Written by: Sherri
5/25/2009 9:06 PM 

And we had our first "real" snake today...we've seen a couple of others that were just slithering across the grass, but this one was a bother.  Right in the fence where Ted and a friend, Casey, who is helping us out, were working.  So the snake couldn't be ignored. 

Ted came back to the house to get his grandfather's  shotgun...I followed with the camera .    The boys have been anxiously waiting to see THE SHOTGUN...now was the time.  Ted fired one shot at the snake and it disappeared.  Casey wasn't about to let it go that easily, so he keep poking around the fence with the shovel, then got a long PVC pipe.  After several minutes, we all wondered where that snake had gone.  Then alas, Casey caught a glimpse up in the tree (can you find it?)...we don't know how long it had been there.  Very easily disguised; it was his perfect habitat.  Casey got his opportunity and shot 2 times at the head.  It didn't survive that!  The snake had positioned himself with his tail higher in the tree, so his head was pointed down.  With the head closer to the ground, the blood started oozing out and the snake slowly lost it's grip in the tree branches.  It was like a movie in slow motion.

After getting the snake down from the tree, of course the boys had to investigate it.  Our first order of business was to determine what kind it was... Upon consulting our Lone Star Field Guide Texas Snakes book, we agreed it had been a Texas Rat snake, also called a "chicken snake", which is very common in our parts, but not poisonous. 

Our snake was an older adult by the darker color and the very long length (72" is the longest average length). Ours measured 70" without the head.   It has the nickname "piney woods python", and to no one's surprise, is an agile climber.  (You can be sure I will be looking up into the trees from now on!)  This snake not only eats eggs and chicks, but climbs the trees to get to birds and their nestlings.  Our snake was right outside our future chicken pen and around the trees and dewberry bushes, exactly where birds would be.  This snake wasn't poisonous, but we sure didn't want this granddaddy around when we put chickens in the pen in the future.

 Of course, Joshua and Jonathan just had to feel it, touch it and  PICK IT UP!  (James had a cut on his hand and wasn't allowed to touch it).  I think our boys are quickly liking this farm life .

Copyright ©2011 Sherri

Trackback Print

Tags:

Categories:

Location: Blogs Turning Ranch Blog

Your name:
Your email:
	(Optional) Email used only to show Gravatar.
Your website:
Title:
Comment:
Add Comment   Cancel