As usual, spring has brought out another one of our resident predators. Instead of killing the chickens, this one likes to eat the eggs. Friday, I when I went to gather the eggs I found a five foot snake in the hen's nest. The chicken snake, also called a rat snake, has a taste for mice but when given the opportunity he will raid a nest of eggs. I really like snakes and hate to kill them, so I usually just carry them away from the house. I took this one over to our hay barn hoping he would help reduce the mice population.
Becky has always thought the same snake was coming back. To test her theory, I spray painted this one's tail with fluorscent orange marking paint. I carried him off late Friday afternoon and he was back in the chickens' nests by noon on Monday. I knew it was the same snake because of the orange tail. Over the past 40 years I have carried away over 100 snakes. I now wonder how many of those were making the return trip.
The moral of this story: Carrying a snake almost a mile away, having it cross two hills, and one swamp will not guarantee its return.
