Please sign this petition against TSCs new brooders

[Ninjasquirrel]

TSC has installed new brooders this year that are severely abusive to the chicks. There have been several complaints on their facebook page and at their corporate level. Chicks are dying at a much higher rate due to these tower brooders. Please sign this petition to have TSC go back to doing what is best for the birds!

https://www.change.org/p/tractor-su...ed_by_id=7f02b9a0-3d16-11e8-8272-1bc5bedbc2c3

Thank you. Feel free to post anything you have seen regarding these bad brooder set ups. We went to Rural King yesterday and they still had open air brooders so this is just TSC handing over a project to an engineer to make the ideal brooder.

 

[sdm111]

If people didn't use tractor supply to source chicks they wouldn't have them cause they wouldn't sell. I'd venture to say most maybe even including the original poster are hypocrites. If you bought from tractor then you have no say in the matter. So my question is have the people that signed it bought from them before?

What about hatcheries? Are they ok? The way they handle chicks or even brood stock for that matter? I guess thats ok.
Nice to pick and choose your battles depending on where you source yours from

 

[Aapomp831]

If people didn't use tractor supply to source chicks they wouldn't have them cause they wouldn't sell. I'd venture to say most maybe even including the original poster are hypocrites. If you bought from tractor then you have no say in the matter. So my question is have the people that signed it bought from them before?

What about hatcheries? Are they ok? The way they handle chicks or even brood stock for that matter? I guess thats ok.
Nice to pick and choose your battles depending on where you source yours from

There is no hypocrisy going on; I have bought plenty of chicks from TSC, when their brooders were normal. Now their brooders suck.... we can either change this by at least trying, which will happen way sooner than TSC changing their policy on selling chicks bc of ethical whatever. So in the meantime, I choose the former - change what you can and what is more realistic while you can. That is all.
Thank you, OP for the post. I’ll be signing for sure.

 

[Geckolady]

I saw this last night but didn't know if we were allowed to post it on this forum.

 

[lilmillefleur]

I went to TSC the other day and the birds looked fine to me. The manager said that the bantams didn't do as well for some reason, but that was it. He said the heat plate was lowered enough for them but they were still not doing well.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

TSC is a business. Selling Chicks from large hatcheries is low margin. They make their money on the add-ons - feeders, waterers, the feeds and treats themselves, their overpriced shoeboxes they offer as "coops", etc.

Losses this year an, anecdotally high - enough anecdotes its starting to look like data. Causes are myriad. Those who hate on hatcheries are going to blame Hoover's (who seems to be the source for most of TSC's chicks). Those who hate on TSC are going to blame Corporate and/or the employees. Those who hate on the Gov't may choose to blame USPS. No point in hating on the weather, but... All of those are seemingly a factor.

Someone at TSC Corporate spent a lot of company money on those new fixtures. A LOT of money. Investment in fixtures in a low margin environment is a high profile act - it shows TSC is serious about the bird business and plans to compete in it. The Exec who made the call has their neck on the line - but TSC isn't going to "retire" those units after investing so heavily, even if it was a mistake. That's not the Corporate world.

Chances are, "its complicated", and losses are a combination of factors. Terrible weather, USPS delays, employee training on the new units (or lack thereof), individual store management in properly setting up, heating up, and calibrating the new displays (or lack thereof), and suitability of those new fixtures for certain breeds (like banties) given their relative lack of ability to adjust the height of the heat plate. The end result of all those factors converging are apparently high losses in at least some stores.

TSC's vendors will take on some of those losses, but certainly not all of them. TSC has every incentive to get this right (the PR disaster is magnifying those losses) for the future, no Petition needed. and when it's improved, the Petition won't be the cause. $ will.

 

[saysfaa]

My first reaction was I didn't like them, but after checking many times (for the specific breed I want) I think the tower brooders are better. I like that the chicks aren't grabbed from above when they are sold (or not watched well enough) or even just loomed over by all the passersby. I like the cleaner feed and water systems. I think most of the problems are either learning how to use them as they are meant to be used or post office delays.

 

[cooingdove]

TSC has installed new brooders this year that are severely abusive to the chicks. There have been several complaints on their facebook page and at their corporate level. Chicks are dying at a much higher rate due to these tower brooders. Please sign this petition to have TSC go back to doing what is best for the birds!

https://www.change.org/p/tractor-su...ed_by_id=7f02b9a0-3d16-11e8-8272-1bc5bedbc2c3

Thank you. Feel free to post anything you have seen regarding these bad brooder set ups. We went to Rural King yesterday and they still had open air brooders so this is just TSC handing over a project to an engineer to make the ideal brooder.

interesting petion, i signed it, no idea if it will do anything but its worth a try right? i think we should divest from TCS. that probably makes WAY more diffrence.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

TSC is a business. Selling Chicks from large hatcheries is low margin. They make their money on the add-ons - feeders, waterers, the feeds and treats themselves, their overpriced shoeboxes they offer as "coops", etc.

Losses this year an, anecdotally high - enough anecdotes its starting to look like data. Causes are myriad. Those who hate on hatcheries are going to blame Hoover's (who seems to be the source for most of TSC's chicks). Those who hate on TSC are going to blame Corporate and/or the employees. Those who hate on the Gov't may choose to blame USPS. No point in hating on the weather, but... All of those are seemingly a factor.

Someone at TSC Corporate spent a lot of company money on those new fixtures. A LOT of money. Investment in fixtures in a low margin environment is a high profile act - it shows TSC is serious about the bird business and plans to compete in it. The Exec who made the call has their neck on the line - but TSC isn't going to "retire" those units after investing so heavily, even if it was a mistake. That's not the Corporate world.

Chances are, "its complicated", and losses are a combination of factors. Terrible weather, USPS delays, employee training on the new units (or lack thereof), individual store management in properly setting up, heating up, and calibrating the new displays (or lack thereof), and suitability of those new fixtures for certain breeds (like banties) given their relative lack of ability to adjust the height of the heat plate. The end result of all those factors converging are apparently high losses in at least some stores.

TSC's vendors will take on some of those losses, but certainly not all of them. TSC has every incentive to get this right (the PR disaster is magnifying those losses) for the future, no Petition needed. and when it's improved, the Petition won't be the cause. $ will.

I understand your argument regarding corporations but corporations are held to certain standards regarding health and safety practices and when selling live animals it is moreso because of animal cruelty laws. I agree that boycotting will more than likely do more than a petition but the point is to make our voices heard. You can blame shipping, you can blame the weather, you can even blame the hatchery but when it comes right down to it the birds are not being kept in adequete heat or ventilation in those brooders. Its up to you what you choose to do whether you agree with others or not. I have my own personal thoughts on these brooders and I personally think they are cruel. I'm not trying to sway an opinion just trying to ask people of like minds to sign.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I saw this last night but didn't know if we were allowed to post it on this forum.

I'm assuming its ok because its chicken related and not political. If its not ok I apologize to the moderators