Predator in the Chicken Coop - Egg Eating Snake

Yesterday while I was outside cutting some firewood, my chickens alerted me to something strange in their chicken coop. I walked the perimeter of their pen and saw a large snake that seemed to have trapped himself in. He had eaten what appeared to be an egg. I wasn't sure what kind of snake it was though it didn't appear to be a poisonous species that are common to Oklahoma. Usually I would have just let the snake go, but I can't afford to have snakes eating my eggs! I quickly dispatched the snake and began to prepare it so that the chickens could have a treat. Surprisingly, inside the snake was not a real egg, but a wooden one I'd placed in the coop to encourage my chickens to lay.!I imagine this snake would have had a pretty terrible belly ache if I hadn't caught him down there.

After doing some research I believe this to be a rat snake. One of their favorite meals is bird eggs and they can reach up to 6 feet long. Rat snakes can climb trees and even brick walls! They are one of the most common snakes in suburban areas and like to live in abandoned houses and barns. They are also found in timbered area, floodplains, and edges of swamps. While not directly harmful to the adult chickens they can steal your eggs, so if you keep chickens I would "rehome" your rat snakes quick!