# Help with snakes !



## pearnist

Found a snake in coop today. I also have 8goats and want ti see what I can use cost efficient wise but not to costly. Are moth balls a bad idea? Thanks


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## canyontrailgoats

Moth balls may be a bad idea, if the goats find and eat them you'll be in trouble. What kind of snake is it? There's a Gardner snake that lives under my goat shed, he never bothers the goats and keeps the mice population down.


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## nancy d

If it's not a poisonous snake Id leave it be.


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## MsScamp

I agree with the above. I never kill bullsnakes - they are very beneficial in that they are not poisonous, and keep rodents down. The funniest thing I've seen in a while was Dad "sweeping" a 8 to 10' bullsnake out of the garage one day when the door was left open! I won't even kill rattlesnakes in the field unless they are where I need to be and they cop an attitude when I try to shoo them away.


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## toth boer goats

I too agree.


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## pearnist

Ok but how can I at least keep them out of the coop or nesting boxes. I am terrified of snakes. The one we find yesterday was eating an egg and I don't want to loose then. I collect every day. Any suggestions


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## Talron

Well if it were stealing my eggs I think I'd kill it. Personally.


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## canyontrailgoats

If it's eating your eggs then yes, I'd get rid of it. You could try guiding it into a box, or picking it up with "tongs" of some sort and removing it. I'd take the snake far away (miles+) and let it go.

But that's just me. I like snakes, so I'm not into killing em


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## Goats Rock

Was the egg already broken? Or was it eating the entire egg whole? 
Just curious!


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## SeventeenFarms

We usually eventually live catch any snake that is raiding the eggs and relocate them. We have only dealt with black snakes. They are good at keeping the mice population down, etc and even though I am not a snake fan, they do good and are good to have around, esp in the garden. I do get really upset when they raid the blue bird boxes though - I have snake guards but that doesn't always work.

Ken


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## nannysrus

We kill any and every snake we come by. I hate to say but unless there are several of them they don't help with the mice population. You have to keep things clean to keep mice away. Second the stupid things still me eggs which really makes me mad because not only is that out food but a source of income because we hatch them out. Third, I have very small children and even a black snake who is not poisonous can make a child sick if bitten.


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## Jessica84

Unless it's a rattle snake it try to rehome them. But if it keeps striking at me or keeps coming back I kill it no matter what kind it is. I'm not having my kids bit no matter the kind of snake. I'm also like a crazy old cat lady with the amount of cats I have to take care of rodents so snakes have no reason to be close to my house.
I'm surprised your chickens are not killing the snakes. Is it dry where your at? I wonder if they are coming in for water then taking a snack while they are at it. 


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## pearnist

Yes it was eating the egg whole it wasnt broken. I keep the coop fairly clean and have only seen one mouse and that was in the winter. I alway look for them being we live in the county but the way I ran up on thos one scared me so bad. I use golf balls in the boxes but it got an actual egg. :-( it has been dry but the water source for the chixkens wasn't in the coop, not then any way.


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## polopony

Guinea fowl are great snake eaters! We have rattlesnakes near us, but not with the guineas.


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## Dani-1995

Be careful with re homing snakes. Handling them can be dangerous if it happens to be venomous. Depending on where you live, you could have more venomous stakes than just rattle snakes. Here in NC we have rattlers, moccasins and copper heads. And of course rat snakes, black snakes, Gardner snakes ect


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## pearnist

I know me re homing snakes is out of the question lol my husband would have but being it was eating the eggs he killed it. I may have to get some guineas now lol.


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## Chadwick

I had a huge pine snake in my coop in FL it had four eggs still whole in its belly, grab them by the tail and pop them like a whip if not poisonous, once they know. Where to get eggs they will always eat eggs.


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## luvmyherd

As a huge fan of snakes and amateur herpetologist I have to put in my :2cents:. Everyone here is so right. Snakes are very beneficial and should not be harmed. I know the fear of snakes is very real and I have spent a good part of my adult life trying to educate children to prevent that fear from ever developing. Snakes are generally pretty shy and stay away from people. They also tend to migrate so they are rarely hanging around one farm for very long.
That being said, if I were to find one in my nest boxes; I would move it a few miles down the road. Seeing as how you are terrified I would hope you could find a friend or neighbor to move it for you. Having found easy pickins he may decide to winter at your place.:shock: There is really little that can be done to keep a snake in or out. They can fit through extremely small spaces.

FYI: In California you must have a fishing license to remove a snake. And once you catch it you are not supposed to let it go. (We're talking letter of the law here. But it is true.) 
Good luck. I do hope you do not have to hurt it.


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## Naunnie

Guineas! Guineas! They are the ticket! I do not DO snakes at all! My therory is...if they let me see it...then it must want to die! I know....some are beneficial but its not beneficial to my heart...attack! We try to live in harmony, but we have had several bad experiences, so no snake is tolerated. I purchased 12 Keets several years ago. I had witnessed how Guineas handle a snake at a friends and I was sold! Just like any other critter, start with young'uns, train them where home is and let them earn their keep. Yeah, there is a little more to raising Gunieas than that but ya get the jest. Guineas are also great for tick control. 

Another thing I have learned, you may not know you have rodents but a snake is a good indication ya do. A snake will come into your barn/coop for the rodents.... that have discovered your feed/hay.... and then the snake discovers the added "treat" of eggs and young/small birds. A meal of rodents become secondary to a snake! 

Besides loving my Guineas for the job they do....I make sure there is no debris any where near my aviaries, coops or barn. My feed is also kept in metal barrels with lids. Most important....no grain/feed is left out overnight. 

Even with all the precautions we take an occasional snake will pass thru. I've heard all my life...from Great Grandmother, that goats will kill snakes. Old wives tale...maybe but my new small herd of ND's made me a believer. I put them in an pen that had not had any other critters in it for several years. It was quite overgrown with blackberries. We noticed the goats in a circle looking at the ground...acting kinda strange. Bristol hair was standing straight up down his back. He's the buck. I knew that was a defensive sign. When we went to look at what they were looking at, it was a Black Racer! 25 years here and that was a first!. The snake was frozen to the spot. It had no idea which way to go. Long story short...we herded the Guineas into the pen. The snake got away because the Goats got distracted with us, but with in an hour the Guineas found it! 12 Guineas attacking, the snake did not have a chance! There wasn't anything left for me to clean up. I do love my Guineas!


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## Jessica84

I did not know this about California. Such a goofy state. But I guess to keep me out of jail I really don't catch them I pick them up with a shovel (and keep picking up every time it flops off) till they are far away. That's not catching right lol


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## pearnist

I didn't know that about goats with snakes. I had heard that chickens will kill a snake to but mine at that time were not in the coop. Naunnie you said there is more to raising guineas? How much more? Are they very different than chickens?


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## Greybird

Our dogs kill every garter snake that they can catch, but they are such silly dogs (Chinese Cresteds) that they have no concept of danger. They think they are ten feet tall and bulletproof. Thankfully we have no venomous snakes around here.
I have had guineas before and I never saw them kill a snake. They would gather around them and raise a huge ruckus but that was all. My turkeys do the exact same thing - the same body language and everything. 
It makes me think that guineas and turkeys are closer relatives than chickens and turkeys.


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## Naunnie

Pearnist, Guineas are similar to chickens in some aspects. They eat bugs, scratch in the dirt, lay edible eggs, need feed/grit but way different in other ways. I don't have Chickens but my Guineas are housed with my Ducks. My Pigeons have incubated a few eggs for me. It is very rare for a Guinea to become a "pet" or tame like a Chicken can. They are easily trained if you start with keets but will not "love you" or prefer to be with you. Hope that makes sense. They will always be wild. Guineas do not like change. Older Guineas do not adjust very well to a new location. Best to start with keets. Guineas redefine the term "flock". They do everything together! Where one goes... the others will follow... unless you have a Hen that goes broody. I never let them all out together, until they were here for over a year. If they free range you most likely will never find her nest. They are very private when it comes to breeding and nesting. Hens are not great mothers. The chicks hatch out running and Mom has very little maternal instincts, unlike Chickens. Chickens can also incubate Guinea eggs. It is also possible(kinda rare but) for a Rooster to bred with a Guinea hen...aka a Guin-Hen!  Guineas are quite the alarmists during the day but they are completely blind in the dark. If not trained to go into the "locked up" coop before dark they will roost way up in the trees(40 or or feet) or top of the barn. Their night blindness make them very susceptible to predators. Also, like Goats...they hate rain! They will find any shelter before they melt! What I mean by Guineas being alarmists.... they are a flock of "watchdogs". They can get quite loud when something is "off' on their turf! Some folks find this irritating but for us it is invaluable! They have earned their keep more times than I can count. Snakes, strangers, stray dogs, son-in-law, even a gate accidentally left open, just to mention a few.:wahoo:

Sorry for being so long winded. Did not mean to high-jack your post either. Can ya tell I love me Guineas? :lol: I hope you will look into/research adding some Guineas. I sure am glad I did.


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## GoatieGranny

I agree about the Guineas. They are awesome birds and earn their keep without a doubt. We only have 3, but we are looking for more. I'd like to have 7 or 8 of them. We find them quite valuable.


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## canyontrailgoats

Guineas are annoying as he**, but they're useful birds nonetheless


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## MsScamp

luvmyherd said:


> FYI: In California you must have a fishing license to remove a snake. And once you catch it you are not supposed to let it go. (We're talking letter of the law here. But it is true.)
> Good luck. I do hope you do not have to hurt it.


What does a fishing license have to do with removing a snake? Or is this just one of those silly laws still on the books?


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## SeventeenFarms

Last eve we found this little gal and got a pic...we just let her go after she "let go" of the egg. I know she'll be back, get bigger, and sooner or later we'll have to rehome her. But we will try to live with her for he time being, and hopefully she will help with the mice, as I think she already has.


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## luvmyherd

>>>What does a fishing license have to do with removing a snake?<<<
No idea. But it is in the fish and game rule book. There are even bag limits. It concerns all reptiles and amphibians.


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## pearnist

Ewww seventeenfarms I could've done with out that pic lol. I know they are beneficial but wish they could be away from eggs and me lol. I am doing some research on the guineas. That maybe my better road.


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## MsScamp

luvmyherd said:


> >>>What does a fishing license have to do with removing a snake?<<<
> No idea. But it is in the fish and game rule book. There are even bag limits. It concerns all reptiles and amphibians.


Ok, that explains a lot! Fish and Game generally has issues! :laugh:


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## goathiker

Well, any of you can come get my Guineas anytime. They tear chunks out of my Turkeys and Hens. They are mean mean birds to the rest of the flock. They don't do anything useful that I can see. At least the Turkeys eat the mice...

One of my Turkey hens has a hole about 2 inches by and inch clear to the bone right above her leg right now...Caused by the idiot Guinea that WILL NOT stop tearing her up. Unfortunately they can fly over every fence on the place.


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## pearnist

I want to thank everyone for all their replies and input. It helps to get opinions from others that has went through the same things. Thanks again everyone.


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## pearnist

Oh no goathiker that is awful about your chicken. How Is it doing? If you put an apron on her would that help maybe?


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## Naunnie

Oh! Wow! I can't imagine my guineas acting like that Goathiker. I started with keets and they live quite well with my Ducks and Pigeons. During breeding seasons the males spar between each other but I've never had any injuries....thank goodness!


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## luvmyherd

We also had bad luck with guineas. We bought 7 keets and when we thought they were big enough moved them from the brooder to the kennel where they promptly escaped and visited the pit bull next door leaving us with three. The other two died as adults from unknown causes and the last spent his time screaming from the roof of the barn all day. He was delicious and that ended our experience with guineas.


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## GoatieGranny

goathiker said:


> Well, any of you can come get my Guineas anytime. They tear chunks out of my Turkeys and Hens. They are mean mean birds to the rest of the flock. They don't do anything useful that I can see. At least the Turkeys eat the mice...
> 
> One of my Turkey hens has a hole about 2 inches by and inch clear to the bone right above her leg right now...Caused by the idiot Guinea that WILL NOT stop tearing her up. Unfortunately they can fly over every fence on the place.


Oh dear!! Wow! You do have a rough bunch, don't you? I can see why you don't like them. The worst ours do is chase the chickens away from the feeder when they are wanting to eat out of it. Ours live with chickens and ducks and are fine, but if they acted like yours, they would find themselves in a pickle! People here are literally on waiting lists to have the opportunity to buy them.


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## GoatieGranny

luvmyherd said:


> We also had bad luck with guineas. We bought 7 keets and when we thought they were big enough moved them from the brooder to the kennel where they promptly escaped and visited the pit bull next door leaving us with three. The other two died as adults from unknown causes and the last spent his time screaming from the roof of the barn all day. He was delicious and that ended our experience with guineas.


That does sound like a run of bad luck!

When our females went broody and ran off to the woods to sit on their nests, our male spent his days on the roof calling for his flock to come home. It was so sad, and yes, that was loud. I knew it would come to an end when the females returned, so I could deal with it. If I knew they wouldn't be home, as you did yours, I think I would have done the same thing you did! lol. Glad he tasted good!


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