I get that snakes have their place in the world, and for a number of years I’ve tried to like them.  They are kind of fascinating, even if it’s a creepy kind of fascination.  Some of them are also beautiful.  But as of today, I’ve officially given up the battle to like snakes, and will no more come to their defense than I would a tick sucking my blood or a mosquito whining in my ear.

I have proof that snakes are evil, and they don’t just (JUST?!) steal eggs.  Not only that, they’re stupid.

On Tuesday I found a black snake in our silkie shack, with one fewer egg to be found and a lot of very concerned silkies questioning the advisability of letting this uninvited and bad-mannered houseguest stick around.  I collected the egg he hadn’t gotten too, and let him go.  I’ve heard black snakes eat rodents, and I hoped he was just passing through and would move on once he met the dog and the guineas.

Yesterday I found him here, in a cage three feet off the ground, inside our main barn.

And, yes, those are the poor little toes of a beautiful black silkie chick sticking out of his mouth.  One of the lumps further along his body is our pretty little ivory guinea keet.  Given how rare ivories are, and that the mother of the black chick was a very expensive show winner, he could hardly have picked two more valuable babies in the whole barn.  And, besides, they were MY babies!

So, the snake was introduced to the guineas.

And when they didn’t seem quite sure how to deal with him, he was introduced to a shovel, and then the inside of the pig’s stomach.  That’s what happens when an unwelcome house guest is shown the door despite thieving eggs, and doesn’t have the good sense to go find himself some nice mice.

Besides, the cat can eat the rodents.

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