am i the only one

As I added to my snake population it got expensive to feed live. So I began to convert everyone to frozen/thawed. Bought online in volume, it is very affordable. After I got them on f/t mice I switched them to f/t chicks at about a third the cost. Question; am I the only BP owner feeding f/t chicks and is there a reason?

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Originally Posted by ezraIII

As I added to my snake population it got expensive to feed live. So I began to convert everyone to frozen/thawed. Bought online in volume, it is very affordable. After I got them on f/t mice I switched them to f/t chicks at about a third the cost. Question; am I the only BP owner feeding f/t chicks and is there a reason?

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Im curious because I tried feeding chicks (as a treat) and only my colombian took one, so they ended up on a farm.

Feeding got expensive so I started breeding rats

No, you're not the only one feeding F/T chicks. I've heard of a few owners who found this to be cheaper and more readily available. I would like to know if the weight gain is comparable to feeding on F/T rats. Have you kept track of weights?

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Originally Posted by GoFride

No, you're not the only one feeding F/T chicks. I've heard of a few owners who found this to be cheaper and more readily available. I would like to know if the weight gain is comparable to feeding on F/T rats. Have you kept track of weights?

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see thats the thing, im getting equal if not superior weight gain and growth with the chicks and once they start taking them they love them. I'm haven't had enought time to declare an absolute here but I can't find any flaws either. I can't farm my food and at 12 cents each, I will at least be including f/t chicks on the menu. ezra

Are there any downsides to feeding birds/chicks over rodents? I've only heard that the poop is usually smellier.

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Are there any downsides to feeding birds/chicks over rodents? I've only heard that the poop is usually smellier.

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i'm not ready to say there is no downside and i will keep rodents in the mix but so far i'm liking what i'm seeing. I'll keep up with growth and keep y'all informed. Havent noticed any change in fecal odor but there is a bit more calcium.

Interesting - keep us posted. Thanks!

My doctor feeds f/t chicks to his snakes. He says that it helps get picky eaters to eat, and when I asked him about poop being smellier, he said he didn't notice a difference. As far as nutrition goes, he had a clutch of bp eggs hatch this spring, so it seems to be good. Prices are cheaper too. :cool:

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Originally Posted by carlisleishere

My doctor feeds f/t chicks to his snakes. He says that it helps get picky eaters to eat, and when I asked him about poop being smellier, he said he didn't notice a difference. As far as nutrition goes, he had a clutch of bp eggs hatch this spring, so it seems to be good. Prices are cheaper too. :cool:

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Thanks for the feedback and the validation. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, there seemed to be more calcium in the fecal material, if I'm right, that extra calcium could be absorbed by gravid females to provide better egg quality.

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Originally Posted by ezraIII

Thanks for the feedback and the validation. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, there seemed to be more calcium in the fecal material, if I'm right, that extra calcium could be absorbed by gravid females to provide better egg quality.

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Is there a problem doing this? No not really your snakes are eating they are healthy and in the wild they will eat birds as easily as rodents. The reason we feed rodents is that they graduate in size as the animals grow. So from hatching to adult 3500 gram female there's a rat for that. With chicks there is considerably less flesh than a rat they are mostly legs and wings. So once you get past a 200 gram snake you might have to feed 4-5 chicks to equal the same food intake as feeding rats. And as the snake grows that number will increase.

Then comes the problem of if you ever for any reason have to sell or get rid of them. I can tell you I wouldn't even consider a BP who had been fed chicks for fear of having them get imprinted on them, I have enough trouble with Mousers.

Lastly comes babies. They don't make a chick small enough for a baby Ball Python and babies 99.99995% of the time have to have live prey to start. So your back to dealing with rodents.

If you never plan to breed or sell your current snakes then chicks will be fine..But it's when you plan to do anything else with them that a snag may happen.