This is the chilling moment a massive python killed and devoured a farmer's prized ducks.

CCTV footage shows the sinister 10ft-long serpent slithering inside the duck coop in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast Thailand, on July 23 evening.

The reptile pounced on one hapless fowl, squeezing the life out of it before engulfing it whole. It then turned to attack another duck sitting on a basin of eggs.

The homeowner arrived in the morning to check on his beloved egg-laying ducks - only to find the sated python coiled near the coop's ceiling with its belly bulging.

He called snake wranglers to dispatch of the python, which could barely move as it digested the pair of water birds.

The farmer said he installed a security camera in the coop after several ducks disappeared in recent weeks.

He said: 'I thought there was a burglar stealing from me. It turns out, the culprit was a large python. At least I now know the truth of what has been happening.'

The snake catchers believe the python had been looking for a warm shelter amid the stormy weather, and happened upon the duck coop during its search.

It was released into its natural habitat.

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.