Rat snake suspect in hen leg injury

Almost a month ago our Rhode Island Red hen recieved an injury to her leg. The vet said it was probably broken and said that she could exray and if broken, could try to fix it, but would be espensive and probably would not work. I decided to have her put to sleep. Someone in her office called and said the vet really liked her and that if signed her over to them, she would try to save her anyway. We did. A little over a week ago, one of my Leghorn hens recieved a similar injury where she would not put any weight on one of her legs. I was thinking that something like a coyote, fox, coon, or an o'possum or something got the RIR and she escaped. My aunt came to house sit this past weekend and questioned if a snake could have done it. I started thinking that to hens escaping from a toothy predator with the same type of injury was not likely. We have several 5' - 6' rat snakes around here and they are constrictors. Could one of those attacked the hens while trying to get the eggs?

I also have several guineas and heard that they kill snakes. Mine do not. Is it because the snakes are too large or maybe because my chickens are older than the guineas and taught them tolerance?

Thanks, Mike

mike, how old are the y guineas? it could be they are not big enought to kill snakes

Mike,

If I suspected a 6 foot long snake was able to get into my hen house ... I'd make the place impenetrable. The only snakes here (bull snakes) reach half that size at most. Our chickens eat the little baby bull snakes and garter snakes who make the mistake of slithering into the poultry area. If my wife saw a 6 foot snake here on our property ... I'd be fearful of her moving back home to Japan with our kids.

Kelly in Moxee

It doesn't sound like a snake injury. The snake, if it was after the chicken, would have struck and constricted to kill it, and tried to swallow the hen, not just bit it on the foot or leg. And if it was after eggs, and the hen startled it, it might have struck at the hen out of fear, but that would be either a closed-mouth strike, or a strike-and-release (as opposed to something chomping down and not letting go). I can't see a snake that size able to break a hen's leg by biting the leg. I'd suspect a mammal of some sort.

The guineas that I have left are a little over a year old, I lost my last older French Guinea about two months ago but they did not kill snakes either. I might try some snake away to keep the snakes out, but my chickens free range. I usually just move the snakes to the pasture when caught around the hen house, but if they are doing the damage, I might start taking them to the creek. Rodents thrive without snakes though. No bite marks on either hen, but constrictors rarely kill by biting, they usually squeeze. Rat snakes around here do not get anywhere near large enough to eat a full grown hen, not even a leghorn. If something of all the above mentioned predators know around here was trying to eat the hens, the snake is the only one not a suspect. Still wondering if a snake too small to eat a hen could squeeze a leg injury on one. I never heard of such a thing other than something small enough for them to eat. I need my snakes, but will not tolerate a rogue snake at the expense of my hens. Thanks for the repies,
Mike

You mean injury just by constricting her leg? I don't think a snake would do that. A small snake wouldn't be able to break a leg just by squeezing it, and a large snake would likely constrict the whole bird, not just her leg.

If there are no bite marks, could the hens be getting their legs caught somewhere and twisting them? Somewhere they are trying to roost?

The leghorn made a full recovery. Still thinking that a large rat snake could have wrapped around the whole hen a couple of times and squeezed enough to hurt her, but not enough to kill her, and a leg possibly being in a bad position during the attack. Both were hurt in the hen house and not much in there to get hurt on. Thanks for the replies,
Mike

thanks for the update!