Opinion/speculation:
Depends on the individual snake for me. Some of our hatchlings have taken off right out of the egg on a 7 day schedule. Others take a little longer, and don't necessarily do as well on only 7 days. You also have to take into account the size of meal, and not just frequency. If I have a consistent eater, but it will only take a prey item that is half the size of the prey item offered to its sibling, I may feed on a 5 day schedule so that it still gets the proper amount of food in the long run.
One benefit to feeding smaller snakes more frequently than adults, aside from goals of breeding, could also be to prevent any complications if that snake decides to fast over winter. I would much rather have a snake that has gotten up to a safe "fasting" weight than feed less frequently due to fears of obesity (which I also don't think I have seen with BPs... or at least not with ours), and end up with a snake that fasts for whatever reason and doesn't have adequate reserves.
You would think they would eat once hungry while fasting, but this really isn't always the case, and they are not the only species to fast/hibernate/brumate and refuse food. Its a different state entirely, and I want to limit any chances of a sick/malnourished snake :)
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