A greedy python killed four chickens before it was caught in a breeder's coop in Thailand.

The ravenous eight-foot serpent had entered the property in Ang Thong province before pouncing on the fowl kept in a cramped wooden cage.

It strangled four chickens to death, and left three behind to feed on later.

When homeowner Kamolwan Khumrueang, 58, went to check on her livestock, she was shocked to find the coop had been ransacked with three of the birds lying lifeless inside. Next to the carcasses was the sated python with a swollen belly digesting its meal.

Kamolwan called snake catchers to wrangle the beast, which then regurgitated a slimy, half-digested chicken - miraculously still alive - as it tried to flee.

The serpent then hid under a pile of sacks, but was quickly caught and thrown into a black bag.

Local reptile expert Ratha Tapianthong said: 'The captured python had a girth about the size of a wrist. It measured around eight feet. One lucky chicken managed to survive when the snake regurgitated it during the operation.'

Chicken breeder Kamolwan said: 'I was surprised when I found the snake still inside the cage after feasting on my chickens. I had bought both male and female chickens from Bangkok to raise for egg-laying and cockfighting. The mature ones I keep in a separate cage to allow them to breed.'

The python was later released into the wilderness.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.