Snakes are scary creatures. They can be dangerous not just to us but also our animals and chickens are no exception.
If you have chicken coops, you must be very careful about snakes because they may end up eating the egg and killing your chickens. In this blog post, we are going to talk about snake infestation and how we can prevent them from creating a ruckus.
Do chickens attract snakes?
Before we start talking about the main topic, we must learn whether chickens attract snakes. It is a common belief that if you have chickens, you will end up worrying about snakes. However, that’s not the truth.
Snakes usually come in when they know that there are rodents because that’s what they primarily feed on. Do chickens attract rodents then? No, not really. It is probably their food that does. So, if you keep rodents away by adopting a few measures, you will be able to keep snakes away to a large extent.
Are there snakes in the chicken coop?
Sometimes it may be as obvious as seeing the snake and freaking out. Other times you may feel or see signs of snakes in the coop. The moment this happens, you should first confirm whether you are really dealing with snakes or whether the problem is something else altogether. Here are some signs to look for:
1. Snakeskins: Snakes shed. If you see snake skin anywhere in the coop, there is definitely a snake there.
2. Eggshells with no yolk: Snakes tend to regurgitate eggshells. If you see any eggshells that are cylindrical in shape, you know what that means!
3. Missing eggs: Egg eating snakes could be in your coop. Fewer or missing eggs are a huge sign of this.
How to Keep Snakes Out Of Chicken Coop?
There are quite a few simple and humane ways of ensuring that snakes do not enter your chicken coop. Here, we shall discuss some of the most practical ones:
1. How are they coming in? Even a small gap is enough for a snake to slither into the coop. Check the entire area and find out if there are openings like this. Shut that opening, and you will be able to keep snakes away. If there’s a fence, remember that it should only be 1/4th inch.
2. Create a coop apron using a wire mesh that you place under the coop. This is an excellent barrier against snakes.
3. Think about getting rid of the main cause: rodents! Make sure the coop doesn’t look like an amazing place for rats and mice. You can do that by storing the chicken feed carefully without making it easily accessible to rodents.
4. Use a trap! Make sure you pick out humane traps so that you don’t hurt or kill the snake. You don’t really need to do that! It should be your absolute last resort if the snake is already there. We recommend calling professionals, though.
If a snake is already in the coop, have a professional or snake catcher get rid of it. Prevention is always better than cure, though, and we must take adequate measures to safeguard our chickens.