[Brian]

Chicken should be OK since many garter species will take small nestling birds in the wild. However, when you cook chicken you destroy many of the nutrients in it and I don't know if salmonella poisoning would be possible if you fed it raw. You're best bet is to feed fish and mice. I always have worms in the diet of my snakes especially when they are young. I've never "knowingly" had problems with parasites.