No More Chicks At Retail Outlets? What do you think?

[maclady]

I'm not sure what is going to happen with chick sales at stores. I could only get 4 so I ordered them from a breeder here that also ordered batches from a hatchery. I was able to get the breed I wanted, sexed chicks, and a ton of information on how to care for them. I had already learned a ton from here and books too. I might have been tempted to get some chicks from TSC but with a 6 min I couldn't. I think the gates keeping people away from the chicks is a good thing. Just wish employees were better trained about the chicks. I do have to say they seem to try and take good care of them at the store near me. I have 2 teen sons and both know even now if they don't behave there will be consequences. They grew up with animals though and understood that there is no coming back from dead like in video games/cartoons even at a young age.

 

[schellie69]

Fred's Hens :

If chick sales at retail stores were just like buying chicks from the hatcheries, minus the mailing, would it matter to you?

Up on a menu board would be the "chick of the day" and other availability. 8 choices maybe less. Obligatory pictures of the breed, of course. Would you go to a counter to buy 6 chicks in a box like a happy meal or picking up a pair of brake shoes at an auto parts store?
Would it matter to you?

I like picking out the chicks that I buy, when they have EE's there are so many colors I would want to pick just like straight run bins I would rather pick the ones I want. I think there has been so many rants about tractor supply that this was their way of trying to make people happy. My other farm store helps people get their chicks that they want. but their set up is harder for kids to get to the chicks most of the kids I have seen there don't touch the chicks. The employees know about chickens one even takes the injured ones home with her. Now to the poster about time-out kids I did use time out for mine along with spanking, trust me mine would rather have been spanked instead of time out or grounding. I have had people tell me that when they meet my kids they are surprised because for their age group they use their manners are respectful to their elders period. If they acted up at the store a trip to the bathroom meant big trouble I had a group of older ladies follow me as I took my oldest DD to the bathroom where I put her in time out. The had called the police because they thought I was going to beat her. What a mess for correcting my DD behavior in public I had to spend 20 minutes talking to police to assure them that I don't beat my kids. I raised my kids in the time when spanking and beating where the same thing in a lot of people's mind. But on topic I hope that this is not going to cause chick days to become like what the OP thinks I would hate to not see what the chicks look like and not be able to judge who was the healthiest or biggest. So sad, people want to be able to see and pick their own chicks but not let uneducated public touch or grab the chicks kind of hard to have things both ways. I am going to have to go to tractor supply here and see if they changed things. I always go to the other farm store. Love the employees there they are the best.​

 

[jenni22776rn]

I agree with the gates being in place to protect the chicks as a good first step for TSC, I think that they need to have employees that have knowledge of what they are selling. I can't blame the employees for their lack of knowledge if they are not mandated by the company to obtain that knowledge needed to care and sell the chicks and ducks. Knowing what breeds they have, providing information to the customer prior to the purchase and knowing the growing process of a chicken are all just examples of what should be known by the employees. I feel bad when some of the good employees get the blame or lumped into the same category as the bad ones when the company is to blame...classes, books and mabye even volunteers should all be used to improve this process. I have had encounters with some very nice, very helpful employees, but like everything in customer service, you will always hear about the bad experiances before the good ones!
I also bought chicks from them due to the 6 chicks policy, I could not house the 25 chick min throught the hatchery...But with forums like BYC providing information on where you can get chicks other then the TSC, I know that I have other options for buying chicks...I think that next year during the "chick days" there will either an order form and no chicks in the store or mabye an improved enviroment for the chicks...either way next year I think will be a diffrent experiance.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Agree. There is no method, of which I am aware, whereby "good buyers" can pick out their own chicks while "bad lookers/mis-handlers/gawkers/players" are not allowed to get near the chicks. The gates are likely stop gap to get through this year. Gotta believe there will be an entire corporate review at TSC. I would not be shocked to see "sales counter ordering" next year. Not surprised at all.

We used to be able to meet people at the airport gate too. Those days are also gone.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
My problem was not so much the chick buying; I already knew that the employees hadn't a clue about chickens; it was that they were constantly out of things like feeders, grit and the like. I bought my chicks on day one of Chick Days. They only had the round waterer and feeders that fit a quart jar. I wanted one of the long, red, flip-top trough feeders, but they were out--guess they used all of them in the bins. I have been back in two different TSC stores several times and they have never had any in stock. One time I was in there and they had NO feeders or waters for baby chicks at all. I had to go back three times to find chick grit in stock. They can't sell what they don't have in stock.

My concern for the chicks grew exponentially as I saw hundreds of chicks come in to a place where the employees were not trained in caring for chicks, then selling to the public who doesn't have a clue (just wants some of those cute little fuzzballs), and not stock the proper equipment on the shelves to send home with the clueless customer.

 

[crossgirl]

My TSC didn't have the trough feeders either but plenty of the round ones. I just assumed they weren't carrying the troughs this year. We have a very nice store in our rural area. They have their pick of farm/ranch raised employee applicants. After reading all the horror stories here I was worried about how the chicks would be but I was thrilled to see they had gates around the bins and all the chicks were active and healthy looking. Since they only sell by the half dozen and they're located on the outskirts of town I doubt they get many impulse buyers.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
My problem was not so much the chick buying; I already knew that the employees hadn't a clue about chickens; it was that they were constantly out of things like feeders, grit and the like. I bought my chicks on day one of Chick Days. They only had the round waterer and feeders that fit a quart jar. I wanted one of the long, red, flip-top trough feeders, but they were out--guess they used all of them in the bins. I have been back in two different TSC stores several times and they have never had any in stock. One time I was in there and they had NO feeders or waters for baby chicks at all. I had to go back three times to find chick grit in stock. They can't sell what they don't have in stock.

My concern for the chicks grew exponentially as I saw hundreds of chicks come in to a place where the employees were not trained in caring for chicks, then selling to the public who doesn't have a clue (just wants some of those cute little fuzzballs), and not stock the proper equipment on the shelves to send home with the clueless customer.

Well it would upset me for chick dealers to not have the insight to stock quantity of items needed to care for the chicks during chick days. Of all the times of the year "chick days"should be when they had plenty of all things related for taking the chicks home.

I have not read anything here about chick dealers giving a sheet of instructions with the purchase of chicks.I ordered chicks from Cackle 2 yrs. ago.In addition to having chick care on their site, a one page of how to care for the chicks was sent with the chicks. Of course I had read several times on their site about new chick care,but I was so excited that I kept referring to the care sheet they sent.

It saved going on their site every time I had a basic question.

 

[PrettyCoy]

Fred's Hens :

Or -- the price will increase considerably.


The ranting here of late would certainly give the corporate execs at TSC the motivation to permanently shelve the old bin system. I suspect the winds of change are blowing hard. The fencing is likely just to get them through this year. Boxed orders only would seem the only way forward. .

I really hope you are wrong but you probably aren't. For people who live in more urban areas it's really hard to find places to get chicks and if TSC stopped selling them than we'd probably be out of luck, or have to pay a huge markup from people selling individually.

It's really easy to complain online but the consequences could be ones that people aren't expecting.​

 

[secuono]

TSC chicks are cheap, cheaper than if you order from the pamphlet.
While Farm Home Center is 2x the price, ducks $6, not $3. Chicks also 2x TSC prices.

But I agree they make far more on the supplies for them.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Our TSC has only been open for less than a year.,.there were others but you had to drive a considerable distance. Before TSC came around,..it had been forever since I seen a live chick in a feed store at all. If you wanted chicks you could order what you wanted and on the day of arrival you had to come and pick them up at the feed store. No picking out what color you wanted per say,..or having that weak moment and bringing way too many chicks home only to regret it later. If you didn't want to do that,..you found a local with chickens and bought a few or purchased an incubator,..then last but not least,...order form a hatchery. I honestly think IMO that TSC will not be selling chicks next year,..maybe ordering basis only. There is way too many liabilities for them about the chick days. As I posted yesterday around here there is a concern of bio-security because we have large turkey farms in our area,..and the risk of spreading disease is way too high. Then there is the untrained employees and the "oh! aren't they cute" shoppers who haven't a clue. If not being able to get only a few chicks is a problem,..I suggest buying an incubator and purchasing hatching eggs.