cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/431481
I recently inherited a chicken coop & small flock from a friend that had to give them up. They've got a big-ass yard to forage in with lots of grass, tree cover, and all the pumpkin plants they can destroy because i wasnt planning on having chickens when i planted them. Still learning birdcare, but half of them have learned to love headpets and are as fat & happy as I can keep them.
However they've also attracted rat snakes & racer snakes to the coop. None of the snakes in my area are big enough to eat a full grown chicken, but it's stressing the chickens out and they keep trying to eat the eggs.
I dont wanna hurt any of the snakes, they're adorable and dopey, but im grabbing a 4 foot frightened snake out of the coop everynight. I keep sealing up new gaps and they keep showing me new ones. Its getting kinda old & I'm starting to wonder if its a different snake every night or just a few really persistent lil guys.
Is there a way to get them to fuck off? And how do biologists tag snakes? Is there like, a little thing i can clip into a scale or is it safe to hit them with a dab of paint or something? Cause if its just the same 2 dumbasses i keep greeting everynight i can just drive them to a nearby lake what i imagine snake heaven would be.
~~I thought about spraypaint, but i don't know if that'll hurt the snake. Would definitely piss it off. I figured a bit of nail polish would do the trick, but i dont know if thats bad for snakes either. And then at least i'd have a firm grasp on a pissed off snake.~~ Was informed this was a terrible idea. DO NOT paint snakes.
I've got a lot of rats & fieldmice around the house, so i dont mind the snakes. I just want to stop them from trying to raid my coop.