We raise hens for their eggs. This week I came across two pests near their coop.

A pest is defined as an organism that is detrimental to humans or human concerns. It’s actually very much an “eye of the beholder” situation. The same organism in another setting would not be considered a pest. It also reminds me of a definition of a weed as an “undesirable plant”.

We have a coop for our chickens and it is attached to a run, which is a fenced-in area in which they can roam freely. The coop and run are next to our garage. Earlier this week, I got home and walked over to the coop to check on the hens. I noticed they were all huddled together, but they didn’t seem to be alarmed. They all seemed to be looking at something with curiosity. I looked a little closer and saw what they were look at. It was a large rat snake!

Rat snakes are constrictors and they feed primarily on rodents and birds. I don’t think it was after the hens, because it wasn’t attacking them. I suspect it was looking for eggs. I grabbed a broom and chased it out of the run. It was surprisingly fast. I pinned its head to the ground with the broom and grabbed it so I could take a closer look. I held it up at about shoulder level and its tail dragged the ground, so I estimate it was about 5 feet long.

Some people instinctively kill any snake they see, but I just carried this one far from the coop and let him go. They are beneficial and serve to control our rodent population.

Rat Snake

The next evening, when I went to the coop to lock the hens in, I found a centipede on the garage wall. There are some pill bugs in the photo, so you can get a sense of scale. This thing was big! I guess it was about 8 inches long. I count about 40, maybe 42 legs, so it’s a bit short of its name, too!

Centipede

Which end is which? I think the left end is the tail and the antenna are on the right, but I’m not sure. It reminds me of the bug alien in the movie Men in Black. This one, I wasn’t brave enough to touch or pick up. I locked the hens in the coop and walked away. It was, of course, gone the next day.

This was an interesting reminder to me about the nature of pests. I’d say my approach is an uneasy truce. Don’t bother me and I won’t bother you.