Thanks for the info, gents.

When you have chickens, you'd find snakes. This rat snake was dispatched by a python. All that yella is yolk from my eggs.

He does not feel very good it appears.

That is a bug eyed snake

surprising

Great shot. I've waiting for some additions to the chicken thread. We get lots of coachwhips and bull snakes in the panhandle, but are rattlers prone to egg snatching? That makes checking the coop a whole different ballgame.

Someone should have told that rat snake not to eat eggs! haha

yup; when you have chickens, EVERY predator (& egg/feed thief) finds you/them.
BUT, I now re-locate the GOOD snakes; I'd rather be 'pestered' by them occasionally than be overrrun by rats/mice and copperheads . . . .

I usually do. I'm not a snake killer in general. We have had a speckled king snake for a few years now. I hope its still around this year.

I say again, "Are rattlers prone to egg snatching?"

Yes and no. After searching about it some, it doesn't sound like rattlesnakes are big egg eaters.

Thank you for the info, sir. Raising chickens will remain on the bucket list.

new carpet for the girls

Finally got the chickens in the new set up until they ready to roam the yard... been letting them out in the pen every afternoon to scratch they are loving life compared to the old water tank they were in lol.. had an old frame I made use of for the pen

nice setup Nav

We picked up another dozen hens and one rooster last night. Hopefully they will integrate good they are still small.

Walter

Watch them, the bigger birds might kill the little ones while establishing the pecking order.

Old trampoline?

I have them in a little pen for dogs with a cattle panel over the top right now. Inside the chicken run. So they can see each other and still be safe from predators and the other chickens for a little while before we send them in to battle. There was three bigger chickens in the group so we put them straight in with the other and watched them for a few hours. They were in the coop up on the best bars last night and can't even tell which ones are new, so they found their place.

Walter

That is great Payne.

I need a better feeder in the run so they don't waste so much or it gets wet. I'm set on buying one of these. But they are 92 dollars each or 76 if you buy two or more. Shipping is like 80 bucks. So if I find someone else that wants one I'm getting it.

Holds fifty pounds of feed. Good for up to 100 chickens they say.

Between that and a waterer I'm working on that'll be made out of a 55 gallon drum. It will be much easier to take care of them and a lot less work which means more fun.

Walter

Mine always scratched all the feed out of feeders, I just hand feed what they'll eat in a day.

I use one like this in the coop, dump it daily for fresh water.

Yezzir