Feed store sells barn yard mixed chicks?

Feed stores CAN use hatchery chicks or a local breeder to supply chicks in their stores. Nothing new around here and it has been around for decades.

If you want the exact breed and exact sex, order thru the hatchery or private breeder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indigosands 

  My question is, is the sale of mixed breed chicks (other than sex linked) common?

No, not common at all.

What is really, really common is for people to go and pick up the cute little fuzzies and then put them back in the wrong bin. What is also very common is for the clerk to not catch the mistake every time.

Also, laced wyandotte chicks look an awful lot like any other stripey chick, or even some EEs, especially when chicks aren't your passion, but just part of your job, along with many other duties that all need done now. So if a list says there are laced wyandottes in X bin and that they are brown, unless you point out the ones you want and are expert in teeny, fuzzy chick identification, you are getting two brown chicks.

I wouldn't sweat it, myself. I know that feed store chicks have been handled and that employees may not be chicken experts, but if I see a fuzzy peep or 5 I want, I go ahead, and tell myself that they are probably straight run and might have been mislabeled or swapped around by kids. It's a way more fun gamble then a lotto ticket, I still get chickens!

Those that desire pure, bred to type chickens, really only get those from a breeder.  A typical feed store will have only hatchery quality chicks at best.  Mixed up batches and bins due to either employees or customers mixing?  Pretty common thing.  Feed stores don't get rich off selling chicks at a dime or two for margins.  It's pretty much all about creating floor traffic and then selling equipment, accessories and feed.  When buying chicks at a feed store, caveat emptor.

I bought some silkies from a feed and farm store,  they said they purchased from a hatchery in Utah.   I  hope  they  are  good quality.  they are all happy and healthy and look  alike.     they are fun to watch

While I'm sure mistakes happen, I don't think it's fair to catagorize all feed stores as incompetant. I am a Team Member at Tractor Supply and during our two month long "Chick Days" sale, I was the "Chick Captain"....aka, the person in charge of all of our shipments of chicks, the care of the chicks, and chick sales. We had seperate stock tanks for each breed, and the entire chick area is entirely paneled and chained so that customers can't get to them. When a shipment came in, they were labeled with the breed and they went directly into their stock tank and labeled accordingly. Many customers came in just wanting chicks....(who knew their were different breeds of them? LOL) so it was our responsibility to uncover their poultry needs and sell them the right breed.

"No darling customer, cornish rocks wouldn't be the best choice for egg layers!!!"

All of our customers went away satisifed and with healthy happy chicks that were true to the breed we sold them as!

I don't think anyone was saying all feedstores are incompetent, just that accidents happen - no store that wants to stay open is in the business of purposefully misrepresenting to customers, the OP was the victim of an honest mistake.

LOL, and some of us are perfectly happy with our <gasp, horror> hatchery quality birds!  I got the most beautiful Splash Wheaton EE roo out of a fry-pan special bin - I saw that puffy-cheeked, funky colored chick and mine. He'll never win a show but I love seeing him in my yard.

My TSC Tetra Tint pullets (another impulse buy) are 3 months old now and I am in love. I will definitely be getting more of those.