My Local TSC Selling Sick (MG) Chicks

[Silverose]

When would this show up? I just got 12 (6 wyandotte 6 welsummer) from TSC on sunday. They all appear healthy (I'm in Tennessee btw)

I bought 12 EE chicks 4 years ago and never had the first problem... Fingers crossed I suppose.

 

[MacCana]

Where I am @ASilkieLife14 , my TSC changed hatcheries this year because the one they had been using for a the past years had a Salmonella outbreak. I don't know the name of that hatchery or the outcome, he just told me that is why they were using Townline this year. So if you haven't had any issues arise where you have had to give them medication (antibiotics) up to this point, it's probably safe to say that they don't have anything. MG is lifelong with symptoms arising and needing treatment randomly. You should have seen signs of it by now if they do have it. When you get NPIP certified, make sure to elect to have the MG test done. It is not a requirement. Only AI and Pullorum are.

Thats funny losttexan! Let's hope not.

@Mahen100 , I was surprised how up front this guy was with me. Apparently they usually don't do that. But I go in there a lot with my dog and we often make conversation so he may have just been doing me a favor.

I know I won't be buying chicks from there anymore. On another site, a person a few states away told me they made some calls and found out that all the TSCs this year are getting their chicks from either Townline Poultry or Hoover's. I corresponded with the owner of Hoover's a bit today and he has assured me they test for MG and that they are one of only 2 large hatcheries in the country that test negative for MG. Which would make sense bc Whitmore would be the other. At the moment I am finding out if Hoover's vaccinate's their chicks though and if so what for. I would imagine if they were MG-free they won't vaccinate for it (this causes chickens to test positive for MG) and I wouldn't want that either.

If all is true though TSC will have ordered from one of the best possible sources and one of the worst at the same time. Oh the irony

 

[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.

 

[losttexan]

"On another site, a person a few states away told me they made some calls and found out that all the TSCs this year are getting their chicks from either Townline Poultry or Hoover's."


Very interesting. When I asked the disaffected community college student at my local TSC, he informed me their chicks came from "Privett in Dallas."

Wait. Isn't Privett in New Mexico? Hmmm . . . .

 

[MacCana]

@losttexan

I do not know what's real anymore...lol jk but that sure is strange. It was something someone said on another group on facebook. I guess they inquired to double check my info. But I didn't hear it myself so I can't say for 100% that was all that was said. All i do know is that it's fishy. And that there's a hefty chance of ending up with a sick chick if I'm not able to get all the details. That's just odds that I don't want to test you know?

But others may choose to make that decision, and that's okay, but if your chickens do end up with some sort of lifetime illness, you should maintain a closed flock or sell to another person who has MG positive birds and keeps a closed flock.

My flock of silver grey dorkings, silkies, ameracaunas, barred rocks, 3 lavender guineas and a red bourbon tom turkey + about 21 chicks or youngsters were all put down last summer. I held every one on the way to the spot to kill them on the other end of my yard and apologized like crazy. I made the decision to cull everyone because I can not support my chicken habit without making money from it long term. We need the ability for them to pay for themselves and perhaps more. So because I didn't pay enough attention and a lady didn't care to sell her MG infected flock - I bought 2 hens& brought death to my chooks.

Thats the only reason why I want people to know bc not everyone can just have chickens as pets. If it tightens someone biosecurity regime or causes them to pause before bringing illness, uneccessarily expenses and heartache to their flock, then I fulfilled my purpose with this post.

 

[mindylee]

Just so all of you know.
The chicks have elecrolights in the chick waters at TSC. Thuss the reason y the color in the water. Also because most employees are not familiar with elecrolights, will call it antibiotics just like calling a pullet a breed.

 

[ebuxton]

Just an FYI for Michigan residents. NPIP in our state only requires that the birds are tested for Pullorum. MG testing is not state mandated. Please check to see what is required in your area. And PLEASE quarantine all new animals. You just never know what you might be bringing home. Even reputable hatcheries can have lapses in biosecurity.

 

[MrsBachbach]

One of our Maine posters was at TSC last year, and they had a bin that was labeled PBR pullets.  She checked the bin, and sure enough, they were all roosters.  It's off putting to me to see a bin labeled "red layers"  next to a bin labeled "white layers".  And then there will be a sign stating that bin A could have any number of the possible 6 breeds listed, same for bin B.  If I'm buying a chicken, I want to know what breed I'm buying.  I want to know where it came from.  Other issue with buying from a feed store:  Some bins are open so the public can hang over them, reach in and pick up the chicks.  Even though there are signs telling folks not to... you know the entitled folks... the ones that feel that they are exempt from such warnings.  Then, there's the unsupervised, or poorly supervised kids.   I don't want my stock handled by someone who's wandered in, and may have diseased birds at home.  Then, there's the replacement policy.  Check with the store before buying any chicks.  Last year, I special ordered chicks (the second year in a row) from a local feed store..  The previous year, they gave the 48 hour guarantee, and worked with me when my 3 Dom pullets were roos.  Last year, under new management, the chicks were all hypothermic when I got there to pick mine up.  There were 2 bulbs, suspended about 3' above chick level, to be shared between 4 bins of chicks.  They were all screaming, pig piling under the little bit of available heat, the ones that could were standing on their tip toes to try to reach the heat.  Then there were the comatose ones (including 2 of my special order chicks), and the ones that were too sluggish to even try to get to the heat.  I asked the manager where the thermometer was.  Got a dumb look.  I explained that they didn't have enough heat.  His response... "they have a red bulb."  So, I got my chicks, and was told that there was absolutely NO replacement policy on dead chicks, even my 2 comatose ones.  I tucked the weakest one in my shirt pocket, and made a hasty exit with the rest.  

Moral of the story, if you order direct from the hatchery, you'll have more control.  Chicks coming into the feed store still get shipped from somewhere.  If you have any options at all, order direct, split the order with a friend, start 25 chicks and sell some... At least that way, you'll have the 48 hour replacement policy in your favor.

What a horrible experience for the chicks! I think I would have had to of called the ASPCA on that obviously ignorant and callous manager.

 

[MrsBachbach]

yea, but I think this thread is talking about MG, not Mareks. Most hatcheries will vaccinate for mareks at your request for an extra charge. I think the reason feed stores don't request Mareks vaccinated chicks is that there really isn't any point in it. The chicks have to be quarantined after vaccination for ten to fourteen days to avoid exposure to the virus. Chicks sitting in tubs at feed stores are exposed to the virus daily. How? Well, by people like you and me to start. We can carry the virus in stores on our clothes, shoes, who knows. It is in the air.