Found a snake in the coop this morning and my heart stopped

I was doing the morning feed in my backyard in Austin and saw a 4 foot rat snake curled up under the nesting boxes. I grabbed a rake and a bucket, gently nudged it into the bucket, and let it go in the field behind my house. The girls were fine, just a bit spooked. Anyone have a good way to snake-proof a coop without making it stuffy?

3 comments

3 Comments

price.tyler4d ago

Got a similar scare last year with a garter snake in the woodpile. Makes you move quick, doesn't it?

mark73121d ago

My old coop in San Marcos had 1/4 inch hardware cloth over the vents. Kept the snakes out but still let the air move. It's a pain to install but it works.

butler.mark21d ago

Four feet is a serious snake, man. Good on you for the bucket rescue instead of going straight to panic mode. My only snake proofing tip is to make sure the coop is tighter than a drum, but then you're right back to the stuffy problem.