Can snakes smell chickens?

[Imaginethat!]

I am growing my chickens in the garage. It's the only place with electric. I haven't seen a single snake here since we moved in in June. Now, a little over a week of having them in the garage, we found one right outside the door.
We're not sure what kind it is. It has a diamond pattern.

Is having chickens in the garage a dangerous/foolish thing to do? Can snakes smell them and become attracted?

Imaginethat!

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

I HOPE no one got too close to a snake with a diamond pattern because that spells RATTLESNAKE!

I'm not sure about them "smelling" chickens.......

 

[Imaginethat!]

Yes, just about next to it. We were coming back from WalMart and I can't see very well in the dark anyway and no one in the house had any lights on for us. You can bet from now on, I'll turn my lights on anytime it is after 5 pm so I don't have to depend on anyone.

I took a picture so that I could share, but now my stupid g drive won't recognize my card.

I am sooo spooked by venomous snakes.

Imaginethat!

 

[ChainedLightning]

Snakes can smell rats and cats and rabbits, but not dogs. Or, I should say, our boa constrictor can smell any rodent (rat, mouse, hamster), and cats... but the dog smell doesn't bother her at all.

Other boa's smell rabbits, haven't seen that here though - LOL (my rule when DH brought the boa home was that no bunny rabbits would die in my house).

 

[momof23goats]

snakes are snakes. Don't ever get close to a snake with diamonds on it, or any snake, if you live where there are rattlers, you probably have cotton mouths, and copper heads, all will kill ya, if you don't get to the hospital in time. The snakes were probably there, you just didn't see them. So be careful. and yes, they will kill chickens, and other animals, if they can get close enough to bit them. well, if you want chickens, you got to keep them some where, a garage will work as well as another building. there are things of the market, that you can buy, to keep snakes at bay, but I have no idea if they work, around here, a hoe, shovel, or gun, work really well against snakes, of all kinds, the only good snake I can think of is a dead one.

 

[Imaginethat!]

There are so many different type snakes around here that are venomous that I don't trust any of them being near me!

Imaginethat!

 

[Vere My Sone]

Hey Mom of a bunch of goats (we only have 5 obies
Kingsnakes are good guys--
wish we had a bunch to take care of all the cotton mouths

 

[ioujc]

There are several things you can do.....

but I'm not sure how it will effect your chickens. To repel snakes from an area, buy powdered lime and sprinkle in a dense circle around the building. This will keep snakes from crossing into the area. Snakes already present in the area will be "trapped" however. Also, mothballs work well as a repellent, but your chickens might eat them. DO NOT spend money on expensive "snake repellants"...they consist of a very weak concetration of crushed moth balls, and that's it!!! Also, try a combination of powdered sulfer and the lime, again making a wide, solid band around the area. You will have to re-apply the repellents every so often. For instance, everytime it rains and if the "barriar" gets worn down by people walking across it, ect. Are your chickens in cages? That would make application of any of these much easier. Be warned....ANY of these STINK and the moth balls "supposedly" can cause you (or your animals) to pass out....though we have never had that problem, and we raise rabbits and use these "formulas" all the time.

 

[Imaginethat!]

They are in a tractor with a house (the ones big enough to be outside) and the ones in my garage are in rubbermaid totes. Thank-you for your advice though. I'm planning on trying it. Snakes give me the heebee geebies.

Well snakes here do because I'm never sure if they are venomous or not. Where I used to live snakes were cool, cause they weren't poisonous.

Imaginethat!