Snakes are not a nice thing to find in your chicken coop.
Depending on where you live, they’ll either eat the chicken eggs you’ve worked so hard for, or they’ll even attack the chickens themselves!
Keeping them out is imperative, and there are several ways to get this done.
I came up with 19 of my favorite tricks for how to keep snakes away from chickens for you to try.
Take a look and keep your chickens safe!
Table of Contents
Remove Any Possible Holes in Your Chicken Coop
The first thing to do before keeping snakes away is to ensure that the possibility of any holes in your chicken coop is removed.
You can get rid of any holes manually by digging them out with a shovel.
The holes can also be filled up with concrete, which will be useful to stop other pests from entering inside.
Install Chicken Coop Lid Lights
Snakes are very sensitive to light, and it’s recommended to have your chicken coop lights installed to move away from the space where the light is being shone.
Having lights inside shouldn’t be necessary, though, as phosphorous bulbs placed outside should be enough for them to move away from your chickens.
These phosphorous bulbs are non-toxic and of a low flicker rate, meaning that they will not affect the chickens’ chicks much.
However, the chickens need to be kept out of the yard for a few days before installation.
The jury’s out on exactly how effective this is.
Some people say snakes don’t care at all, while others say it makes a huge difference.
Create an Image of a Snake
If you want to create an image of a snake inside your chicken coop, you can use a dead snake for this or simply an old piece of cloth that you can drape into the shape of a snake.
It’s important to place the image in areas where snakes are likely to pass through your chicken coop.
When a snake sees the image, it will think that another snake is nearby and leave the area.
The image should be placed in an area where there’s a lot of room to move around, as the snake will be able to “sneak” up on the false snake.
Using a dead snake or an image of one may also scare others off and keep your chickens safer.
Use Snake Repellents That Have Pepper Spray in Them
Pepper spray is another great way to keep snakes away.
Use soapy water with pepper powder and soap powder to make these homemade snake repellents.
Put the solution into spray bottles and apply them all over your chicken coop and nearby the ground.
A good repellent mixture is cayenne pepper, dried basil, cloves, and red pepper powder.
Other good repellents are a mix of black pepper, red pepper, and cinnamon oil.
I like to use this natural Ortho Snake-B-Gone.
It’s safe for pets, including chickens, and uses natural oils to repel snakes (not chemicals).
Keep Your Chicken Fenced In
Snakes are not as smart as most people think.
If you fence in your chicken coop, the reptile will have no choice but to go around the enclosure and won’t be able to enter the coop itself.
The fence doesn’t have to be high and complicated, and just a simple wire fence will be enough for small snakes to get confused and keep moving away from your chickens.
A good fence for chicken coops is a simple galvanized wire fence.
This fence can be purchased from a hardware store, or you can make one by cutting off pieces of flat metal bars.
This is a fence that you can use for whatever size chicken coop you have since the pieces of metal will determine the length of the fence.
Keep Garbage Away from the Chicken Coop
Garbage gets around as soon as it is thrown, and when this happens, it can mess up your coop because the chickens will eat the garbage.
It would be best if you put a trash bin outside of your chicken coop to prevent this from happening to keep the garbage from blowing around.
Make sure that any garbage is removed from your property, especially if it’s compost, as this is a place where snakes will shelter themselves at night.
Garbage also attracts rodents, which are snakes’ favorite prey.
If you’re not disposing of your garbage properly, keep it away from your chicken coop.
Clean up the Area Around Your Chicken Coop Regularly
When you clean out the chicken coop, remove debris and leftover food as snails and insects will attract predators like lizards and frogs.
Snakes are fond of eating rats and mice, so it’s important to keep their numbers under control.
Keeping the area cleaned up will also allow your chickens to forage around for food and roosts, which will keep them active, alert to their surroundings, and more prepared against snake attacks.
Use a Snake Guard for Your Compost Pile
Snakes like to shelter in compost piles, and throwing heaps of it near your chicken coop will lead them to hiding places.
You can use a snake guard made out of PVC pipe with a hole in the middle to prevent the spiders and snakes from residing in the chicken feed.
Snake Guards can also prevent rodents and other pests from hiding inside the chicken feed.
Even though you can’t see the snakes, you’ll still be able to pick up the scent of their presence near your chickens’ food.
In general, too, keep the compost away from chickens.
Spray Down Your Chicken Coop
A good way to keep snakes away from your chicken coop is by spraying it down with soapy water that has been mixed with pepper.
Use this repellent on any spaces around your coop, especially those shaded, like under the eaves or around the inside edge of the fence line.
Spraying should be done at night, just before the chicken’s sleep.
This will give the repellent time to be effective.
Keep Your Chicken Coop Away from Pools and Water Sources
Snakes love water sources like ponds and swimming pools, which means that their presence in your backyard is hazardous for your chickens.
If you can’t completely remove them from water, ensure that a fence is put up around the pond or pool so that they won’t be able to come in contact with it.
Place a Snake Trap Inside Your Chicken Coop
If you have snake traps in your yard, which can be bought from any pet supply store, placing one inside your coop may help keep them away from your feathered friends.
Just place the trap just outside the doorway of your coop and keep it up to date with snake bait, as this will help you control the population of snakes near your chicken home.
Warning! Avoid any snake traps that use harmful chemicals. Remember, chickens will peck and attempt to eat pretty much anything!
Cover-up Any Decorative Objects in Your Chicken Coop
If you don’t want snakes to stay away from your chicken coop, place a sheet of cardboard on top of anything decorated so that they can’t see it or reach it.
Please don’t use any decorations with holes, as snakes are fond of hiding inside them, and the sun will cause them to dry out in no time.
Take Away Snakes’ Natural Shelter
There’s no point trying to scare off snakes by shining lights at them or spraying them with pepper spray if they live under rocks or logs in the woods.
You need to make sure that they don’t have these natural shelters around to keep them away.
Natural shelters are places where snakes like to rest, and they will enter them when they feel threatened by humans.
By ensuring that the area around the chicken coop is free of natural shelters, you can prevent snakes from living in the vicinity, which is a great first step to taking away their presence from your yard.
Keep Your Chicken Coop in an Open Area
Snakes typically like to stay in holes and dark corners, so keeping your coop in an open area will help to deter them from coming too close.
There’s no point in placing snake repellents in shaded areas, so make sure that the chicken coop provides them with plenty of light.
Another advantage to keeping your Chicken Coop in an open area is that it makes it easier to spot any snakes that may have made their way into your coop.
Spray the Entire Chicken Coop with Tabasco Sauce
Tabasco sauce has a very strong, hot pepper taste, and it is usually used as a cooking ingredient, but it won’t harm your chickens in any way.
All you have to do is spray the entire chicken coop with some Tabasco so that every corner of it will become irritating for snakes.
This hot sauce should be used in conjunction with the other repellents on this list (besides boiling eggs), as some snake feeds can also be put into your feed when making homemade chicken feed.
Pro-tip: Get a pump and create a tabasco-water mixture 5 parts water to 1 part tabasco should be good. Then, spray the mixture for an even coating.
Add Some Boiled Eggs and Spaghetti Sauce to the Chicken Feed
These two things are known worldwide as natural deterrents against snakes, as they smell foul and repel most snakes from a distance of several meters.
Boiled eggs will not only prevent snakes from joining your flock but will also keep them away from the food immediately, so this is a great way to turn your chicken coop into a free-range chicken farm.
On the other hand, spaghetti sauce is a trap that will catch snakes as they try to taste it.
It smells and tastes awful so that snakes will avoid it at all costs, and this should help you keep your chickens safe from snakes.
Sprinkle Boric Acid on the Ground
If you have a good supply of boric acid, you can dust it onto the ground around your chicken coop and let them eat it up.
The poor snake won’t be able to smell its food, so he’ll most certainly move away from there as soon as he realizes what is going on.
Sprinkling acid such as Boric on the Ground is only a temporary method to keep snakes away, as it will only repel them for a certain period, so after they’ve had their fill, they’ll keep coming back.
Try Using Salt Licks for Your Chickens
If your chickens have a real sweet tooth, they may start rooting into their feed if they find an area that’s moist and soft to lay their eggs in.
This is what snakes are looking for, but it isn’t something that people usually think of.
You can buy a special feed for chickens made out of salt licks, which will contain salt into it and make the eggs taste even more delicious for your chickens and thereby repel the snakes away from their feeding area.
Add A Bit of Cayenne Pepper to the Chicken Feed
This ingredient will make the chicken feed smell foul and repel the snakes immediately.
If any snake tries to eat up some of your chickens, they’ll be forced to regurgitate it, thereby wasting an important meal.
If you’re worried about how much cayenne pepper you should add to their food, remember that snakes are quite small and don’t eat very often, so it won’t affect your chickens.