Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I dont do this regularly. Infact never have before. But I bought a load of chicks and have been letting me Black pines feast on them while they are still in the mood to eat. I understand that chicks make the poop a little messier than normal and have also heard that chicks are not as good nutritionally as rats. But I figured Id let them have a treat aka new food source a time or two. Whats your take on poultry as a food item for Pine snakes?

I've also fed my black pines chicks once in a while. I was a little worried about the stories I've heard with extra messy & smelly stools from birds and in my experience it wasn't the case, they were pretty much the same as their normal "rodent" poops. I had gotten a bag of chicks from my supplier & wanted to try a little variety figuring it couldn't hurt.

i do feed them to my La Pines and Dry's every once in a while. Chicks do not have the same nutritional value as rodents but they are ok every once in a while

If they like it and it is not the sole thing in their diet it can't hurt. In the wild they eat all sorts of things.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Thankyou, I definatley do not plan on feeding my pines chicks all the time, as they are seasonal here and I am able to offer my snakes rodents year round. On a good note my subadult black pine that hasnt taken a meal since I bought it in january gladly took to the chicks. Ive fed her 2 since thursday. So now I just hope its stubborn streak is over and it will accept rodents aswell.
Max

Your success with your pine gives me an idea; I have two male gopher snakes who are being stubborn about eating even though all my females are eating up a storm. Next time I'm in town I'll get some day old chicks and see if they will eat that. One of them (08) is old enough to be horny but the other one (09) is just a little guy.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

When you've got a stubborn feeder try chicks to get them going. They've worked for me on stubborn FL pines & black pines. My other pits will often take them later in the summer when they sometimes won't take FT rodents.

I figured that my stubborn pine was just in mating mode. But it is a female and hadnt eaten since well before breeding season. If need be I will keep the stuborn one on chicks. I get them live from feed stores all over town. But they are impossible to find after id say september. Atleast the sucker has had a few meals. I was starting to worry about it. I may try a rat next time It is up for a feed. I bought 8 chicks on thursday last week. And they are all gone. No more squwaking here. Poultry and ducks and turkey is so much cheaper than rodents. Too bad they are not the nutritional best. Anyways thanks for your input. This forum is a great way to answer questions. If I have one I just go on here and usually find my answer without even posting a messege. Good luck this season! What do you think you will have as far as pits go?
Max

you can get day old chicks through rodentpro last time i checked. pits love them.

many moons ago steve reichling at the memphis zoo wrote that he had used chicks exclusively for a period of time when establishing louisiana pines in captivity. i believe he had good weight gain and breeding results.

watch out they are addictive,lol

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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)

to my yearling bulls exclusively now and they are both around 4 feet long. They are eating 3-4 chicks every 4-7 days and growing at an amazing rate. I alternated 3-4 mice and then 3-4 chicks for a while and switched to chicks exclusively three months ago with outstanding results.

Michael

Would they eat frozen thawed chicks? That would solve the availability question. One of my striped Pacifics, the little 09 male, will have to have a drumstick! LOL! I don't think he could manage a whole chick. The other Pacific is an 08, and he ate just a few weeks ago, but I think he can smell my big female from across the room...he comes out and looks longingly in her direction.

This year I am just breeding my pyros. My pits are still not big enough. Once I get a bunch of baby snakes then I have to take care of them, and I have only so much room.
To answer your question I have Pacifics, both blotched and striped, and a pair of Kingsville x Stillwater bulls. Next year I will see about breeding some of the 08 ones.

By the way, your black pines are just beautiful!
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

if you're interested i think that f/t day old quail are also out there for sale. they are a bit smaller than the day old chicks.

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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)

One time I found a nest of quail eggs in the clover field just before harvest. I used to reconnoiter the fields for nests and other things that could be hurt by the brush hog before commencing the harvest. So I put these little eggs under one of my hens and she incubated them just fine, but as soon as they hatched the little buggers left the nest and were never seen again. Never had that happen with the duck and pheasant eggs I'd foster to my hens.

Anyway, I am cooking chicken tomorrow so I think I will rub a bit of chicken fat on a pinky and see if my little 09 will eat that. The feed store does sometimes have quail, so that is a option, too.
As for my 08 gopher, maybe I will put him with the big female and let him get his rocks off. Hopefully that will satisfy him and he will get back to eating. Neither male is starving, so it's not a worry.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Yes I would like to get some quail for my younger bulls. I have not seen them availible here yet this year. But I have in the past. So hopefully Some show up here soon.

>>Yes I would like to get some quail for my younger bulls. I have not seen them availible here yet this year. But I have in the past. So hopefully Some show up here soon.

rodentpro offers them, probably some other producers as well
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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)