A juvenile chicken snake.
Chicken snakes are not a particular species or type of snake. Instead, this name is applied to several different types of reptiles that are nonvenomous and tend to feast on eggs, mice, and small birds. In addition to referring to this group of snakes as chicken snakes, there are several other common names applied to the group, including rat snakes, corn snakes, and pine snakes.
Corn snakes are identified as a species of chicken snake.
The chicken snake is found in various places in North America. Some species are relatively small in length and diameter, although it is possible for a chicken snake to grow to over two meters in length. Some types restrain their prey prior to consumption. Most will curl up and attack when cornered or threatened in any way. Although their bite is not poisonous in most cases, it is usually extremely painful.
Although the bite of a chicken snake is not poisonous in most cases, it is usually extremely painful.
There are essentially five species of snakes that are identified as the chicken snake. The eastern rat snake, known as elaphe alleghaniensis, is common along the eastern seaboard of the United States and parts of Canada. Elaphe guttata or corn snake is found in the southeastern United States and also in parts of the midwestern region. Black rat snakes, or obsolete elaphe, are commonly found in the Great Lakes area, especially in parts of Indiana and Illinois. The gray rat snake, or elaphe spiloides, is very similar to the black rat snake and tends to inhabit rocky areas and open plains. In densely forested areas in the general vicinity of the US/Canadian border, pituophis m melanolcucus, or the northern pine snake, is frequently found.
Many reptiles in this family share several characteristics. First, many of them catch prey or try to wrap themselves around anyone who poses a threat to the snake. They all bite when threatened and are capable of leaving an open wound that is extremely painful. Several of these snakes will enjoy small animals, such as mice or other prey, with as much delight as the eggs of birds and chickens. Some of the snakes are excellent climbers, allowing them to easily navigate through trees and swallow the eggs of nesting birds.
As these snakes often consume rodents, some farmers in rural communities prefer not to kill them. Instead, the chicken snake found near a chicken coop is captured and released into a wooded area that is away from the chickens and their eggs. Additionally, many farmers will go to the effort of sealing their coops to reduce the snake’s ability to enter the coop.