I don't kill big snakes like that
Plenty of copperheads around here..but not close, because I DON'T kill big rat snakes or king snakes. They eat smaller snakes like copperheads.
Now I have chickens, too, but have never lost any to snakes. I have yet to see any of them big snakes strangling a chicken, and I would love to see a vid or a series of still pics of one of them actually eating a full grown chicken cuz I slap ain't believing it is even possible. Little biddies sure but not a full grown one.
Now they will eat eggs, but I pick my eggs three times a day so if I do lose any it ain't too many, and I don't care, them big snakes still do their job and keep the poisonous snakes and big rats way.
Maybe I am lucky there. I get all the free little pullets I want from birds the catchers miss every six weeks when they pull the flocks, so I don't care either, I'd rather have them big black and brown snakes around to eat the copperheads and big rats. Between my cats and the big snakes, and the big hawks I also don't shoot, we have few rats, although there were zillions when I first moved in, including inside the house.
Previous occupants did traditional redneck control, kill all snakes including them big rat and king snakes and put out poison and kill the cats that show up and shoot all the hawks calling them all "chicken hawks". My boss wanted me to do that here and I just refused, told him I would do my method only or it would be a contract deal breaker. Now we don't talk about it because the proof is there i was right and he wasn't and still ain't, and seeing as how he is my boss I don't bring the subject up anymore.
I save the cats that show up and get them fixed and shots and keep them as barn cats and pets and my rat problem disappeared for the most part within two years of my method of cooperating with nature and not trying to fight it.
Before cats, you could see rats by the dozens running around and going in and out of holes, right in broad daylight. Now, not killing the snakes and having half a dozen or so (varies with tomcat numbers...) cats between the barn and house..ain't seen a running rat in a few years now.
Now you go one mile over the other side of the farm, they still do the "kill everything" method and are still crawling with rats and venomous snakes....one mile difference, two different techniques..my technique works, their's doesn't and never did, despite thirty years of shooting snakes and cats and putting out buckets and buckets and buckets of poison to try and control the rats.
To each their own but I can see the results of the two methods just one mile difference.