Rat snakes are great little mousers! That said, they would kill and eat chicks, and they will go after eggs if possible. We have a resident rat snake in the barn, and he/she (never got the opportunity to ask) hasn't hurt anything but the mice. Hens are too large to be prey for them, and anyway, they seem to prefer rats and mice, bless their hearts!

Great story

TRUE Yellow Ratsnakes are limited to Florida and the southeast Georgia coast. There is a naturally-occuring intergrade(cross-breed)between the Yellow Rat(Elaphe quadrivitatae)and the Black Rat(Elaphe obsoletta)which is found in much of the coastal plains area of Georgia and the Carolinas, often dubbed the "Greenish Rat", because in many cases it IS an olive green in coloration. Some have a visable blotched pattern as adults, like juvie Black Rats, while others have the vertical stripes, like the Yellow, or a combination of both. Some are quite yellowish, though nowhere near a bright a yellow as a true Yellow Rat. Many people do erronously call those "Yellow Ratsnakes", though. As for their temperament when caught, this varies a great deal from snake to snake, so it's not fair to generalize by calling them "nasty". I've caught several "Greenish Rats", BIG suckers, which would not so much as think about striking. I've picked up seven-footers that I could just drape around my neck and carry to the car, and they were as calm and gentle as can be, while I've picked up smaller ones that were little terrors(or thought that they were, anyway)! Usually, the smaller the snake, the more defensive it is, since it's on the menu of more carnivores at that size. I've sorted through boxes of freshly wild-caught true Yellows from Lake Okeechobee in Florida(the Yellow Rats there are really bright yellow)and been able to stroke the heads of some individuals in the box, like petting a puppy, while the snake next to it was vibrating its tail and striking like a Racer at me, which goes to show how each snake is different, much like people. Sharon McKenzie

As long as there is food (rodents, chicks, eggs) you will have snakes. If you let the ratsnake live, it leaves less food available for venomous species.