We lost two baby chicks last night, they were 3 weeks old. The poor little Silkie mama just doesn't know what to do this morning. She has no babies now. She clucks for them the poor thing. I feel so bad for her. We figure it had to be a snake since there is no sign of anything, they just vanished. We have 4 more mamas with babies we are going to have to secure better somehow. Any suggestions?
Two babies gone, probably a snake, any suggestions.....
Snakes can't go through hardware cloth but they can easily go through chicken wire i have had that happen.
I would secure their area with hardware cloth so the snake can't get in.
Oh gosh.. I'm so sorry that happened to you!! Sounds like it could be a cat or even a bird? I lost chicks to a cat.. it's a puzzle till you see the cat coming back for more! Are they under cover from birds?
Seramas are so tiny they are vulnerable. I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you find out what it was for sure.
The chicks were full size they just had a Silkie for a mom. This happened during the night so that is why we think snake. Our outdoor cat has never messed with the chicks, he was near a mama and baby once, not even paying attention to them and got attacked by her so I don't think he would bother them. We have a dog and they are in the yard close to the house so if anything would have been in the yard she would have been barking and we heard nothing last night. A couple of mornings ago our dog was barking like mad, my husband went out the back door and there was a coyote close to one of the chickens pens, by the time he got his gun it took off.
Smedge! I'm so sorry about the babies, and yes the poor momma is beside herself. We are very fortunate here, we don't have any snakes except tiny garden snakes, they aren't big enough to eat anything but bugs. This might be a good reason to build a pen of of hardware cloth and put it on the wall of the coop about three feet from the floor. I keep all pullets in the pens until they are three months old or am satisfied they can and will roost off of the floor. I hate snakes.
Smedge there was a very large complex called WOODHOLLOW in Baytown, and when I worked for the County I would go over three times a week as they had a huge pond with lots of cottonmouths, and I patrolled that area. There were lots and lots of kids around so I'd go over as I said and kill the mocassins. It seemed every time it poured we get calls about snakes in the lower apartments. Hate snakes.. Have a better day I hope. Haystack
I went this morning and got more hardware cloth, we were out. My husband is going to snake proof their pens better this evening.
Haystack I don't care at all for snakes either. We see them a lot and we have some bad ones at the pond too. I always tell the kids that if they go anywhere near the pond to be careful and watch for snakes. We live in a more wooded area so there are lots of them out there. We try to keep the grasses mowed down especially close to the house and chickens. Every now and then we find one in the big hen house eating eggs. We had one 5ft long a while back.
Wow.. I am so sheltered... I don't mind snakes, actually, I like them.. I can catch them as long as they are not poisonous. When residents freak out about one under their house.. I catch em and put them under my house. LOL No big ones, just garder snakes or king snakes.. 4' is about average..
Hmmmmm Question on this one.
Were the chicks penned in?
And if so, how would a snake get out after eating them?
Just wondering as I don't think they can digest them that fast and they would swallow them whole. I saw it happen with a frog.
Not sure, just wondering.
Kassy! two little baby chicks would not make much of a bulge in many of those big Texas snakes. I was telling Smedge I worked snake patrol for the Harris County Sheriffs dept, very close to where she lives. I can tell you from experience they have so very large snakes in that area. I still have pic's of snakes (Mocassins) from when I was there. Hay
I had a moccasin steal a goldfish out of our fountain. He was unable to go back out through the chicken wire that encloses the courtyard due to the bulge of the goldfish. After I chased him around for a while, he was determined to escape and regurgitated the fish, after which he easily slid back out through the wire! It wasn't a very large fish but it created a visible lump.
hmm didn't' know snakes eat goldfish... bet that's where my goldfish went that I put in the fountain a month back. We've got moccasins down by the creek & over by the pond here.
I wish our snakes stayed 4' or shorter.. most of ours range from 6' & up. Let me tell you, stepping out the back door & feeling something large & slightly squishing under your foot them feeling 4' of it curl around your ankle is scary.. realizing its over 6' long is even worse. The neighbors 4 houses up heard me scream that morning.
So far (knock on wood) I'm lucky enough that the snakes have ignored my chicken coop. BUT it sits 2.5 ft off the ground on stilts like a rabbit hutch. So maybe the snakes can't see my chickens. I'm still afraid I'm going to reach in for eggs one night & find a snake instead.
Haystack, 3 week old Chicks are a pretty good size. I remember how fast ours grew when I only got to see them once ever 1 1/2 weeks.
And I remember when I was young, and my mom went after a Pine snake that she was afraid was headed for our front door. It had a buldge in it. She Chopped it in half to kill it with a hoe (only thing handy. I would have used a gun......LOL) And as she was lifting one of the ends of him with the hoe to dispose of him. A toad slid out of him. Now I don't think I have seen a toad around here as big as a 3 week old chick.
And how would a big texas snake get thought the wire if they are that big?
Just asking.
They were in a pen and I wonder too how the snake could have done it, but that is the only thing we can think of that did it. There is absolutely no trace of the chicks whatsoever. Snakes can find their way in and out where we wouldn't even think they could. This happened at night so snake is the only thing we could think of especially considering where we have them. Nothing else could have gotten to them but a snake. And they were pretty good size already.
smedgekles, Did the pen also have a bottom and top? Chicken wire?
This is really a stange one.
If ours are raised by the mother outside, the mother and the chicks are in a pen that has 1/4 inch wire, on all side, bottom and top. About the only things that can make it into that pen is insects, and good luck to them at getting out if they find their way in. They will be a treat for the chicken :)