I walked in on a snake in my chicken pen. I normally left my lights on in the pen, but that week, i decided to start saving energy (cuz it don't grow on trees, only in wind) and started turning the lights off. i had just gotten these lights installed about a month before and LOVED them but it was time to save energy. one night, i walked into the pen after dark (can't remember why i went to check on them anymore) and i was about the pull the light switch (you can kinda see the string hanging from the light) and noticed that it was oddly shaped. i walked closer to the light switch hanging and realized that it was the head of a snake hanging down from the lights. even in the dark, i could see it flicker out its tongue as to try and figure out who just walked in. as i looked down to see what it was aiming towards, i saw my wyondottes huddled together, fast asleep, not really aware of what was lurking up right above their heads.So i ran back to the house and grabbed...my camera. LOL. it was one of the most awesome sights i'd ever seen. the way the snake was hanging right above the chickens. definitely a kodak moment. i wasn't afraid of it eating my chickens since they were 8 weeks old and much too big for a mouthful. i don't care how big their jaws come apart, he wasn't going to be able to swallow. the pullets and cockerals must have been making a rattle trying to settle in for the night, and with the darkness, i guess the snake decided to take a chance.
so after taking these pictures, i had to get rid of the snake. i actually like snakes and i know i have a couple of them living in my feed room to help with the mice population. i figured he was one of them who decided to get greedy. i first called my next door neighbor who told me to call the sheriff's department. he didn't want to have anything to do with snakes and told me to just shoot it. knowing me, i figured i'd end up shooting the chickens. but i did take up on his recommendation of calling the sheriff's office. the dispatcher understood my situation and said she'd have a deputy come help me with the snake right away.
in the meantime, i went and got me an empty feed bag, bundgy cord, and a metal rake with the short, hard prongs and proceeded to poke him with the stick side, out of the pen. you may be thinking "What did you do??!!" but because he wasn't hissing back, i figured he was a rat snake and i knew he would not try to bite me. he started slithering out of the pen using the rafters into the horse pen next stall over. i was amazed at how they are able to maneuver around seemlessly without having supports to hold them up. i watched as his muscles flexed and unflexed which held on to the sides of the 2X12 boards.
When he got to the horse stall, i took the rake side and hooked him down to the ground. up until this point, i did not realize how big this snake really was. stretched out, he was actually almost 8 feet long and hea...vvvy! it took a hard grab to bring him down and THUD, he landed on the ground RIGHT BY MY FEET. i did the little firecracker dance and screamed like a little girl. LOL but came right to my senses when he started slithering away. i was not about to let him get away so i pinned his head down to the ground with the rake, reached for my feed sack and when i loosened the grip on his head, he went right into the feed bag. at that point, i picked up the bag, closed the top and loosely closed it by wrapping the bundgy cord around the bag opening. i didn't want him to get out but i didn't know how much air he needed. i promptly took him to my front gate where i figured i'd pick up the bag in the morning on my way to work and let him out AWAY from my property.
As i was walking back to the house, my phone rings and it's the deputy. he says, "i hear you have a snake problem". i told him that it was taken care of and thank you for the call, to which he replied "oh, thank goodness, cuz i would have screamed like a little girl, i HATE snakes!" LOL. too funny.
the next morning, i took the bag to the edge of the canal, where i let him go. he hastily left the bag and to my surprise, went into the water and swam away. go figure. they sure are very adaptable beings.
