Health of tractor supply chicks??

[whychickens2]

Hi! I was thinking of getting a few chicks from tractor supply and eventually adding them to my flock..has anyone done this, are there chicks healthy? Ive had to cull my last flock because of MG and im nervous about getting newbies.... I went yesterday te chicks looked healthy. There were a couple kinda dozing off but i cant get close enough to see if there just sleeping or sick. Im not sure if thats normal chick behavior....

 

[chickforchicks]

I got a dozen to add to the three that hatched from my incubator a week ago. One died and was replaced but they all seem happy and healthy now. I'm in Virginia and have no idea which hatchery they buy from. I was worried about mixing my three with others, but all are thriving. I was excited to see they had Ameraucanas, even if they end up really being Easter Eggers.

 

[redsoxs]

It seems like the chicks I've observed in TSC and other farm and ranch stores are pretty healthy. They order from large hatcheries and then simply resell them to the public. So it is in their best business interest to order in and maintain healthy chicks. That said, I think so much of it has to do with how conscientious the employees of the store are in taking care of the chicks. I have seen chicks in stores and their brooder was clean and fresh. Conversely, I have seen situations where the chicks are being kept in some pretty squalid conditions. So, I would base my purchases on the the appearance of the chicks as well as the condition in which they are being kept.
In terms of the sleeping behavior...I think that is perfectly normal - they doze off periodically. You might try and tap the brooder to see how they react. Good luck to you!!

 

[Hillaire]

I bought 6 bantam chicks (porcelain d'uccle) from tsc on the first day 1 died which is normal they are about 2 1/2 weeks old and just found another one dead in the brooder last night. I honestly think it may have been squished by one of the mallard ducklings I have with them because they all seemed fine and healthy when I left for work yesterday morning. TSC seems to be fine though they usually have a quick turnaround in chicks when they get them and I have plenty of friends and family that have used them with no issues.

 

[Lelilamom]

Ask the store where they get their chicks from. Almost all feed stores get their chicks from hatcheries, just like us. I picked up six easter eggers from TSC 3 weeks ago. They are all fine. They bought them from Townline Hatchery in MI. That being said, two years ago, I bought a dozen RSL from TSC and they started developing reproductive issues at 20 weeks. I lost 4 between 20 weeks and 1 year. That year they got them from some other place.

I think it's just the luck of the draw.

 

[N F C]

x2 on redsoxs comments, it all has to do with the store employees.

I won't buy chicks from our TSC. They don't keep their environment clean, the waterers are usually empty, they keep too many in one bin (which had caused pecking injuries to some of the birds, to the point they had bleeding injuries) and a lot of them have severe pasty butt. I've talked to 3 different employees and no one seemed to care. They treat them like any other product they sell, not as living creatures.

Buyer beware. Each store is going to be different, see how the birds have been treated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A Tractor Supply employee that is a member of this forum said the chicks are coming from three different hatcheries this year, Privett, Townline and I can’t remember the other, it was somewhere out west. They are hatchery chicks.

I also agree with Redsoxs, some employees are very good and knowledgeable in how they treat the chicks, some are not. My local TSC keeps the bins and water clean, I have no complaint about that. The person managing them isn’t up very much on breeds though. I just don’t trust the information she gives. I’ve gotten chicks from a feed store that was not a TSC, same story there. If they are kept clean and the water especially is clean, I’m OK with them. If not, well I keep going.

 

[Folly's place]

I think the other hatchery is Hoover. Our local TSC does a very good job managing the chicks and ducklings, and they are fenced off so only staff can handle them Very good!!! Mary

 

[whychickens2]

Thank you!! We bit the bullett and bought 9 chicks. I did have to hand feed one a couple time but all seems ok so far after two days.

 

[Mrs. K]

One of the things, is that any customer can reach in and handle the chicks, and often are not real careful which bin they put them back in. So you can think you are getting one kind only to wind up with another.

Mrs K