Black comet?? Tractor supply???

[Egghead_Jr]

Honestly, they may not really know what kind of chicks they got in. I bought chicks at another store, and they didn't know what they were. They had an idea, but nothing on paper. When I asked why, they said that corporate sends in the order, and they get them in. They don't know what they have coming until it gets there.

At one of the local feed stores, they have a list of what they are getting every week until summer. I guess the big stores don't work that way.

I guess simple phone calls wont do..or not.

If you ask a manager of a store to identify what he or she ordered then he or she can directly tell you what he or she does not know.

Or not.



Henless I tagged you here because I;m in the party....for how long the hot tea keeps!

 

[donrae]

I'm with enola--folks need to start holding tsc more accountable. I get that not all their employees are chicken folks, but honestly how hard is it to read an invoice and keep birds separate? And correctly labeled? My local Grange offers over a dozen different breed throughout the season and keeps them all sorted out, and everyone is labeled who is what, and there aren't any straight run chicks unless specifically special ordered. It's not rocket science! As long as folks let TSC get by with it, though, they will.

I can just imagine giving that kind of customer service in my line of work (nursing)......"what medications is my mother taking?" "oh, you know, a little white one, a big white one, something for her heart, or maybe it's more for her lungs, I'm not sure". "well can you find out?!?" "you know, it's not really written down anywhere.....we just give her what the pharmacy sends"

Okay, maybe a poor analogy, but customer service is customer service.

 

[birdlady79]

I've had to order from a place a 1hr 30 min away... Our local 4 TSC don't know what they are getting in weekly, today it was ducks!! None of them have been getting any good chicks in... I thought they just sold pullets but nope they had straight runs as well .. I'll stick w the feed store... It's frustrating trying to find what u want in small quantities....

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Contact the store. Have them look up what they are, manager should know what he ordered. The order form they use will have some description so at the very least the manager can help or tell you which hatchery they get birds from so you can look up their website and see what they are.

If you want layers now is the time to grow them out so if these are indeed male sex links then get more pullets now. For my climate waiting to find sex by growing birds out then getting more chicks would result in having birds that didn't lay until next spring.

If the OP got their chicks from TSC, then the manager isn't the one who placed the order at all. It would have come from higher up. Sorry. Most stores are not told what has been ordered. Not to mention, even if they were told what they were getting, most employees aren't that familiar with chickens so they wouldn't know the difference between a Barred Rock chick and a Marans, to be frank. The chicks would not arrive separately so the employees are then stuck with trying to sort them most likely by color. Now if the HATCHERIES would send chicks in a manner that would make sorting easier, then it would make everyone's lives so much easier. Put freaking leg bands on or something to make them more identifiable.

That is why each person should know what they want before they go or be willing to gamble. I'm thinking of gambling on some bantams but I'm hatching my own layers right now.

 

[henless]

That is why each person should know what they want before they go or be willing to gamble. I'm thinking of gambling on some bantams but I'm hatching my own layers right now.

That is what I did! I purchased some chicks at our local feed store. I got RIRs, Australorps and EEs. I wanted some Buff Orps and Wyandottes, but they wouldn't be getting those in for another month. I felt that would be too much of an age difference with my chicks, and I didn't want to raise them seperate. I ended up getting some Barred Rocks and Golden Sex Links, which are Golden Comets I believe. That brought me to my 15 chick limit.

A couple days later, I had to make a run to Atwoods. Of course, this was the day after they had gotten in new chicks, so I had to go and look in the bins. It looked like they had some Buff Orps and SLWs. I took a gamble and got 3 of each. If I had not looked at SLW chicks, I would not have known their color pattern. The Orps where a gamble, but they were so round and fat, they have to be Orps.

I asked one of the employees why they didn't have them labeled, and she said it's because they don't know what they are getting. She said corporate orders them and they don't specify what breed. They order so many pullets, straight runs, bantams, ducks, geese, guineas or what have you and the hatcheries distribute them to all the Atwoods. You may luck out and get someone who actually knows something about chickens. Good thing about Atwoods, they have no minimum order, and even though they catch them for you, they will catch the ones you want and let you hold them to make sure you want that chick.

 

[lghrnlvr]

The chicks come separated from the hatchery and the boxes are marked. Whether they end up in the proper bin is another story. I have to agree with the other posters. most of the employees have no clue when it comes to chicks so you need to do your own research before buying.
I've had good luck with tsc but I have only bought leghorns from them and only after they were discounted. I'm a sucker for poor little chicks no one else wants lol
My local mill carries a better selection of chicks during the summer, they are cheaper, and have no minimum amounts.

 

[Laci7210]

Sounds like black australorps/golden comet mix to me..

 

[leahcim823]

There growing feathering out!!! What's everybody think!!!

 

[leahcim823]

 

[henless]

They look like Barred Rocks to me.