Chicks, beneficial?

[V.hb]

Just wondering how everyone feels about chicks, day old and up as food sources. Being that their price is considerably less, I wonder if they are as beneficial as rodents. If anyone has any info that would be great. I feed many large varanids, and pythons. They all eagerly take chicks and rodents. The varanids seem even more responsive to chicks.

[reverendsterlin]

I feed chicks(or chickens) on occasion, my landlord raises them and gives me the dead. I've never had any negative results, but thats a big difference from chicks being a main diet over time. My objection is the snakes defication afterward, what a stink lol.

[V.hb]

Ive had people tell me that SAME thing. However, i still can't smell my reptiles crap, at one point I could, but now.. Nothing. Even when my 25 lb albig poops, i can't smell it.. haha thanks for your input rev, appreciated.

[Linds]

I wouldn't exactly say they are beneficial to snakes. My monitor experience is very limited so I won't comment on that, but I have also noticed they seem to prefer chicks to rats and the like. I recall a while ago, I wish I knew where it was, a discussion about a correlation between ERS and feeding chicks. In addition, anything that causes such gross feces indicates something to do with improper digestion as well...

[V.hb]

Its funny everyone comments on the digestion, i really have yet to see any problems from chicks... Fish is a different story however. Thanks Linds.

[WingedWolf]

I used to hear that chicks digested faster, and of course the smelly poop issue. Most of the actual objections were that they might transmit salmonella, but I don't see that as a huge risk if you aren't getting factory farmed birds. Really any animal can carry some strain of salmonella. Plus, a baby chick has more frail bones than an adult mouse, so supplementing them with a bit of calcium might be in order.