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Old 06-05-2016, 06:43 PM   #15
Aozora
So our egg production began dropping suddenly about 3 weeks ago. We went from getting 4 eggs a day to none. We knew black rat snakes were around, because we've seen them and we even saw trails in the straw--we just couldn't find them.

Then, in the past week, we caught and put into temporary indoor housing no fewer than 4 big black rat snakes. 2 a few days ago, and 2 today. All of them over 4 feet long. And all of them curled up *inside* the coop, under the nests. It looks like they were living there and holding shoving matches over who got first dibs. No wonder we haven't been getting any eggs!

All 4 got loaded into pillow cases and given free field trips. We released them about a mile and a half away, in the middle of a huge stand of lumber pines. I figure that should give us about a weeks' reprieve. I would have taken pictures, but a black rat snake looks like every other black rat snake. One of them copped an attitude at us--I think that one was our old friend #3 from the other thread.