Tractor Supply Chicks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rosinsk1772]

I wish TS by me would remove the minimum chick purchase. It's six chicks which is tough when your wanting to add a couple at a time

 

[dmkaiser83]

The minimum purchase is to keep people from buying one chick because it's cute and then they don't take care of it and it dies or they get it as a gag gift for someone. If you can, maybe talk to other customers hanging around the chick area and if you each only want a couple you can split the purchase. I do that for people all the time.

 

[MeatNeggs2012]

I get the minimum chick thing. To an extent. I think after you buy your first batch of 6 you should be free to buy as many or little as you want, just bring your prior reciept for proof

 

[dmkaiser83]

That's what we do at my store. If you have proof that you've bought 6, we'll let you buy as few or many as you want. I have a pretty regular customer base and I'm usually the one who sells the chicks so I can usually remember who has bought chicks. Some stores won't give any leeway on the policy though.

 

[hpyfmly]

I purchased four chicks from our TSC (it was a combined order with someone else who bought three alongside our four). Ours offered assorted bantams (straight run), Cornish crosses (pullets if I remember), assorted pullets, assorted reds, and assorted ducks. Ours are doing quite well. We haven't had any issues health wise. To me, it appeared that they offered silkies but I am no expert. We walked out with a Barred Rock, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Red Sex Link, and, what I think is, a Old English Game bantam.

From what I have seen around the community, I would have to say that there are pros and cons to either shipping or going to a feed store like TSC. We got two others from a local feed store just down the road from where we live and our TSC chicks seem to match them health wise and quality wise. I think it really depends on the individual store, really. But one benefit, that I have seen, is that there appears to be less stress with going the feed store route. You have an opportunity to observe the chicks and the employee that assisted us allowed us to choose the chicks that we thought were healthy and active. Upon arrival at our home, the chicks took a couple of hours to distress and they have been doing great since then. We haven't had a single loss or pasty butt issues. Whereas with shipping there are occasional losses and added stress, but I am in no way an expert.

As for the handling issue...our TSC doesn't allow people to hold the chicks. Which can be annoying but it prevents the manhandling and disease spread.

**To add to my post: I did find the employees' ignorance an extreme annoyance. The first time we went to look they only had Assorted Bantams and Ducklings. We were told that a new shipment would be arriving either Monday or Tuesday of the upcoming week, no one was able to tell us what breeds they were expecting. So come Tuesday we were told that the shipments actually came Wednesday and Thursday. It was extremely frustrating the lack of communication.**

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I cant say im very pleased with my tractor supplys silkies.....they have no poof...... I do not want a silkie with out a poof....

 

[keesmom]

I cant say im very pleased with my tractor supplys silkies.....they have no poof...... I do not want a silkie with out a poof....

If you want typey silkies you need to get them from a breeder, not a hatchery.

 

[hpyfmly]

If you want typey silkies you need to get them from a breeder, not a hatchery.

I agree 100% I doubt TSC are concerned so much with individual breed quality. And we knew this upon deciding to purchase from them. Unfortunately, the biggest issue remains to be, for me, the fact that the employees really do know very little about the breed of the chicks. The breeds were a complete surprise (except for the BRB, we have previous experience with them appearance wise). But, as a first time chicken owner, I am quite pleased with my chickies.

 

[wrightmom]

So how do you tell hens from roosters when they are chicks? This is my first experience with chicks and after the above comments I'm now concerned cause I only want hens!

 

[subhanalah]

So how do you tell hens from roosters when they are chicks? This is my first experience with chicks and after the above comments I'm now concerned cause I only want hens!

you can either buy from the "pullets" bins or buy started point of lay hens from someone.