Hi Jan.
I don't know how to keep them away. Maybe someone here will have some answers. Those chicken snakes are awful. My family lived in TN for many years and my mother had a business raising and selling American Budgies, finches and ring neck doves. When she went on vacation I took care of all the birds. I found a HUGE chicken snake in the birdhouse one day. He'd been eating whatever he pleased. I went and got my husband to help me with him but neither one of us could get near enough to him to kill him. He hid up inside a cabinet top and we had to take the top off to get to him. He was so big...ugh...He hissed at us and just looked so evil and then he took off again. Finally he went up inside of an old over stuffed chair. My husband was so tired of it that he just opened up the back door and booted that chair with the snake inside down the steep hill on that side of the bird house.
Thing is I can't claim that we made him go away permanently.

I suggest you use hardware cloth rather than chicken wire for cages and pens with eggs or young chicks and bunnies. There is no way a snake big enough to do any damage could get through that.

Thank you. chickenmama. This snake won't come back....DH did away with him if you get my drift. The only thing is that some people told us that the chicken snake will help keep away some of the more dangerous snakes so I hate to kill them but I don't want them killing my babies either. I wanted to raise some baby chicks to freeze and sell the bunnies...Heck, if mr. snake keeps helping himself I will go in the hole...Maybe someone will come up with some suggestions....:0).
Jan

i'll probably get disagreement-- but king snakes are much more benifical that those darned blacksnakes. seems once blacksnakes learn its easier to get baby birds, be it chickens or bluebirds, they dont try for mice any longer.so--i've banished blacksnakes, and welcome my king snakes--who, by the way, also eat copperheads.

Cersone: This snake wasn't black. It was brownish with some spots on it. My stepfather told my DH that it was a chicken snake. I am not really fond of any kind of snakes but will tolerate them if they help keep the bad ones away.

BTW, how did you banish the black snakes? Thanks
Jan

My guineas chase snakes away. I don't see them around as much anymore, but still see one black snake over by the pond. The guineas see something strange and several of them will run after it making their racket and whatever they're chasing usually leaves. (they do this to cars too lol)

Siamese thank you for the information. I have been wanting some guineas but DH thinks they make too much noise. Maybe, I can use this to get some. Two or three anyway. Since DH has a fear of snakes I can use it to tell him maybe the guineas will keep our place snakeless...

Use finer mesh wire, and make sure there are no gaps.

If you already have poultry wire up for a pen, how far up the sides would you need to go on the hardware cloth to keep snakes out I wonder?

I have had a chicken snake crawl straight up a tin sided ch. house and came in under the eves. Any hole or gap has to be sealed up with the hardware cloth or boards.