Tractor Supply Co Sexing - Accurate?

[chicks are life]

Wow all pullets!!!!that's lucky

 

[kitkat5505]

Oooh, yay! What breeds did you get?

2 black sex link (so those were not hard to guarantee pullets lol), 2 buff Orpington, 2 EE, 2 production reds, 2 white leghorn, 1 black australorp.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I never buy chicks from the places where customers can access the chicks.
Not only do some end up in the wrong bins but when any tom, dick or hairball can handle them some end up with injuries from being dropped. Some have weakened immune systems from the stress of being handled and chased around. And there's always the risk of someone transferring disease to them from their home flocks.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

I was looking into getting some chicks from TSC initially (went with a local farm store instead---they get them from Cackle Hatchery) but they couldn't tell me whether or not they had been vaccinated (Coccidiosis, Marek's). No one knew and no one was willing to find out.
Problem is, if they had or had not been vaccinated against Coccidiosis it would make a difference in the chick starter I would need to buy (medicated or unmedicated).
I'm a little nuts about such things.

 

[DesertBird]

I was looking into getting some chicks from TSC initially (went with a local farm store instead---they get them from Cackle Hatchery) but they couldn't tell me whether or not they had been vaccinated (Coccidiosis, Marek's). No one knew and no one was willing to find out.
Problem is, if they had or had not been vaccinated against Coccidiosis it would make a difference in the chick starter I would need to buy (medicated or unmedicated).
I'm a little nuts about such things.

Jeez, that seems super important for them to know. Maybe I can ask the employee's at mine today and see what they say. If they had been vaccinated, would you feed them unmedicated?

 

[DesertBird]

I never buy chicks from the places where customers can access the chicks.
Not only do some end up in the wrong bins but when any tom, dick or hairball can handle them some end up with injuries from being dropped. Some have weakened immune systems from the stress of being handled and chased around. And there's always the risk of someone transferring disease to them from their home flocks.

I agree, I wouldn't either. My TSC seems to be one of the few that actually actively puts fencing around the chick bins so you can't reach in to grab them. It's like the horse corral gates, I think, so they're pretty tall and the bins are far enough away from the sides and deep enough that you can't grab the chicks.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Don't forget to quarantine the new commers.

 

[EggMan207]

You could always order from a hatchery directly... Some of the smaller tractor supplies only carry limited amounts which might be easier to distinguish between the breeds. i.e. one near me only has Rhode Islands, New Hampshires, and one other breed as pullets, and then has a couple different breeds as straight run... hard to mix them up that way.

Some of the employees there are knowledgeable, but there are definitely a few who have no idea what they are talking about and they try to "fake it to make it" when you're talking to them.

 

[DesertBird]

You could always order from a hatchery directly... Some of the smaller tractor supplies only carry limited amounts which might be easier to distinguish between the breeds. i.e. one near me only has Rhode Islands, New Hampshires, and one other breed as pullets, and then has a couple different breeds as straight run... hard to mix them up that way.

Some of the employees there are knowledgeable, but there are definitely a few who have no idea what they are talking about and they try to "fake it to make it" when you're talking to them.

Yeah, mine only has about 3 bins of chicks right now, but they have way more (including ducklings) in the spring. I did for sure see the pink of the pullet label in the boxes, though, as they were taking the chicks out. Ordering from a hatchery is a worry for me because it's so hot out here and we're having freak monsoon storms (I'm in AZ) so I'd be so nervous they'd be DOA, or at least a few of them, no matter what the hatchery tries. My 3 cockerel's are getting to 4 months now, which is the main reason I'm getting new pullets (I got too attached to my boys. I do have plenty of space in the coop, and they free range, so it was really only a matter of time before I got more... ), so I don't want them tormenting my older girls for too long - I only have 11 hens, so I'm hoping the boys don't harass them too much while the little ones are growing up. On top of that, I'd hopefully wait to turn the chicks I'm getting out until they're about 4 months or 5 months themselves, so they don't get crushed by overly eager cockerel's.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Jeez, that seems super important for them to know. Maybe I can ask the employee's at mine today and see what they say. If they had been vaccinated, would you feed them unmedicated?

If they are vaccinated you must used unmedicated. Giving medicated feed to a chick that has been vaccinated will end up nullifying both the vaccine and the benefits of the medicated feed.
For unvaccinated, it is up to you if you choose to use medicated or unmedicated. The additive in the medicated is usually Amprolium. This is not an antibiotic---it works by preventing the coccidiosis organism from taking up thiamine which it needs to replicate. It will allow some coccidiosis to remain in the chicks so they can build up some resistance to coccidiosis but will NOT get rid of an active coccidiosis issue.
According to what I have read there is no "wait time" for eating the eggs of a chicken who has been treated with Amprolium. The coccidiosis treatment "Corid" is amprolium, btw---higher concentration than what is in the feed.
I am using Blue Seal Homefresh Medicated Chick Starter but there are many brands out there. So far I am seeing great poops (who knew what a joy this could be, lol).
More than you probably ever want to know about coccidiosis can be found here :
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/coccidiosis/overview-of-coccidiosis-in-poultry