# Feeding Day Old Chicks



## icuucme2 (Mar 3, 2017)

i have the opportunity to buy day old chicks real cheap, so I was wondering if I can feed alternate between rats and chicks. are rats better than chicks as in health wise or about the same. I want my snakes main diet on rats but was thinking of throwing a chick in there every so often (dead of Course b4 I am jumped on lol)
thanks


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## baker (Mar 3, 2017)

Absolutely no problem alternating between food items. Doing so increases the variety within your snakes diet potentially making up for any deficiencies which may be present feeding only a single prey type. Both food items are pretty similar health wise for your snake. 

Cheers, Cameron


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## Peckoltia (Mar 3, 2017)

Nothing wrong with DOC's, I used to feed a lot of them.

Be aware though, as they are a new food item and your snakes gut isn't used to processing them, the first couple of feeding of them will results in some pretty rancid smelling poo, may also be of a different consistency to what you are used to also.


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## pinefamily (Mar 3, 2017)

Day old chicks are also good for problem, or finicky, feeders. We use them regularly with no issues. BHP's in particular benefit from eating them, rather than a diet solely of rats.


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## kittycat17 (Mar 3, 2017)

Yup my bad feeder coastal (which is weird in itself lol) loves anything bird haha chickens/quails are really the only thing he will eat 

But yea they can have pretty bad poos from birds lol they stink


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## icuucme2 (Mar 3, 2017)

ah ok thanks I got my 4 new snakes today and 3 are probably too small for day olds unless u think a 2 footer is big enough. and I have a 5 footer who will be able to take the chicks


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## kittycat17 (Mar 3, 2017)

icuucme2 said:


> ah ok thanks I got my 4 new snakes today and 3 are probably too small for day olds unless u think a 2 footer is big enough. and I have a 5 footer who will be able to take the chicks



This male can take day old chicks 








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## icuucme2 (Mar 3, 2017)

not a good pic but I hope u may see if he is big for day olds


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## pinefamily (Mar 3, 2017)

If in doubt, offer it one. Snakes won't take anything too big for them.


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## icuucme2 (Mar 3, 2017)

just found out there 3 foot


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## Nero Egernia (Mar 7, 2017)

One of my pythons eating a home grown two week old quail chick. His quail stools are the same as when he eats a rat or mouse. He seems to enjoy them, although this snake simply appears to be a garbage guts. Please excuse the set up, it's more or less a quarantine tub as I thought he had parasites.


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