Jul 2007

May 5, 2007 Chickensnake...Eggeater
I find 6 - 7 non poisonous egg eating snakes around the farm or around the hen house during the year. I find a rattle snake about once every 18 months during the last 30 years.. Notice that the chicken snake has round pupils and a head that conforms to the width of it's body. A poisonous snake has elliptical pupils and the head has a more triangular shape as outlined in white. This 5' snake I removed further into the woods. It will probably find it's way back but I have alot of eggs currently. These snakes will eat small rodents, baby cottontail rabbits and other small game. I sometime will drive a non poisonous snake to a more remote location and release it. In that instance it dangles partially wrapped around my outstretched arm as if I'm signaling a left turn while driving. I once performed a "C" section on a chicken snake to remove some almost hatched peahen eggs....I was too late and the peahen pushed them from her nest after a day. I was hoping for bragging rights to a peacock that had once been a peacock, transformed to a snake and then back to a peacock. Now that's reincarnation.