tractor supply chick days

[imcoryy]

hello,

when does tractor supply begin selling chicks and what would be a good chick to buy for a new owner? ive never had experience with chickens other than when ive cooked them. im looking for an egg layer and was told to go with a rhode island red but im sure you guys know a little bit more than i do. can i just buy one chicken r do i need two or three? i was thinking about one to begin with so i could get a feel for it.

thanks in advance
cory

 

[dheltzel]

Read, read, read! Lots of info on this site and the web at large. As a quick answer, chick days start the beginning of March in my area, not sure if that is national. TSC requires a minimum of 6 chicks, one is never a good idea anyway, but 3 or 4 would be enough.

Go find your state thread on the Where am I Where are you forums and ask there. You might even find some local person to provide in person help. I do that a lot for people in my area. I sell chicks, but also dispense a lot of free advice along with them.

 

[familyfarm1]

Hello

and Welcome to BYC!

Glad to have you with us! Tractor supply normally starts selling chicks in March. Rule #1 for chicken keeping DO NOT just keep 1. Chickens are social animals and they need at least one friend. Tractor supply sells chicks in a pack of 6. I would buy either: Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Silver Laced Wynndottes, or Red-sex links. Good luck with your chicken keeping!

 

[justplainbatty]

Be wary of pre-fab coops.! They are notorious for being too small for full grown birds. Each adult bird needs 4 square feet of floor space inside, plus an out door run of 10 square feet per bird.

Welcome to our flock!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

You have been given some great advice by the above posters! I would get a mix of different breeds. Hatchery Rhode Island Reds can sometimes be aggressive.

You will definitely want to stop by our learning center. Lots of good articles on how to get started with chickens...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

And stop by this article on raising your new chicks for the first 60 days...https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm glad you joined us.

I've never bought chicks from Tractor Supply, so can't be of much help in that. Some good chicken breeds include Wyandottes, Australorps, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Easter Eggers, and Rhode Island Reds. I've particularly enjoyed my Wyandottes and my Easter Egger.

You will need to get more than one chicken, as chickens are flock animals. You should keep a minimum of three (because if one dies, you'll still have two). Four might be even better and more fun.

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm glad you joined us!

The other posters have given you some good advice and breed suggestions already!

I would suggest keeping at least three chickens.

 

[matt44644]

 

[Book Em Danno25]