Please sign this petition against TSCs new brooders

[JacinLarkwell]

You don’t have locals that breed and sell chicks? Amish? Hatcheries? You have to buy at least 4 chicks at tsc that’s a lot for small time farmers! Especially if you already purchased some and something happens to one or two or three are roosters and you can’t have roosters in your area (this happened to me and I made sure to pick from a “pullet only” area and they don’t care because they are not guaranteed. All the place I mentioned let you take however many you’d like no minimum in my area at least! There are so many people on here that also mention where they get their chicks. Literally everyone I talk to that has chickens and have had chicks in the past say to never purchase chicks from tsc. Even when I worked there people would tell me they would never purchase chicks from any tsc.

Not the breeds mine can bring in. Here you have meaties, or egg factories if you buy local. Sometimes someone will have an ornamental hatch happen and you can get silkies or cochins.

Tsc may have a 4 minimum, but that's a heck of a lot less than a 25 or30 minimum for shipping without paying 80 bucks for small order fees.

And I love getting chicks from tsc. I get them every year and always have amazing luck with them, even if they're the wrong breed.

 

[lauraschicks]

TSC is a business. Selling Chicks from large hatcheries is low margin. They make their money on the add-ons - feeders, waterers, the feeds and treats themselves, their overpriced shoeboxes they offer as "coops", etc.

Losses this year an, anecdotally high - enough anecdotes its starting to look like data. Causes are myriad. Those who hate on hatcheries are going to blame Hoover's (who seems to be the source for most of TSC's chicks). Those who hate on TSC are going to blame Corporate and/or the employees. Those who hate on the Gov't may choose to blame USPS. No point in hating on the weather, but... All of those are seemingly a factor.

Someone at TSC Corporate spent a lot of company money on those new fixtures. A LOT of money. Investment in fixtures in a low margin environment is a high profile act - it shows TSC is serious about the bird business and plans to compete in it. The Exec who made the call has their neck on the line - but TSC isn't going to "retire" those units after investing so heavily, even if it was a mistake. That's not the Corporate world.

Chances are, "its complicated", and losses are a combination of factors. Terrible weather, USPS delays, employee training on the new units (or lack thereof), individual store management in properly setting up, heating up, and calibrating the new displays (or lack thereof), and suitability of those new fixtures for certain breeds (like banties) given their relative lack of ability to adjust the height of the heat plate. The end result of all those factors converging are apparently high losses in at least some stores.

TSC's vendors will take on some of those losses, but certainly not all of them. TSC has every incentive to get this right (the PR disaster is magnifying those losses) for the future, no Petition needed. and when it's improved, the Petition won't be the cause. $ will.

I don't know, but when I went to TSC today for feed, the tower brooder was gone and they had gobs of chicks in the water trough brooders again, so something changed.

 

[ChickCrazyWorryWort]

Tsc may have a 4 minimum, but that's a heck of a lot less than a 25 or30 minimum for shipping without paying 80 bucks for small order fees.

And I love getting chicks from tsc. I get them every year and always have amazing luck with them, even if they're the wrong breed.

There’s lots of people on this page that mention websites where they can get 1- 1300+ with free shipping on all orders. You just have to ask or look around. It’s really not hard at all to find places that sell chicks or ducklings. Many places will even sell egg layers, therefore you know the gender! Her is just one that I know of right off the top of my head, but have heard many good things about a lot of pages like this and most of them I found through this page!
https://www.metzerfarms.com/index.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=28560731

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't know, but when I went to TSC today for feed, the tower brooder was gone and they had gobs of chicks in the water trough brooders again, so something changed.

Yes, they bowed to social media. In at least some stores. For now.

For many, who likely don't own chickens, don't know much about chickens, but are active on social media, they "won" and can go back to sleep. For others, any live animal sales by a farm store is too many - the fight will continue. (and a couple still oppose any shipping of chicks by USPS).

No worries though - to the extent the new brooders were a failure due to lack of employee training and apathy on the part of some, the stock tanks will be just the same - but because their fuzzy little butts aren't at eye level, "crisis averted".

I'm probably in a poor mood - going to step off before I start verbally burning bridges and other things.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There’s lots of people on this page that mention websites where they can get 1- 1300+ with free shipping on all orders. You just have to ask or look around. It’s really not hard at all to find places that sell chicks or ducklings. Many places will even sell egg layers, therefore you know the gender! Her is just one that I know of right off the top of my head, but have heard many good things about a lot of pages like this and most of them I found through this page!
https://www.metzerfarms.com/index.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=28560731

Meter has a 13 chick minimum. 3x a tsc minimum. I stand by my statement that tsc has a space in selling live animals. Mine is amazing at it, and I would be sldevestated to learn that my only local store no longer sells chicks

 

[lauraschicks]

No worries. No burnt bridges. I have many opinions of my own as well. I've bought from TSC, mail-order, locals, hatcheries...the longer I have chickens, the more my opinions evolve...

 

[saysfaa]

You don’t have locals that breed and sell chicks? Amish? Hatcheries? You have to buy at least 4 chicks at tsc that’s a lot for small time farmers!

No. I don't. The nearest hatchery that sells without mailing them is about ten hours away. There are people selling backyard mixes closer for those who don't care what breed they get or about biosecurity. And probably some show breeders, I didn't look for those. And there are options other than tsc (local feed companies, coops, and the like) but it isn't likely they would be allowed to sell if tsc isn't.

Four seems a very reasonable minimum. Chicks don't do well alone. I think there would be far more people trying to buy a chick or two as pets than people trying to buy a chick or two to replace the ones that died in their care, especially that died soon enough for the replacements to be close enough in age to do well as the single younger chick in the group.

And the second closest tsc does very well with the chicks and ducks. The closest is more okay than great; they have corrected many of the issues they had early this year. I didn't look at chicks there last year.

 

[NNYchick]

I learned my lesson a few years ago I bought from hatchery one by one they either got sick or had health issues. That summer I raised some of my own chicks I hatched, a few from a local breeder and the hatchery chicks are the only ones that got sick, developed scissor beak or legs issues. In my opinion it’s like supporting puppy mills, they hatch out as many chicks as possible not paying attention to selecting for health, longevity or temperament. Even your local farmers mixed breeds are going to be selected better than that, they aren’t going to waste feed on raising sick or ill tempered birds.
As far as bio security farm stores are the biggest risk. Think about the hundreds of people tracking through there a day bring who knows from their farm in on their clothes and shoes.

 

[Deb Knight]

I bought my 8 ladies from Tractor Supply at the store, not online. I did not have a problem with our store as they did not have the brooders over crowded and all 8 ladies are happy and healthy.

 

[614299]

I somehow knew Morgan Gold was behind this . As long as you guys don’t open the door to more govt overreach on small farmers by demanding more nonsense regulations that hurt us and the big guys ignore I’m ok with it. I’d never buy poultry from TSC etc, that’s asking for disease, but I might swing by to see for myself. I don’t emotionally sign petitions without first-hand knowledge.