Thoughts on TSC Chicks?

[shadow rabbit10]

Hi,
Can anyone give me feedback on buying chicks from Tractor Supply? I heard they have a wide variety of assorted bantams. Are the chicks healthy? How many pullets have you gotten from the assorted bantams? I know some of them have pasty butt but that can be fixed. What breeds have you gotten from the assortment of bantams? I was going to order them from a hatchery, but it seems so much easier to drive a half an hour and pick them up my self.

 

[BlazeJester]

It sounds like the only thing Mt Healthy does with bantams is throw them in a box and call them assorted, so I'm guessing the more you get the more likely you'll be to have good M/F ratios. I've seen people post photos of cochins, game birds, polish, silkie and assorted other bantams from the TSC bins.

My large fowl birds from Mt Healthy are VERY active, healthy and growing SUPER fast!!!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Thanks! I was going to get a mix of large fowl and bantams from TSC. I just didn't know if a hatchery would be more expensive. I know shipping is a lot. I live in a small town where roosters ARE permitted, but we have a lot of old people in our neighborhood so I can only keep one, quiet roo.

 

[BlazeJester]

My neighbor has a buff orpington roo and he is very, very quiet. My TSC just had straight run BOs. The only bad thing about TSC is they require you to buy 6 at a time and do not always have the breeds you want all at the same time. I have solved this problem by selling the extras on CraigsList quite successfully to "split" the purchase.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I need 6 or 8 chicks. My store has a pretty good selection. They have assorted bantams, asst. pullets, and a breed or two of the week. This was last time I checked. I might order online though. I don't know if I want bantams or Turkens. Hmmm....

 

[dhale118]

I recently purchased from TSC. 6 RIR's, then a week later 6 more RIR's. All very healthy and active.....so far so good

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I might just order from a hatchery.

 

[AprilWC]

It depends on what you're looking for. If you just want some for pets/egg layers, then TSC can suit what you want, especially if you have 2-3 TSCs within a reasonable distance to check out before buying. If you want specific breeds you can research traits that would help you ID the chicks in the bin (example a Silkie has black skin and 5 toes). I went to TSC yesterday looking for specific birds and actually finally found them: a barred rock bantam and 2 barred cochins, my extras to meet the 6 chick minimum is a buff Silkie and 2 Belgian d'Anvers. Last year we bought some of their bantams and had a Silkie, a Delaware, a Sultan, a Cornish, and some OEGB.

However, if you want specific breeds or varieties, you can't go wrong with a hatchery. I recently ordered an assortment of Cochins from Ideal and am getting Polish and Barred Rock bantams from MPC in May.

 

[Tikkijane]

I'd scope out your local TSC to see if they have what you want. I've gotten 9 total from TSC and all my others from another feed store- all are healthy (they come from the same hatchery) and have not had any problems. If you want specific breeds, you may be better of getting them from the hatchery if it's close, because at least here, TSC doesn't know breeds unless they are labeled by the hatchery, so it's a crap shoot.

Assorted bantams aren't going to be mixed (as is the straight run) from the hatchery, which has nothing to do with TSC. If you want just pullets, I'd go the hatchery route if that's an option. Some bantams (like silkies) won't be sexed, although My Pet Chicken offers silkie sexing for $$$$.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

How many Roos did you get out of your assortments?