Feed Store Rant!

[Gomes Bantams]

The smaller the feed store the more they know.

Agreed. TSC knows NOTHING. Went in to buy some chicks and all the had were ''white'' pullets. Thanks for nothin Tractor Supply

 

[Pamelas liladys]

I live in NC but I visit tractor supply stores in TN. simply because they are the closest ones. I have had no complaints with the tractor supply stores I visit except for service.Once you get someone who will help you they do seem to be quite knowledgeable of chicks. Although out chick days have ended here. I do have to agree that the little feed stores are so full of information and it is always a pleasure to visit those smaller stores.
Pamelas lil Ladys

 

[Jkioneil]

I live in NC but I visit tractor supply stores in TN. simply because they are the closest ones. I have had no complaints with the tractor supply stores I visit except for service.Once you get someone who will help you they do seem to be quite knowledgeable of chicks. Although out chick days have ended here. I do have to agree that the little feed stores are so full of information and it is always a pleasure to visit those smaller stores.
Pamelas lil Ladys

It might have to do with location too. I wonder if the more rural you go the more rural they know lol

 

[dainerra]

I think it comes down to the employees. Some want to educate and know about the birds they sell, others just don't care.

 

[rufus]

Sales employees probably are making minimum wage at best. Their job is to keep up the stock, sell the merchandise and run the register. You can't expect them to have degrees in biology or poultry science. The person buying chicks needs to do a little research before they get into the chicken business.

Rufus

 

[Pamelas liladys]

That makes me want to apply for a job next year to just do the chickens. At least people woudl be more informed than they are now.
I have done my research and read several books and magazines. I at least know more than the people who were helping me at tractor supply.

 

[Jkioneil]

They have a poultry department. There are four people in charge of chickens turkeys and ducks. These four people should be knowledgable enough to help customers or they should not sell live animals. go to a pet store and ask questions about products dogs ect... you are going to get help. go to a fish store and ask questions about water temp and info about tropical fish, you are going to get good info. go to a restaurant and ask about the menu and generally they will be able to tell you about the food whats in it, how its prepared how fresh it is etc... all minimum wage jobs. an hour training on poultry at a weekly meeting would give people enough info to pass on quality information. There is no excuse for it I don't care what they are paid. we pay our teachers poo and we still expect them to do their jobs right?

 

[dainerra]

They have a poultry department. There are four people in charge of chickens turkeys and ducks. These four people should be knowledgable enough to help customers or they should not sell live animals. go to a pet store and ask questions about products dogs ect... you are going to get help. go to a fish store and ask questions about water temp and info about tropical fish, you are going to get good info.

these actually made me LOL Most people working in pet stores know exactly ZILCH about any of those questions. Ask about dog food? Everything they know is based on what the company rep told them to say. Fish dept? Please, they go through employees there like mad! Most of them know little past fish live in water.

The same goes for the feed store. If the employee has an interest, then yes - they will give good info. If not, then they will go by whatever they are told to say. I'd bet that the majority of the stores have no good info to TRAIN the employees, so any knowledge would come from their own experience. For example, we have a local feed store and an Orschlen's. At the local feed store, yes you will get advice, but it is geared toward large poultry producers. Not all of it fits for a small backyard flock.
Go to Orschlen's and the advice is geared more towards someone who has a few birds in the flock. Most of the employees don't know a lot about the bird breeds, but they know the basics of care. 3 or 4 employees have flocks of their own and are much more informed on the different breeds. However, that info comes from the hatcheries, so "EE"s are purebred Araucanas

 

[Jkioneil]

these actually made me LOL Most people working in pet stores know exactly ZILCH about any of those questions. Ask about dog food? Everything they know is based on what the company rep told them to say. Fish dept? Please, they go through employees there like mad! Most of them know little past fish live in water.
The same goes for the feed store. If the employee has an interest, then yes - they will give good info. If not, then they will go by whatever they are told to say. I'd bet that the majority of the stores have no good info to TRAIN the employees, so any knowledge would come from their own experience. For example, we have a local feed store and an Orschlen's. At the local feed store, yes you will get advice, but it is geared toward large poultry producers. Not all of it fits for a small backyard flock.
Go to Orschlen's and the advice is geared more towards someone who has a few birds in the flock. Most of the employees don't know a lot about the bird breeds, but they know the basics of care. 3 or 4 employees have flocks of their own and are much more informed on the different breeds. However, that info comes from the hatcheries, so "EE"s are purebred Araucanas

I have found that the aquarium store in my area is full of info. They will test my water if i have a fish die they don't just spout info companies have given them they know what works and what does not. They have saved me $ and time. When I had questions. they specialize in fish. Same with the pet store I go to. But the feed store tries to sell me chemical grade DE and tells people misguided and sometimes dangerous info. Where I used to live the feed store was a good source of info but again that was a rural environment and now I am in a suburban area. Maybe we need to volunteer our time or something. I don't know but saying they suck and that is just the way it is... is not acceptable to me.

 

[rufus]

Well, when you go into the feed store and the bins with the chicks are labeled "Buf Orffantands" and "Road Island Reds" that should be your first clue that you are pretty much on your own.

Buyer beware!

Rufus