A greedy 10ft python broke into a coop to devour a farmer's chickens in Thailand.

The ravenous snake entered the cage and killed three chickens before it was found by Prayad Photia, 68, at his home in Ang Thong province on July 13.

Prayad was shocked to find the birds regurgitated by the beast and covered in slime inside the enclosure. When he looked up, he saw the large predator resting near the coop's roof.

He ran outside and called local snake catcher Ratha Tapianthong for help.

Footage shows the specialist handling the bulky reptile barehanded as she dragged it down from its perch. She grabbed its head to keep it from moving, and sealed it inside a sack to be hauled into the wilderness.

Prayad said: 'That morning, I found my three chickens already dead inside the coop. I was confused at first, but when I looked at them closely, I saw they were covered in saliva.

'I thought they must have been eaten by a python. When I searched around, I saw the snake coiled up on one of the beams of the coop.'

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.