May 23, 2004

SNAKE!!!!!! I never thought I would have nerve to pick up a snake until I saw my dead chicken (see below) and the broken eggs. I ran and got some gloves and reached in and yanked him out of his cozy little spot. As soon as I picked him up, he/she regurgitated egg. Arnie cut his head off and we saw more egg shells. Last year we learned not to give reprieves to chicken snakes - I caught one just about it eat a chick at 10:00 p.m. and I threw him out in the pasture but he came back the next night and ate the chick anyway. This snake was in the stall at noon eating eggs when I found him so either he is a glutton or really hungry. No mercy for any critter who kills my chickens!!!

(I don't normally wear my hair in my face, it's really windy today)

Here's our poor chicken who, apparently wouldn't move from the eggs for the snake so she gave her life (it looks as if the snake tried to swallow her head first because her head and neck are wet and slimy.

	This is what is left of the eggs poor mother hen was brooding.
	Here she is(on the bottom) from our blog on May 8.

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