Copperhead?

Yesterday afternoon, Elijah went to give the chickens some treats.  He came running back all excited, and we all had to go see the snake.  The kids were concerned that the snake could eat the chickens.  I explained that the chickens are way too big for snakes around here, but their eggs and the chipmunks under the coop could be the snake's target.  This snake got caught in the netting and was stuck.  It has a copper and black back.  We waited for Nathaniel to get home.  He thought it maybe was a copperhead, and a big one, close to 6 feet long, but now he's pretty sure it was just a rat snake.  He chopped it in half, and the tail end fell to the ground in the chicken yard.  The chickens devoured it.  Don't let anyone tell you that chickens are vegetarians.