Need advise on how to keep Black Snakes out of my Chicken Shack Please!

[s219]

Around here, black snakes keep the mouse/rodent population in check and will also deter copperheads from the area. So I protect them despite my inclination otherwise. I'd definitely try snake proofing the chicken coop first.

 

[/pine]

Around here, black snakes keep the mouse/rodent population in check and will also deter copperheads from the area. So I protect them despite my inclination otherwise. I'd definitely try snake proofing the chicken coop first.

FWIW..."King" snakes primary prey is often other poisonous snakes...the "Eastern Black" king snake can often have whitish markings but often just the underside shows white...they are an extremely beneficial snake to have around your property...they are very docile and easily approached (which make them easy targets for uninformed humans)...

Although even venomous snake have a place in the ecosystem...we use to kill or remove several every year in the yard and gardens...since we started seeing eastern black king snakes several years ago we have not killed or removed any copperheads or rattlesnakes...

 

[Gary Fowler]

I am glad I don't have a black snake problem. I don't pen up my chickens but rather let them free range but I do put up nest/laying boxes. I would hate to have a big "chicken" snake laying in one of them as I would be tempted to kill it for sure after sticking my face in the box checking for eggs.

I have heard that if you have several laying boxes, just put a hole between each box and put some fake eggs in each box, the snake will eat the "unbreakable" egg from one nest box then crawl thru the hole to the next box where he will eat another "egg" at which time he will have an egg in him on each side of the wooden plank. You will then have him trapped. You could then force the eggs back up and out of the snake and remove the snake if you so desired.

 

[deepNdirt]

Around here, black snakes keep the mouse/rodent population in check and will also deter copperheads from the area. So I protect them despite my inclination otherwise. I'd definitely try snake proofing the chicken coop first.

Yup! this is the way I see it, I'd rather deal with 1 or 2 snakes than hundreds of mice and their poop everywhere,
I have two black snake that hang around taking care of the rodent population,
3 months ago we adopted a rooster and his two hens, ever since the first day we been taking in 2 eggs each day, we decide to leave 10 eggs.... we now have 10 two weeks old chicks, I been kinda concerned that the snakes might want them, But so far still 10 chicks So I suppose the snakes stay full of the mice, and perhaps have a taste for them only,

 

[Old Virginia Joe]

Mothballs are cheap, and they seem to last quite awhile. I just spread a box of them all around the outside of the house.Eddie

Cheap?! What do you consider cheap, and where are you buying these cheap mothballs? All I see anymore, they cost more per pound than I pay for MEAT! To me, they have gone sky high! Such a rip off, for what they are. Please, do tell!

 

[Old Virginia Joe]

One of the first things you might do is to make up a bunch of wooden chicken eggs and paint them white....

Paint them white? Suppose the snake you're after prefers brown eggs? Maybe you better paint one white and one brown?

 

[Jstpssng]

Old golf balls may have the same effect as fake eggs... I know that I've used them to retrain egg-eating hens.

We don't have black snakes (or poisonous ones... :thumbsup) around here, but a biologist once told me that the snakea we do have don't eat many mice.