TSC Chicks ~ Tractor Supply Co

Has anyone bought chicks from TSC?

If so, were they healthy? Is it a bad idea? Is it any different then buying from a hatchery?

Just curious.....

I have...they were healthy...um...they come from a hatchery...

typically feed stores sell them for what they cost and plan on making money by selling you feed and stuff for them

the benefit is you can buy 4 and not pay for more than you want or small order pricing

I would think it would depend on where they got the chicks (are they from healthy, hardy stock and in what conditions does the breeder keep his stock) and how the individual store cares for them.

If you get animals from them, I would HIGHLY advise quarantine, however, because you don't know what they have been exposed to (even just from customers in and out of the store) and what they may be harboring. I found that out the hard way. In my case, it was with rabbits, but I ended up bringing home pasteurella and had to destroy my entire herd, sanitize, and start over. Heartbreaking.

I am not saying any of this was TSCs fault. The rabbits all appeared healthy when I bought them. But they had obviously been exposed (I have never previously had ANY disease problems) and all the stress involved with transport to the store, strange people constantly milling about, and then being moved to my place was obviously too much for them and they succumbed to the illness.

I don't think it is a good idea to get animals from places like TSC because, as mentioned above, you really don't know where they came from and the whole situation is just too stressful them.

That's what I was wondering.

So it would be better to order from a hatchery like Ideal or McMurray. Aren't you taking chances with them too?

I agree w/rizq; I don't have personal experience with buying from TSC, but I do have a close friend who bought a couple chicks from TSC last year, just for her layer pen. I'm not sure if the 2nd survived, but the first, a RIR, lived to egg-lay age, and then died shortly thereafter. Again, not saying it's anything that was TSC's fault, just that's the only experience I personally know of.

Anything with chickens invovles a risk factor; if you buy from a hatchery and make sure to go with a reputable one, my personal opinion is that you do get very healthy chicks. However, the sacrifice is they will not be show quality, and may not even be exactly what they are advertised to be (case in point, almost ALL "Ameraucanas" from hatcheries are actually EEs). If what you're looking for are some healthy birds, go with hatchery stock. If you want to show them, or be able to eventually breed them and sell hatching eggs, best to buy from a breeder. Just my two cents.

Like Teach97 said, that would depend on how many you wanted. As long as you quarantined them from your other chickens, it probably wouldn't be a problem. If you want 20 or 30 of them anyway, I'd just order from a hatchery.

With the hatchery they are not sitting in a retail store with anyone and everyone who may have sick chickens at home marching around them all day.

Personally, I view all new chickens as sick chickens until they have been quarantined well away from my others for at least a month without exhibiting any symptoms.

Other than hatching your own, I think a hatchery is the safest place to get new chickens. (again, my opinion )

ETA: Wynette makes a good point about show stock ... I don't show at this point, so I tend to forget about that angle

Many of the TSC's get their chicks from Ideal Hatchery.

Ours mostly gets RIR's from what I saw in the bins last spring.

Personally I would cut the middle man and just order from the hatchery.

We don't have a TSC here but the local Farm store always has chicks for spring. I was in there last year buying feed and looking at the chicks while I waited for someone to wait on me when I noticed the smaller chicks were jumping out. (cage holes were too big) A 4-5 foot fall for them and when I told the guy working there he just picked them back up and put them where he thought they belonged. That explains how I got breeds and sexes I didn't want the one time I bought chicks there.

Our local TSC get there chicks from Mt. Healthy Hatchery . It is also local, but the chicks are less thru TSC .

Depending on where you live you will get chickens at a TSC from one of 3 hatcheries. Ideal, Privett and Mt. Healthy each supply TSC stores. As has been said on here any time you get chickens you should take appropriate steps before you introduce them into your flock.

Teri,

Ideal Poultry