Warning! There’s a “S” picture!
This afternoon I was messing around in the kitchen and heard thunder so I thought I’d better go out and get eggs, and refill the chickens’ water.
The Marans (the last chicks that we got in April) reside in the west side of the big duplex and they aren’t laying yet but they do get in the laying boxes and scratch around in the wood shavings. When I opened the coop door to get the water out, I saw a big dark spot in one of the laying boxes and I thought “WOW! They’re pooping in the laying boxes”, then I realized it was a snake. It’s been several weeks since a snake has been in the coop. Right after we find one in there, I’m very cautious and nervous about snakes but, as time goes on, I get more relaxed and don’t even think about them . . til I see another one.
Some of you tell me I’m brave. I am not! Every time I see a snake in the coop, my first thought is . . I can’t do this any more! But then I realize I’m not giving up what I love because of snakes.
After seeing the snake in the coop, I thought . . Vince will be home in an hour. I’ll leave it and he can deal with it but who wants to come home on a Friday afternoon, wanting to sit down and drink a beer, only to be met by a wife screaming that there’s a snake in the coop. Having chickens and living in the country is my dream . . not his . . so I dealt with it.
I went and got the snake grabber, which I had not used before. The snake was curled up and mostly buried in the wood shavings. I could only see a small part of him and didn’t know which end had the tail and which end had the head but I grabbed on to what I saw and it was right near the tail. As I pulled him out, he was slithering everywhere with about 90% of him (head end) free. The handle on that snake grabber is not long enough if you ask me!
As I was going out the fence with him, I got too close to the fence and he went through it and then wove himself through the wire so he had some traction and I couldn’t pull him out. The snake grabber was slipping! I was tempted to let go and hope to re-grab him in a better position but was afraid to try that. It didn’t help that 15 chickens had gathered around and were right in my way, trying to see what was happening.
I managed to get him out, and get the golf balls back.
Please don’t give me a lecture on letting rat snakes live. I agree .. they do some good . . til they move into the chicken coop. Once they’ve consumed a golf ball or wooden egg, they aren’t going to survive anyway.
As soon as I was done, look who gets home. Good timing, Vince!
Valerie J. Zagami says
You are brave and a good chicken mom!!
Cynthia says
My opinion, only good snake is a dead snake. Glad you were brave enough to get it out, I’d be screaming and running into the house….
tiptopquilts says
I’d have left the snake for Vince!
Sherrill says
YIKES! That’s would’ve been scary having snagged it on the wrong end. Darned snakes!
Lorraine Bujnowski says
Yikes! Brave woman.
Stephani in N. TX says
Applause for every act of bravery. It makes you stronger. So I say for myself!
Cilla Tyler says
A farmer has to do what a farmer has to do. If he ate golf balls, eggs and chickens would be next. n the ground I’d let them be. Invade my house or an animal house, you’re toast!!!!!!
Diann says
I couldn’t live there. No way!
dezertsuz says
You are brave. Just like a pioneer woman. =) He would have been eating your eggs and chickens, obviously, so you did what needed to be done. Lucky Vince. Besides, if you’d waited, he might have moved somewhere you couldn’t find him! Strike while the iron … er, snake … is hot … um, visible. LOL
Dar in MO says
Oh my ! I don’t think I could have been quite that brave either, especially when I saw which end I had. With his “biting” end free to slither around, I probably would have dropped him. I think I recognize those golf balls. ha ha.