Once before, I’ve caught a snake in the henhouse, but never in the act of swallowing an egg. Here’s the sight that greeted me a few weeks ago when I went out to collect in the evening. This is an eastern ratsnake: the only snake in Virginia that gets longer than six feet! It is not venomous and avoids humans as much as possible. It is also–for reasons now obvious–called a “chicken snake.”
I wonder what this hard-working snake would say if I told her it was possible to break the egg and then eat it. But I guess she has the swallowing down to an art, because when I came back an hour or so later, not only was she gone, but so were two additional eggs. Time to close up a few of those holes the chickens have been digging around the base of the coop!
gettin' fresh! 
I showed the girls this picture and Arabella got very upset, as I am sure you can imagine, that this “bad snake” was eating her precious eggs 🙂
Haha! Classic Arabella!
Not quite sure what to say. “Wow” sort of sums it up.
Hi Sharon. Coming from a country with no snakes I would find this absolutely terrifying! I’m so glad there is no chance of encountering anything like this in my chicken coup! You seem so calm about it all – very brave I’d say!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Oh, don’t think I’m not startled every time I see one! But here in the U.S., snakes are pretty much par for the course. And overall, we’re happy to have the ratsnakes and black racers around–because they keep down the copperhead population. Where I live, that’s the most common venomous snake.
I wonder, though, how you New Zealanders got so lucky, especially living in such close proximity to Australia and all its venomous species!
Oh,GOOD ON YOU, Sharon, for letting her do her thing. I compliment you very enthusiastically !!!, and wish everyone was as understanding of Ma Nature as are you. Big cyber hug !!!!