Tractor Supply Brooders

[bcannon91219]

How do you guys feel about the new tractor supply brooders in their stores? After watching Gold Shaw Farms videos concerning these brooders, and seeing the excuse tractor supply made I am HIGHLY disappointed.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

There have been other threads about their new brooders. It seems that the BYC community has mixed feelings. Personally I feel neutral about them. I haven't had enough evidence to push my feelings one way or another. Their chicks sell out so quickly that they don't' seem to be in there too long at least.

 

[bcannon91219]

There have been other threads about their new brooders. It seems that the BYC community has mixed feelings. Personally I feel neutral about them. I haven't had enough evidence to push my feelings one way or another. Their chicks sell out so quickly that they don't' seem to be in there too long at least.

That's very true, I was thinking yesterday that atleast they don't sit there long. I just watched a video yesterday on YouTube where they were addressing it with gold Shaw farms, and said all the complaints were from backyard breeders/flock?!?!? That everyone else loves it pretty much. UM, who do they think buys their chicks? Lol

 

[VeryHappyHens]

How do you guys feel about the new tractor supply brooders in their stores? After watching Gold Shaw Farms videos concerning these brooders, and seeing the excuse tractor supply made I am HIGHLY disappointed.

My first batch of chicks when they once changed their brooder were very week and only one survived and it was my lakvelnder she was getting lonely so I bought her some friends the new batch seemed strong. I never ever had mortality with TSC but after they got the new brooder only one batch in 3 died 1 surived and the new batch is pretty strong and healthy. I do miss the old brooder tho. TSC has been selling cool breeds latley here are my breed that are currently doing healthy 1 lakevelnder 1 blue austlrop 1 black austlorp 1 golden pehnoix 1 lavender old english game bantam. Technially all my birds. I feel like it depends if that chicks cold and hardy like my first batch I gotten anconas and they all died.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My first batch of chicks when they once changed their brooder were very week and only one survived and it was my lakvelnder she was getting lonely so I bought her some friends the new batch seemed strong. I never ever had mortality with TSC but after they got the new brooder only one batch in 3 died 1 surived and the new batch is pretty strong and healthy. I do miss the old brooder tho. TSC has been selling cool breeds latley here are my breed that are currently doing healthy 1 lakevelnder 1 blue austlrop 1 black austlorp 1 golden pehnoix 1 lavender old english game bantam. Technially all my birds. I feel like it depends if that chicks cold and hardy like my first batch I gotten anconas and they all died.

The brooder wasn't the only problem. Wasn't that the batch you had in the bucket?

 

[VeryHappyHens]

The brooder wasn't the only problem. Wasn't that the batch you had in the bucket?

I never have problem with that bucket trust me. I raised first batch Isa browns 2 in them and 2nd batch when the isas moved outside EE 2 with a brooder. The reason why I added that heat lamp is because they were freezing with the brooder so I added heat lamp. But than I moved then at my bath tub with a heat lamp still did not make it. Even after I added then in my bathtub and the heat lamp was far so they had a choice. Blair the lakevlender surived and got new friends.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ahh, okay

 

[U_Stormcrow]

There are ***numerous*** threads on the new brooders. Put me in the camp of "its complicated" and "I won't make the mistake of some vocal others in saying the brooders are the cause of seemingly high mortality this year". There is a tremendous amount of ignorance on display on this topic, and an abundance of responses driven by emotion without a complete picture.

What we seem to know, as a community, is that -

Some TSCs are seeing very high mortality of birds before delivery. Some immediately after delivery, some reportedly after selling birds to end consumers. Others, claim no more than usual.

Regionally, weather and other delays upon the USPS (who has had problems of their own this year) has been so bad that certain lawmakers (in NY, for instance) are pushing legislation to forbid USPS transport of live animals in their States. Multiple stores have reported chicks arriving both early and late.

So have some posters, receiving chicks mailed directly from hatcheries via USPS.

The new brooders, for at least some of their trays, seem to lack much ability to adjust heat plate height - a potential concern for banties, less concerning for pekin ducks. They also need to be heated in advance of bird arrival, as heat plates are a contact, rather than radiant, heat source. In some cases, for whatever reason, that's not been done at individual stores. Training and supervision of employees with the new equipment has also been a problem, in at least some stores.

The brooders themselves are not "new" technology - everything about them is tested, accepted by the community, and the overall design of them has been available (particularly for commercial breeding) for a long time. Like a new car, the model may be fresh on the market, but very little of what's under the hood has changed in years, if not decades.

Some stores continue to use a mix of stock tanks and the new brooders, making it difficult to determine whether observed weak chicks were caused by conditions we can see (the new brooders) or some other factor entirely.

There is at least one reasonably credible claim of cocci, following introduction of new birds to an existing flock, which *may* have originated somewhere in the supply or delivery chain.

and that, as is typical human, events are being used to drive a message based on pre-existing feelings regarding Hatchery birds, TSC and Hoovers' specifically, farm stores generally, and even USPS which varies by the speaker. "Never let a good crisis go to waste". Facts (as best we can determine them) be damned.

...at the end of the day, that's a lot of variation, and a lot of noise. Further, not having access to TSC's corporate reports, we are relying on anecdotes, not data. In my mind, it argues for differing causes (and perhaps multiple causes), location by location.

 

[TOR]

it is something new for TSC. No doubt there is kinks to iron out. No one knows for sure between how healthy the chicks are when arrived. As said above it is complicated.
Yes the video does not look good, but read comments some say no problem others say problem. Varies by location.
Look at the video looks like some brooders are adjustable and others not.
I am sure the company will review and rectify the situation.
The post above pretty well says it all.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If you are interested in how I formed the opinion above? (and you shouldn't be, I'm just a guy with no special knowledge)

I've visited three local TSCs (under two different corporate management groups - different districts?) and looked at their setups. I follow their Facebook page and have seen the complaints. Looked at a few Youtube videos. Follow politics, recently with more focus on things affecting livestock and poultry - google has learned enough to help populate my news feed.

and I've read (sometimes participated in) a handful of BYC threads on the subject, nearly as many on USPS, and one or two on the NY legislator and her bill forbidding livestock transport.

I've also visited other stores in the area, not TSC, also getting hatchery chicks in bulk. My local ACE was talkative - their chicks (that I could see), looked good last week, were in multiple stock tanks scattered around the store, but they had implemented a multiday quarantine process before sale due to issues they've already had this year, and they've had postal delivery problems too.

and my own TSC? Selling out of birds within hours of delivery, not yet receiving large batches. Typical of TSCs, they didn't even have a sign up to identify purported breed before they sold out, as I shopped for goat feed and another plastic milk crate to use as a nesting box.

...that's not data, its anecdotes, and won't even answer confidently what's going on in my tiny corner of absolutely nowhere, armpit of Florida. I've not driven up to Geneva and the farm stores there (They have a Tractor King, we don't) to see what happens when you cross state line. COVID is curtailing my travel (and also the reason I had to travel to another town, where I dropped by their TSC) - my first vaccine dose was administered 45 minutes away.