# Never kill a black snake



## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

I got this in an email:

All my life I've been told not to kill black snakes because they kill poisonous snakes, 
but this is the first time I've actually seen proof. 
*
The guy who snapped these photos said the rattler was still rattling all the way down!!! *


















Notice the rattle!


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Nice. I like animals and bugs that eat the things that eat me.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

I watched a Black Snake kill and eat a Copperhead that was as large as he was about eight years ago. I had always heard that they did this but realy did not believe it until I saw it myself !


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

I never kill black snakes. If they are around the house, they are there for a reason. I wish I had a couple roaming here to get rid of the stupid garden raiding rabbits that I'm not "allowed" to kill.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Awesome. I had always heard that they kill poisonous snakes but I thought it was just an old wives tale. Like Harvest, I always figured they were hanging around the house for a reason.


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## CapnJack (Jul 20, 2012)

Snakes are one of them things that I really don't care for. I mean they move without wings legs or flippers! What's up with that?! Regardless I never kill them since whenever I see one, they don't bother me, so I figure live and let live. That was a pretty interesting post, and like many others, I had heard but never knew. So wow!


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## ntvtxn (Jul 19, 2012)

I hadn't heard that about black snakes. I might have to rethink my view on some snakes


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## 1969cj-5 (Sep 14, 2011)

They will also eat your eggs...


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## HarleyRider (Mar 1, 2010)

I never kill anything that ain't tryin' to kill me (unless it is an animal that's gonna be my dinner).


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

1969cj-5 said:


> They will also eat your eggs...


That are only days from the hatch! :gaah:

They also like new born baby rabbits. :club:

I'll leave them alone if they will leave my critters alone.

(Cool pictures! Thanks for posting!):flower:


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

eeewwwww!!!!!! I don't think I'd be living wherever that is where there's rattle snakes and black snakes hanign out in my yard. I'd have to move


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

We don't have poisonous snakes where I live. I know we have some bigger snakes but I've never seen one that wasn't a garter snake or a grass snake. I found a link to snakes that are found in Wisconsin:

http://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/file/wisconsin/snakes/Snakes of Wisconsin.pdf

There's one called a Northern Redbelly snake that's only 8-10 inches long. That would be a perfect size to put in a 10 gallon aquarium and feed it worms.


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## Beaniemaster2 (May 22, 2012)

When we bought our farm we were told to leave the black snakes alone cause they take care of the mice but after one got 8 of our new chicks we had no other choice but to kill it... Hate to kill anything but sometimes.....


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

I was out by my chicken house this morning and watched what looked to be a 6' black snake crawled out of the woods and along the enclosure, then slither into the fence and proceed beneath the hen house. I watched from just a few feet away while having a .22 pistol on my hip with the first two shots being rat shot.

Did I shoot the snake? Nope! I'll gladly allow him/her an egg or two knowing its around.


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

When I was building the chicken coop I had a big black snake up the oak tree outside the coop after a dove nest, fliped the snake out of the nest but didnt kill it,then I snake proffed the chicken coop (I hope) I do like haveing anything around that eat mice and poisinous snakes, can't tolerate either. Oh by the way the chickens eat mice and small snakes damnd things will eat anything that don't eat them first!


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Cool photos. Any idea where the photos were taken? Not all "black" snakes eat other snakes. Black Kingsnakes eat other snakes. They will take other prey, like lizards, rodents ( another reason not to kill them ), birds, and eggs.



> Some snake species look quite similar and may be difficult for those inexperienced with snakes to confidently identify. Among these are several species of southeastern snakes commonly called "black snakes" because of their primarily black coloration. These include the Black Swampsnake, Black Ratsnake, Ring-necked Snake, Red-bellied Mudsnake, Black Pinesnake, Eastern Indigo Snake and the Southern Black Racer. The latter two - Eastern Indigo and Black Racer-are the species most often referred to as "black snakes".
> 
> In addition to those listed above, individuals of several species of water snakes, the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake and the *venomous Cottonmouth Moccasin may be black colored *to a great extent, depending on the age of the individual and the habitat in which it is found. The following is a list of black-colored snakes found in the southeastern U.S., the habitats they occur in and some identifying features. The Eastern Indigo Snake and Southern Black Racer are given special consideration.


From this website: University of Florida IFAS Extension

It's my opinion that no snake should be killed because it's a snake. All have their place in this world. Now if it's a matter of life or death, then yes, kill it; especially if it's poisonous. However, most snakes help keep rodent populations down, and snake populations are on the decline.

Learn what the different snakes look like in your area. If you want to protect your chickens and the eggs then work hard at snake proofing the coop, but snakes are notorious for getting through tight spots.

Most snakes WANT to avoid you. If you spot one it's best to leave them be, and go about your business so they can go about theirs. If their predation becomes a problem, then yes, eliminate the problem, but just remember, God made them for a reason.

Almost forgot. If you really don't like snakes here's a good way to control them...



> Guineas are an interesting addition to your farm or acreage. They have great personalities. Guineas are the farm yard watch dog, sounding the alarm whenever anything unusual occurs. They will consume large amounts of insects and seldom bother your garden or flowers. They are easy and inexpensive to raise. Once started, they fend for themselves, living on insects, seeds, and grasses. They control deer ticks, wood ticks, grasshoppers, box elder bugs, flies crickets, and all other insects. Their call will discourage rodents. They will kill snakes, and will alert you to anything unusual.


Guinea Fowl

I hope this info helps someone.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Guineas, I will agree with it all but "seldom bother your garden or flowers" ~ Mine didn't get that memo ...


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I grew up in Stone Mt.Ga with all kinds of snakesome had legs.But we never killed them unless they chased us in the water.Then mama would use her S&W 38 on them.One day I was in a creek washing wall rugs.One was the Ten Commandments.I was singing stomp the bread but don't stomp the wine.mama said it was blashemy.2 large cotton mouths crawled out from under the flat rock,one stood up and danced in front of me.mama of course said 'don't move'!She shot that one and the other one came up tp her.She had to kill both of them,then she beat the hell out of me,literily.I have several experiances with snakes.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

*Andi said:


> Guineas, I will agree with it all but "seldom bother your garden or flowers" ~ Mine didn't get that memo ...


Really? Oh well maybe they did get the memo, but like the honey badger maybe they just don't give a... well you get the idea.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

Cool pics We don't have poisonous snakes in Western WA. Still I don't kill anything I can not name lunch or dinner


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Jezcruzen said:


> I was out by my chicken house this morning and watched what looked to be a 6' black snake crawled out of the woods and along the enclosure, then slither into the fence and proceed beneath the hen house. I watched from just a few feet away while having a .22 pistol on my hip with the first two shots being rat shot.
> 
> Did I shoot the snake? Nope! I'll gladly allow him/her an egg or two knowing its around.


That's the attitude.

Years ago there was one that my wife found in our basement, TWICE, and tossed it out both times knowing that they are a desirable critter to have around, kinda like spiders, or black soldier flies, or lady bugs, or mantis's.....


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Very cool pictures. 

We have a lot of these black snakes aka rat snakes / chicken snakes. We also have a lot of copperheads along with a few rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. The cottonmouths are the only ones I'll kill.


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## Ineffable Aces (Oct 9, 2008)

I didn't know this. Fantastic to learn!


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## Archetype (Sep 14, 2012)

Here in Coastal Georgia we have a large (re: way more than you want to know) amount of Copperheads. I have seen a few 4'+ Red Bellied Mud snakes which I wasn't going to wait to identify considering the excessive amounts of Cottonmouths we also have here. Still have yet to see any Timber Rattlesnakes but have seen a Coral snake a few years ago.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

As far as I know, no snake is poisonous - I'm pretty sure they're all edible; however, there are quite a few who are venomous.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Ezmerelda said:


> As far as I know, no snake is poisonous - I'm pretty sure they're all edible; however, there are quite a few who are venomous.


FYI, a snake's venom is poisonous, so snakes are indeed poisonous.

Poison


> In the context of biology, poisons are substances that cause disturbances to organisms,[1] usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. The fields of medicine (particularly veterinary) and zoology often distinguish a poison from a toxin, and from a venom. Toxins are poisons produced by some biological function in nature, and venoms are usually defined as toxins that are injected by a bite or sting to cause their effect, while other poisons are generally defined as substances absorbed through epithelial linings such as the skin or gut.
> 
> Animal poisons that are delivered subcutaneously (e.g. by sting or bite) are also called venom. In normal usage, a poisonous organism is one that is harmful to consume, but a venomous organism uses poison (venom) to kill its prey or defend itself while still alive. A single organism can be both venomous and poisonous.*The derivative forms "toxic" and "poisonous" are synonymous.*





> poisonous [ˈpɔɪzənəs]
> adj
> 1. (Medicine) having the effects or qualities of a poison
> *2. (Medicine) capable of killing or inflicting injury; venomous*
> ...


The use of the term poisonous may not be 100% accurate when describing snakes; it's close enough. Venom is poisonous. It's really just pertains to how it gets into an organism, i.e. via injection.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

Zanazaz said:


> FYI, a snake's venom is poisonous, so snakes are indeed poisonous.


Whoa there, Wiki Ranger! :tmi: Someone missed the humor in my post...



But *Andi got it!


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## Resto (Sep 7, 2012)

Down here we have coontail snakes they look like Diamond Backs, without a rattle. Thier favorite food is Diamond Backs(Me TOO). But I will never go near a side winder.


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