Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[Beekissed]

Bee, part of the problem is that many folks buy chicks from corporate feed stores that arbitrarily select chicks of various popular breeds from a hatchery and then sell under the label "manager's choice". When a customer inquires as to what breeds are in the stock tank, the clerk replies, "Darned if I know". The best they can do is to hang a color poster of different chick breeds and point to it, and then the customer searches for resemblances to the chicks in the stock tank. Seven years ago, when I was still fairly new to keeping chickens, I bought some chipmunk striped chicks thinking I was getting Easter Eggers and they turned out to be Speckled Sussex.

Corporate business models and poorly or untrained staff are the problem, not chicken keepers. Since then, I try to do business with privately owned feed stores even though it means driving longer distances in order to get the breeds I want.

That sounds about right. I've asked about the breeds in the bins at these stores and rarely do the employees know what they are, which makes one wonder about the tank's labels as well. No one seems to know what is going on at all, nor do they seem to care. Can't throw off on them, though...they are part time employees getting minimum wage with minimum training, so they probably don't have time nor inclination to get to know the job that thoroughly.

It's always dicey getting into something new and trying to unravel the ends and outs of it, isn't it?

 

[casportpony]

Bee, part of the problem is that many folks buy chicks from corporate feed stores that arbitrarily select chicks of various popular breeds from a hatchery and then sell under the label "manager's choice". When a customer inquires as to what breeds are in the stock tank, the clerk replies, "Darned if I know". The best they can do is to hang a color poster of different chick breeds and point to it, and then the customer searches for resemblances to the chicks in the stock tank. Seven years ago, when I was still fairly new to keeping chickens, I bought some chipmunk striped chicks thinking I was getting Easter Eggers and they turned out to be Speckled Sussex.

Corporate business models and poorly or untrained staff are the problem, not chicken keepers. Since then, I try to do business with privately owned feed stores even though it means driving longer distances in order to get the breeds I want.

Same sort of problem exists with the privately owned stores in my area. They start off with all the pens marked with properly, but chicks always end up mixed together, and as nice as the employees are, most don't know anything about identifying the different breeds of chicks.

 

[Blooie]

You had a coop for yours, didn't you? Or is my memory faulty again?

Nope. We got the chicks in February (dumb) and brooded them in the house under a lamp (dumber) until I couldn't handle it one more day. We got the coop partially finished (dumbest) and I evicted them when they were 5.5 weeks old, on April 1st.

I figured better Blooie my own self fast, Deb!

 

[Blooie]

Best place I ever found to buy chicks was this one, up in Billings, MT.

Edited - oops, forgot the photos...hold on a minute!



Ken and I waited in Billings for a couple of hours, checking back here periodically because we knew the chicks were coming and wanted to be there when they did. So we watched them unpack them - the employees literally took each chick out of the box one at a time. The boxes were divided with the name of the breed on the partition and the took the sticker off and stuck it on top of the waterer in the bin. When all the chicks were in the bin, then they double checked their store labels against the slip on top of the waterer and only when everything matched did they put the big label on the front of the bin. They did this over and over again, putting weaker chicks back in the box (rather than in a bin) and removing the dead ones. When it was all done they took down the tape, moved the ladder, and you could get up close to look at the chicks. But there is a little catch on each bin so they don't allow people to take a single chick out themselves. It was quite a setup!

 

[Beekissed]

Nope. We got the chicks in February (dumb) and brooded them in the house under a lamp (dumber) until I couldn't handle it one more day. We got the coop partially finished (dumbest) and I evicted them when they were 5.5 weeks old, on April 1st.

I figured better Blooie my own self fast, Deb!

I had forgotten that. Now I can pick your brain case....I've always wondered about the thinking behind such actions and if you ask, folks think you are putting them down, but it helps me to try and understand if I know what folks are thinking about when they get an animal before they have a home for it. Can you give me the 411?

 

[Blooie]

I had forgotten that. Now I can pick your brain case....I've always wondered about the thinking behind such actions and if you ask, folks think you are putting them down, but it helps me to try and understand if I know what folks are thinking about when they get an animal before they have a home for it. Can you give me the 411?

I was thinking that Ken wanted goats but I didn't. That's it. We were driving home from Cody and we passed a place that has the neatest habitat set up for their goats, and every time we've driven past Ken says, "I want some goats." This time was no exception. I reminded him of my flowers and that we didn't have room for goats. Tam was with us and she piped up, "But you have room for chickens!" We joked about that the rest of the 50 miles home, but somehow the seed had been planted so I started poking around on the internet. I placed my order that same night.

Impulsive? Yep. Kinda dumb? Yep. If I had to do over again would I proceed more cautiously and with more brains than emotion? Yep. But it's worked out good for me, thanks to a lot of help from folks with common sense and experience - and YOU know who they are!!

 

[Beekissed]

I was thinking that Ken wanted goats but I didn't. That's it. We were driving home from Cody and we passed a place that has the neatest habitat set up for their goats, and every time we've driven past Ken says, "I want some goats." This time was no exception. I reminded him of my flowers and that we didn't have room for goats. Tam was with us and she piped up, "But you have room for chickens!" We joked about that the rest of the 50 miles home, but somehow the seed had been planted so I started poking around on the internet. I placed my order that same night.

Impulsive? Yep. Kinda dumb? Yep. If I had to do over again would I proceed more cautiously and with more brains than emotion? Yep. But it's worked out good for me, thanks to a lot of help from folks with common sense and experience - and YOU know who they are!!

So that's how it goes, huh? After you placed your order did you start thinking about a chicken coop? Good move, BTW, chickens over goats.

 

[debid]

Same sort of problem exists with the privately owned stores in my area. They start off with all the pens marked with properly, but chicks always end up mixed together, and as nice as the employees are, most don't know anything about identifying the different breeds of chicks.

I am oh-so-thankful for having a family-owned, local, NPIP hatchery with a competent chicken sexer and a surprisingly good variety!

Nope. We got the chicks in February (dumb) and brooded them in the house under a lamp (dumber) until I couldn't handle it one more day. We got the coop partially finished (dumbest) and I evicted them when they were 5.5 weeks old, on April 1st.

I figured better Blooie my own self fast, Deb!

I cannot remember who it was but there was SOMEONE years ago on BYC who had POL pullets living in her bathroom. I'm glad it wasn't you but sometimes life gets in the way so it's really best to be prepared.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: You and others are so lucky! I love the folks at the feed stores, but the majority of the employees don't have a clue.

 

[casportpony]

Best place I ever found to buy chicks was this one, up in Billings, MT.

Edited - oops, forgot the photos...hold on a minute!



Ken and I waited in Billings for a couple of hours, checking back here periodically because we knew the chicks were coming and wanted to be there when they did. So we watched them unpack them - the employees literally took each chick out of the box one at a time. The boxes were divided with the name of the breed on the partition and the took the sticker off and stuck it on top of the waterer in the bin. When all the chicks were in the bin, then they double checked their store labels against the slip on top of the waterer and only when everything matched did they put the big label on the front of the bin. They did this over and over again, putting weaker chicks back in the box (rather than in a bin) and removing the dead ones. When it was all done they took down the tape, moved the ladder, and you could get up close to look at the chicks. But there is a little catch on each bin so they don't allow people to take a single chick out themselves. It was quite a setup!

What a lovely display! I like the caution tape they have up to keep people away from the enclosures.