My Local TSC Selling Sick (MG) Chicks

[MacCana]

This is not meant to dirty anyone's name or to be taken as slander. This is information pertinent to TSC customers and they have the right to know what they are buying before they leave the store.

If you do not know what MG or Mycoplasma Gallisepticum is, try googling "MG in Poultry" to start. It will bring up numerous good, informational articles. This is a run down of what I discovered today. You are free to double check my information if you feel the need, but I promise this is truth (for what that's worth from a stranger).

The two Tractor Supplys closest to my town in my area have ordered from TownLine Poultry Farm in Zeeland, MI this year. THESE CHICKS ARE OUT OF MG POSITIVE BREEDING STOCK. I only know this because when I went to the TSC after classes today, I saw that they had started chick days and immediately ran back there to hopefully get some. Well, having learned my lesson ( i lost a whole flock to the disease), and noticing their waterers all looked as if they had antibiotics in them (color was off), I questioned where they came from and why the water wasn't clear.

An employee informed me that they had started them on tetracylcine. I asked what was wrong with them, and he said nothing that he knew of. That just doesn't stack up. You don't give medicine to healthy animals. So i asked for the hatchery's number and spoke to a very nice lady. Their customer service was excellent btw. I asked her if they test for MG/MS and she said they did. But couldn't remember for sure so she put me on hold to go ask one of the men who worked with the chickens. She came back and told me that he said that their breeding stock *does* test positive for MG and that the man said that all hatcheries have MG and I wasn't going to find any who didn't, or if there were, he hadn't heard of any. (This appears to be mostly true, several big names I emailed or called, either said they didn't test for it, or that they can't say they're MG free) I said thank you, hung up, and made a beeline for the door. Though to their credit, this place has been the only one that admitted having breeding stock with it, even though it's obvious they aren't the only ones...

Now for someone with this in their flock already, that keeps their birds forever (keeps a closed flock), doesn't sell hatching eggs or babies, and enjoys their chickens strictly for eggs and pets - this doesn't really matter. Though medicating and keeping a flock with MG healthy can be rather costly after buying medications randomly throughout their lives and replacing lost birds.

Some have differing opinions on MG and it's seriousness. This is not up for debate. This is just so those who had planned on getting chicks from their TSC have the ability to check and see where their chicks are coming from, and make a decision based off that. (make sure to ask, I do not think that one hatchery would be able to ship chicks to all the TSC in the country, of course.)

I'm not sure how big an area one hatchery may ship to, but it now may be worth it to you to check into before buying and possibly infecting your own birds.

Just a friendly heads up.

 

[gmauerman]

I never take someone else's word as law because there can be misunderstandings and miscommunications so I called townline myself. Here is what I was told; Last year one of their flocks tested positive for mg so they culled them all. All of their 35 flocks are kept seperate. No other birds tested positive. They fumigate their eggs once a week to make sure they don't carry anything. The woman I spoke to, Katie, said she overheard her coworker last week giving out incorrect information. It was correct in that they had a flock with it. Key word is had. They followed all safety recommendations with the diseased birds. Katie stated that she'd considered joining BYC so she could contact the original caller and give her the correct information.

 

[lazy gardener]

Several sources I've read say that it's very common for hatchery stock to be MG +. Depending on who you talk to, it's a very serious matter, or not so much, depending on flock stressors and immunity issues. One more reason to hatch your own, not that that in it'self will prevent MG or MS in your flock. I've found that a lot of local feed stores don't like to tell customers where their stock comes from, TSC being the most notorious for this.

 

[MacCana]

I'm one of the people that consider MG serious.
I personally feel that big hatcheries are perpetuating a disease that we are better off without and only reason it's so prevalent is bc most people get hatchery stock and these hatcheries don't try to keep it out. Only way to do that is to restock breeding birds and lose millions in the process. And they don't want to do tht.
So I simply don't buy from hatcheries that aren't MG free anymore. It does limit your options, but it's not impossible to avoid. A wonderful example would be Whitmore Farm. They're certified MG free (as well as the rest) but they don't cost $2 each either, like you'd get at TSC....but I guess I'm realizing you get what you pay for? And if avoiding MG is the mission, then you may have to pay a bit more.
I just wanted to put tht out there bc I want people to look into what they are getting before they get it so they can make the best choices for what works for them.

 

[DoubletakeFarm]

I raise and breed silkies that I've gotten from a local breeder and from a hatchery. (don't remember which hatchery right now). Last year my TSC had silkie chicks for the first time and I got sooo excited and bought 20 of them. They were healthy as far as I can tell, didn't lose more than one or two and they didn't infect my flock with anything contagious. BUT, they grew up and those were the ugliest silkies I've ever seen! Just sad looking, no beards, little toe feathering, just didn't look like they were bred well. I stood in my barn looking at them and said "there is no way in heck I'm breeding this into my flock." I gave them all away. I will never buy chicks from TSC again.

Just my 2 cents on TSC chicks, for what it's worth.

 

[MacCana]

@SilverRose , call your tractor supply and tell them you got chicks and was curious about which hatchery they came from so you can get more in the future. That should convince them to tell you if they otherwise wouldn't. My TSCs had been giving them antibiotics in the water already, so I couldn't tell you for sure when it will come up without knowing how long they were on it. If they did come from Townline and they did show symptoms it will be in the form of respiratory issues and diarrhea. If I remember correctly, the woman from Townline I spoke to told me that they didn't vaccinate unless it was requested and thats it's a small charge. So yours most likely weren't vaccinated so unfortunately that means if they do have it it will surface at some point

 

[Mahen100]

@Macana Thanks for that information. I had a solo hatch that was lonely, and I really was worried about putting a hatchery bird in with it, but decided to. I do not mean to say that all TYCs practices are bad, just to encourage improvement. They did have a four- foot fence around the bird tubs, did have rules the girls boxing chicks followed, and I looked pretty carefully and did not notice "red flags" except in one tub. I don't know which breed, a straight run black bird. Each bird the handler picked up had matted something, like they'd lain in water during shipment..it looked like grey pulp paper...or whatever, encrusted and stuck all underneath each chick. It was not the clean shavings from the floor of the tub. I passed on that entire tub, and was a bit surprised those chicks were for sale. They didn't look sick, cold, listless...in the tub until inverted by the handler. If problems develop here, I've lost the one chick I hatched. And since reading this thread, I will tighten my own practices between "my house/brooder room" and my adult flock. I had already arranged with someone to take the TSC chick after I started it and the one I hatched was older.

 

[MacCana]

I was given the wrong information about the chicks being sold at TSC.
I just spoke to Katie, a rep there. She heard the coworker tell it to me wrong the day I called, and was glad I called back. Apparently my word got around and people had been calling.
What had happened was that 1 flock out of their 35 breeder flocks, started showing resp. symptoms. They had birds from it tested by the state to confirm MG. They culled that entire flock.
They also fumigate all eggs to make sure nothing transfers to the chick. They do not actively test for MG, but have not had any symptoms in any of their breeding flocks except that one which was disposed of on recommendation of the state vet. This was last year. They've not had any problems since. They only vaccinate for Marek's and only by request.
I'm sorry for frightening anyone if I did. But I was only passing along information I was given that was supposed to be correct. I hope that you can forgive me.
It would be even better if they did actively test for MG. They all should. But it sounds reasonably safe to go buy chicks from your TSC now.

If this experience taught me anything, it's to check and double check where chicks come from, how their parents are, if they receive vaccinations, what they test for, etc.
But next time I will call and double check info. Like I said, I was only passing along info I had no reason to believe to be false. I hope that makes up for how stupid this has made me look

 

[gmauerman]

We all go by the info we receive from reliable sourcs. I'm no different then you. It just wasn't my reliable source. You were trying to prevent heartbreak. Thank you for bringing it up. It's great we have a place to all learn about our flocks health and what to watch for. I'm glad you were online to see my post and that I could facilitate your calling and put Katie at ease. I wonder if we should be calling all the hatcheries every year just to be sure.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

You'll not find such information. Hatcheries don't even want their customers to know that such diseases exist. But, if you ask a specific hatchery, they may be obligated to tell you. Not sure on that one.

I'm pretty sure that they all have a standard "explanation" that they are to give as a matter of policy when they do have issues so as not to lose customers. I'm not really sure I'd trust them to tell me the whole truth. The reason, I've been in other business long enough and been one to be given scripts to use when someone concerned for one reason or another calls as well as any press. I'd still approach the situation with chicks with extreme caution, knowing that even if they BELIEVE that they are telling the truth, it may really just be that their higher ups are doing damage control. That is just the nature of the business.