Is the Chicken Snake a Friend or Foe to Farmers?

Chicken snakes, such as the yellow rat snake (Spilotes pullatus), are nonvenomous, larger snakes that can reach lengths of nearly 9 feet (2.7 meters). The dorsal scales, head shields and belly markings of rat snakes vary among species, but they're often tan or brown with irregular black crossbands or dark gray blotches along their bodies.

Their coloration helps them blend into their environment. Some specimens even have yellow spots, which can help distinguish them from other rat snakes.

People frequently encounter chicken snakes in rural, suburban and even wetland areas, where they take advantage of shelter and food sources such as small mammals, birds and amphibians. While they commonly live near chicken coops and barns where they like to hunt prey such as rodents and eggs, rat snakes also occupy trees, where they hunt birds or hide from predators.

Species are widespread throughout the Americas, ranging from southern Mexico through Central America, all the way to central South America and even parts of the Caribbean. In the United States, you might come across them in areas like Texas, Florida and other parts of the southern states, where they thrive in woods, gardens and rocky areas.

Chicken snakes, like other rat snakes, are egg-laying snakes. Females can lay clutches of around two dozen eggs, typically hiding them under rocks or in loose soil to protect them from predators. If the eggs incubate in warmer temperatures, the offspring tend to be male; in cooler temperatures, they tend to be female.

The eggs hatch after about two months, and the young snakes, though vulnerable, are independent from birth. As they grow, they molt their skin multiple times, shedding their head shields and dorsal scales as they develop into adults. They can live for 20 years or longer.

Chicken snakes are opportunistic feeders and get their name from their tendency to hang around chicken coops, where they feed on chicken eggs, birds and small mammals like rats, mice, chipmunks and even lizards.

They're particularly drawn to coops in the spring, when egg-laying snakes take advantage of the abundance of prey.

In the wild, these types of rat snakes hunt by hiding among rocks, in trees or under debris. They will wait for an unsuspecting prey animal — like a frog or small rodent — to come close, and then strike. They can kill smaller animals by constriction or swallowing them whole (as they do with a chicken's eggs).

While the presence of chicken snakes near homes or chicken coops can be unsettling, in some cases, they may be more beneficial than harmful.

Though some may be caught in coops trying to steal eggs, their primary role in nature is that of a pest controller. In feeding on small mammals, they help keep the population of rats, mice and other rodents in their environment in check.

You can occasionally find rat snakes for sale in the pet trade, but their large size and tendency to eat eggs and small animals make them less than ideal pets.

If you encounter one in the wild, it will likely freeze or flee rather than exhibit aggressive behavior; however, if the snake feels trapped, it may bite. Maintaining a respectful distance is the best way to coexist with these reptiles.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was edited and fact-checked by a HowStuffWorks editor.