[Helencus]

Last night I saw a huge snake slithering across my field and into the hen enclosure. He wasn't interested in the hens just seemed to be passing through. I came in and looked it up and it was just a grass snake so harmless enough but made me wonder if the chicks had been younger if he'd have stopped for a bite.. The web says they nearly exclusively live on frogs and theta loads by me as we have a river running along the edge of our property.
Has anyone seen one? Had any problems with them?

[jameslindsay]

No and hope I never do - you can keep them. I have a phobia with snakes, even the thought of them is horrible.

[Hilarysmum]

We have both grass snakes and adders here, with the damp ground and wild areas.  Never bother us, except when the postman accidentally ran over a large adder, OH moved it into the undergrowth to allow it time to recover, when he went back up an hour later, snake dead.  It had crawled back onto the road for the warmth and had been flattened by a tractor tyre.

Re chickens - not sure about tiny chicks, but when we had an adder nest the damned hens found it, raked it out and bit off the heads of the tiny bootlace babies. 

We have a large colony of some exotic local frogs in our pond, and any snake which would eat those would be welcomed with open arms.  At 3 am their singing could drown out a rock band.

[Wizard]

Hey up H How big is big Large female Grass snakes grow to a metre or a  1.3 metre They eat frogs and newts mainly and are partial to a birds egg or two no dangerous to humans though We used to have a lot where we lived as boys.Quite a nice thing to watch I think its wonderful how it has no legs and can run ? faster than a 10 year old boy

[Helencus]

Eh up George. It were about 4ft long I'd guess seemed bloody big to me. I wasn't scared snakes don't worry me just don't want it eating the new baby chooks. I'd planned to keep them in the shed may revise that now!

[Daveravey]

Ewwwww snakes   

There's only 2 things in life i'm scared of & the other one are dentists   

[Helencus]

Well the dog found it tonight. We managed to get him to let it go but he did think tossing it up in the air was super fun! It slithered away so I think that's the last we will see of that !

[Wizard]

So after receiving a lecture from my then employer who told me " I don't pay you to think"The next night I was working down at Reevesby and came home through Horncastle where a gang was building a pumping station On arriving back in the yard He said I would have thought you would think about you mates and bring them home.I replied But you told me you didn't pay me to think.This made him quite angry Any way I told him theres only One person I'm afraid on and shes in yonder getting my tea on a plate and I'm going in to eat it now I'll see you in the morning at 7.30 Good night