THE SNAKE- OUR SECURITY SYSTEM

Have you ever been bitten by a snake?  Well... I have,  and it's no fun. But don't worry, the Snake is OK.  As I gather eggs from my little flock, there is sometime what is referred to as a Chicken Snake.  They are Black Rat Snakes. (Pantherophis obsoletus).  They get really big.  When I find one helping me gather eggs, I simply grab him just below his head with one hand and some where else with the other, then I walk them way off some where and send them on their way.

I have read that they have the same poison as the pit vipers, but with no delivery system, ie, No fangs, but they do have chewing  teeth, similar to a Catfish. The Fin of a Catfish has some poison.

 Anyway, on this day, one about 4 feet long had eaten a couple of eggs and was taking a nap, so it made it easy for me to grab him (or her). So..., I walked it down to the road and drew back to throw him (or her) over in a pasture, just as I did that, he (or she) turned it's head and grabbed me between my right thumb and forefinger, and as it clamped down the weight of throwing him (or her) away created a gash. I bled profusely and immediately went to the house, cleaned and disinfected.  Anyway, mostly healed now. Snake and Victim both doing well.

I am no fan of Snakes, but here on my little Farm, it sometimes gets interesting.  For example, Dianna's Copper Head bite from several years ago still affects her.
There is one very interesting Snake we find here is a SPREADING ADDER, aka Hog Nosed Snake.  Their primary food source is Toads and those years that there is a plethora of Toads, you will usually see the Spreading adder.  Without letting them be cruel to me, I let them play a little game.  When accosted, they puff up and strike and really try to bluff their way out.  When that don't work they play possum, ie, turn over, twist up gape open their mouth and play dead.  If you quietly watch, when they think danger is past, they start by feeling the air with their tongue and when all danger is gone, they quickly move on.

In writing this, it brought back some other snake observations.  One as I was observing a small Vine Snake looking for food along a small creek, from  some brushes directly above the little Vine Snake, dropped a slightly larger Black Rat Snake and they began a battle to the death.  It took a while but the last I saw of the Little Vine snake was the tip end of it's tail as it disappeared down the Tummy of the Black Snake.

Well, one more Snake story.  I observed two very large Black Snakes on a very large Limb in a very large Hickory tree.  It seems they were fulfilling the warning God gave Adam and Eve. They were getting along very well on their own Garden of Eden out on RFD Tadpole Rd. 

Anyway, as Halloween approaches, we feel pretty lucky as we have never had any Trick or Treaters.  Is it because of the View from theWRIGHT, or maybe they are just afraid of Snakes...Best to all,  The Donal