apperently fake fox urine can do the same thing. There are also a few plants that have the same general “scent repellent” properties. You should also check whatever you are decide is chicken safe, because it might not be. I did a little bit of looking, it seems like biologists microchip them. Paint/dyes are not safe, reptiles are especially sensitive to fumes and I imagine it could also get stuck between/over their scales.

    While transporting to a new location is better then just killing them, the vast majority of transported animals die anyway. I’d still rather give them the chance, but just know it might be closer to snake heaven then we might want :/

    I really appreciate you wanting to let the snakes live, reptiles are my favorite.

    • Zoift [he/him]OPEnglish
      7•10 months ago

      Good to know and thank you! I will not be painting any snakes. And damn, if it’ll kill them to move them i’d rather keep them here. I’ve got lots of rats & fieldmice about, so i was happy to see them around up till i became a suprise birdkeeper.

      I can definitely spray some fox/wolf urine around, was planning on something similar soon for all the deer around here getting into my berry bushes. I think chickens are also sensitive to peppermint or other strong oils, but i can plant some mint & balms around the coup. The chickens seem to avoid pecking the wild stuff to death.

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]English
    4•10 months ago

    I don’t know. Did you ask at r/snakes?

    -–

    You probably know this already but I’ll leave this here for general info…

    A quick and dirty way to see if an American snake is venomous is to check out the head. A rattlesnake has a big diamond-shaped head. In fact - don’t quote me - but I think the only exception is coral snakes. But they are shy snakes that try to avoid people.

    • Zoift [he/him]OPEnglish
      6•10 months ago

      Haven’t yet, trying to avoid reddit-logo as much as possible, but probably worth it for dedicated subs.

      And indeed, is good info. Everything in my area that would be venomous is pretty easily identifable thankfully. Minus a pet store or hobbyist having a terrible day and something exotic getting out i guess.

      • InevitableSwing [none/use name]English
        3•10 months ago

        probably worth it for dedicated subs.

        I think dedicated subs are fine. They are often still filled with assholes but that’s America, baby. If I ask a question - I almost always do so in at least 3 places so if assholes downvote two posts - others still manage to get noticed and upvoted.