Snakes in the mineral feeder

[Katpau]

The other day we moved a group of cows into a new pasture. We have had more rain then usual and the pasture was about waist high. We went to check the bull feeder to make sure we had mineral in that pasture. It was hiding in some deep grass and took a while to locate. My husband flipped up the rubber top and then jumped back about three feet. It was full of snakes. Even weirder there were three different kinds. A gopher snake (they look like a rattler at first glance), a racer and a garter snake. We often find yellow jackets and sometimes ground squirrels, but this was a first. There was still mineral in the feeder, but it was mostly hardened. What in the world would make snakes hide there? We checked the next day and one of the snakes was back in there. We brought down a different mineral feeder and set up in a different location.

 

[callmefence]

Selinium deficiency probably.

 

[TCRanch]

We have a problem with the dang raccoons prying off the clip and eating the mineral. Snakes? No, thank you!

 

[Ebenezer]

Put out snake mineral feeders in other locations. That was easy! :lol:

 

[Ky hills]

When I was a child it seems like saw a snake of some sort almost daily in the warm months, then didn't notice maybe one or two a year, then last year and this year they are plentiful again. We got a little pile of wood by the house for an occasional fire pit, but that pile is is getting moved as I have found two different batches of hatched snake eggs between it and our front door.