My Dog And The Rat Snake

[arjay]

Id forgotten about the chickens my youngest sister had when we were kids.I had thought the rooster was just territorial,now I know the little ******* was trying to eat me lol.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

I got six 2 day old chickens this year and this has been my first experience with raising them. What a blast! They are fun to watch, very friendly & each gives about 6 eggs a week. Even with the shorter days, I'm still getting about 4-5 of the best eggs imaginable every day. And yes, there is not much they wont eat but mine think raisins are like crack cocaine... they go crazy over them.

Chickens are a blast. I've been keeping a free ranging flock for about five or six years now. They are let out into a small pasture in the morning and they return to the hen house by dusk on their own, at which point I lock them in till morning against night predators. The eggs are so much better than store bought.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

Chickens are a blast. I've been keeping a free ranging flock for about five or six years now. They are let out into a small pasture in the morning and they return to the hen house by dusk on their own, at which point I lock them in till morning against night predators. The eggs are so much better than store bought.

I do the same. My 6 girls spend the day in my fenced in orchard... a bit over an acre. At dusk they come into their run, where I give them some scratch and then they head into their coop for the night. I have a motor on a timer controlling their coop door, so they get locked in at night, even if I am not home yet.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

I hate snakes

 

[Airpark]

I too have a nice black runner about 4 feet that lives in the wooded area just back of my home.

He visits the yard quite frequently and when I cut the crass he skee-daddles out of the way.

Only problem is when he sleeps on the front door mat in the late evening sunshine.

I have no problem, nor do the neighbors, in telling he is there.

My wife opens the door and lets out a scream that can be heard for MILES!

 

[J. Galt]

Too bad about the snake, but you're right, you can't really blame the dog.

 

[rog8732]

I have been told since I was a child on the farm to leave black snakes alone. They won't hurt you, and they are beneficial in getting rid of mice.

I don't live on a farm anymore, and, while I was enjoying a fine family of blue birds being raised for several weeks last spring, I came home one afternoon to see about 8 inches of black snake tail protruding from the bird house.

If Mr. "No HIPS" wanted to live, he should have had lunch where the fellow who likes blue birds did not have a hoe.

I shall not be convinced to put up with snakes anymore.

 

[LVSteve]

She was yelling,"There's a snake in the garage!" I went to the rescue thinking, "Oh, it's probably a little garter snake or something.' When I saw the thing I almost fainted. HUGE snake that looked poisonous. It didn't like me being there so it went out the dog door and went....and went....and went, the thing looked like a sea serpent going out the door. I cornered it in the yard and told my wife to get the snake book, and the gun. In that amount of time the snake took off through the grass. I got just enough of a look to see it was just a red-bellied water snake. They aren't poisonous, but they ain't friendly either. Thank goodness he'd had enough and didn't come back.

According to this website, they can be rather bad tempered. Also, they look a little like a Cottonmouth if you cannot see the belly stripe, and they spread their head to look more like a venomous snake. Bad move, just like the Gopher snakes out here that shake their tails in the brush.

Redbelly Watersnake - North Carolina

 

[patvince]

I am a big reptiles enthousiast: snakes (venomous or not), lizards (monitors are my favorites)......As guns! I could not live without them, both !
R

 

[CO_Kid]

I WISH a snake that ate ground squirrels would set up shop in my yard. Dang things are EVERYWHERE.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

I do the same. My 6 girls spend the day in my fenced in orchard... a bit over an acre. At dusk they come into their run, where I give them some scratch and then they head into their coop for the night. I have a motor on a timer controlling their coop door, so they get locked in at night, even if I am not home yet.

Sweet! I've been thinking about an automated door system for a while now.