A common chicken snake has dark brown skin with patches of a lighter, murky brown. Their skin can appear slightly glossy in the light. As the chicken snake is actually the name of a group of snake species rather than one particular snake species, their looks can differ. The 'common' chicken snake can be considered to be the black rat snake, which features the patchy brown appearance. To get a more accurate idea of how a common chicken snake looks, enter 'common chicken snake' into a search engine such as Google. Click 'enter' to search, and then select the 'images' option. A selection of pictures will show you exactly how the snake can appear.
The common chicken snake, also known as the black rat snake, is a type of snake found widely in North America, including in locations such as Ontario in Canada and the Eastern states of America. The snake is the largest snake species commonly found in America; it has the capability to grow up to eight feet long. Currently, the longest black rat snake ever found measured an incredible 2.6 m.
Common black rat snakes are not generally dangerous to humans. Their bites are not poisonous and it is not in their nature to attack people. If they feel threatened, in most cases they will freeze and wrinkle up. The snakes tend to feed on small birds, animal eggs and rats. Occasionally, they have been known to attack chickens. Some even welcome the presence of black rat snakes, as they get rid of unwanted rodents. Whilst the black rat snake is unlikely to harm you, you should not attempt to approach or attack the snake. If it continues to reside in the area around your help, you could consider calling in animal control (although this is not strictly necessary).
