Apparently there’s a snake in the hen-house. Looks like the hens had some stealthy company yesterday. The unwelcome guest left a bit of evidence behind for me to find this morning.
I searched under all of the nexts and behind the boxes and up in the rafters but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Sooner or later our paths are bound to cross, though.
Chicken snake skin
The guilty party is a chicken snake, or black rat snake. They can get quite large. The last one I found stealing eggs and chicks was nearly the same length as I am tall, around 5’7″. The one that left the skin behind looks like it might be a bit smaller. Hopefully it won’t eat all of the chicks and eggs before I catch it.
americauna henNew henblack maran hen
Right now there are three hens setting eggs and unless I can find this snake before the chicks hatch, it doesn’t bode well. I’ll move the Americauna hen to the brooder with her clutch of eggs, since she’s been setting the longest and her eggs will hatch out first.
About Wild Ozark
Wild Ozark is a nature farm. Mostly we grow rocks. I use those rocks and some of the herbs to make earth pigments and watercolor paints. We also grow native clay that I use for paint and various other things. And then there are the trees. We grow lots of trees. My husband uses some for his woodworking and some for our Burnt Kettle Shagbark Hickory Syrup, but for the most part they stand around creating good air, shade, & habitat for the ginseng nursery.
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About the voice behind this blog, Madison Woods
I'm a creative old soul living way off the beaten path with my husband in the wild Ozark Mountains. You can find my art on display and for sale at the Kingston Square Arts shop in Kingston, Arkansas. It's a tiny little town and a bit off the path to anywhere at all, but a wonderful ride out to a most beautiful part of our state. Besides homesteading, growing plants & making arts & crafty things, I write books and stories. My rural fantasy fiction, written under the pen name, Ima Erthwitch, usually takes place in a much altered Ozarks.
Madison Woods is a Nature Artist & Fantasy Author living in the wild Ozark hills of northwest Arkansas. She uses native rocks, clay, and botanicals to create works of art to capture the magic of nature. Her writing reflects her love of adventure in the rural outback.
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I hope this little fella slithers back into your life before he’s had chance to do too much damage to either eggs or chicks Madison. Happy Hunting !
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
there is nothing creepier to me than finding a snake skin, I always wonder when it was left and where is it now
Hope you find it …..
I love your hens, they are gorgeous
Take Care…You Matter…
)0(
maryrose
LOL, well, this particular snake left his skin sometime between when I checked eggs, so it wasn’t too long ago. My dog nearly jumped out of his own skin when he saw it and that was funny to see. I don’t dislike snakes. I don’t like it when they eat the eggs or chicks, though, so this one has to go. If it lets me catch it, I’ll just relocate it somewhere else far enough that it doesn’t come back, I think. Thanks for dropping by!
I hope this little fella slithers back into your life before he’s had chance to do too much damage to either eggs or chicks Madison. Happy Hunting !
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
No luck yet, but soon, I hope. I did get the longest setting hen and her eggs moved to the snake-proofed brooder cage, though.
there is nothing creepier to me than finding a snake skin, I always wonder when it was left and where is it now
Hope you find it …..
I love your hens, they are gorgeous
Take Care…You Matter…
)0(
maryrose
LOL, well, this particular snake left his skin sometime between when I checked eggs, so it wasn’t too long ago. My dog nearly jumped out of his own skin when he saw it and that was funny to see. I don’t dislike snakes. I don’t like it when they eat the eggs or chicks, though, so this one has to go. If it lets me catch it, I’ll just relocate it somewhere else far enough that it doesn’t come back, I think. Thanks for dropping by!