Tractor Supply Co Sexing - Accurate?

[Leighe]

Unfortunately none of those are Buttercups. They look like this as chicks.

Those are just beautiful!

 

[Kealey]

AND you have to trust that the "shoppers" who are handling chicks are putting them back in the right bins. Our North 40 store must have had 15 different chick/turkey/duck bins...I dont know how they keep them straight. Some are obvious, some are not! There were Straight Run bins right next to the Pullet bin...easy for an oops to happen.

I actually work at a tractor supply and handled them quite a bit. I dont know about other TSCs but at the one I work at, the babies arrive at the post office with a label on what breed they are. Whenever I cleaned the brooders i did one at a time and just worked around the chicks without taking then out. We labelled the brooders with the breed on the box. We had both straight run and sexed pullets. In my store customer's weren't allowed to pick up the chicks (except for an occasional excited child, but only under team member supervision) unless they were buying them and even then the employees were the ones that boxed them up. From what I know, it's almost impossible to have 100% accuracy on baby chicks that come from hatcheries because there are so many going in and out, but the accuracy is still pretty close to 100. Im am by no means a professional on any of this and only just started chickens myself this spring. But this is what I know from my experience this far.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Not a good experience with TSC. Had a sign on bin saying Rock Cornish chickens. They turned out to be Cornish X. This was my first time buying chickens, bought my coop, feed, everything. I have never been back. I use my local feed store because they all raise chickens and know the many breeds (though I've had a coupla mistakes with them it has never been to that extreme), plus my local feed store will give me my money back if the "pullet" is actually a cockerel or they sold me the wrong breed.

Whats the difference between rock Cornish and Cornish X ? I thought they were the same thing but I know next to nothing about meat birds.

 

[DesertBird]

I actually work at a tractor supply and handled them quite a bit. I dont know about other TSCs but at the one I work at, the babies arrive at the post office with a label on what breed they are. Whenever I cleaned the brooders i did one at a time and just worked around the chicks without taking then out. We labelled the brooders with the breed on the box. We had both straight run and sexed pullets. In my store customer's weren't allowed to pick up the chicks (except for an occasional excited child, but only under team member supervision) unless they were buying them and even then the employees were the ones that boxed them up. From what I know, it's almost impossible to have 100% accuracy on baby chicks that come from hatcheries because there are so many going in and out, but the accuracy is still pretty close to 100. Im am by no means a professional on any of this and only just started chickens myself this spring. But this is what I know from my experience this far.

Just wondering.. do you know how old you have to be to work at TSC? Might like to work there someday. lol

And the same thing at your store is how mine is - people aren't allowed to touch chicks and don't even have the chance to sneak-touch because of the fence. The hatchery did have labels on the box, but I think the hatchery itself messed up on the Sicilian Buttercup's and probably the Russian Oloff's (I think that's what they're called?). And if you get an employee that doesn't care handling them, it's a bit of a mess - the girl that was putting the chicks in yesterday mixed RIR's with possibly Production Red's or Sex-Link Red's, as was suggested. So, I have no idea what my 5 supposed Sicilian Buttercup's are out of those 3 breeds.

 

[Leighe]

Whats the difference between rock Cornish and Cornish X ? I thought they were the same thing but I know next to nothing about meat birds.

Cornish X are White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock cross. These are the ones in the store. Have to be butchered at 8-10 weeks because they get so big they will break their own legs or have heart attacks or strokes. As far as I know its almost impossible (or rare) to breed these. I mean if they can barely walk how are they having sex??

Rock Cornish or Cornish Rock is a breed from England and they are big birds (like 8 lbs.) supposedly noisy and the site said some consider them lap birds cause they're not energetic or great foragers.

 

[Kealey]

Just wondering.. do you know how old you have to be to work at TSC? Might like to work there someday. lol

And the same thing at your store is how mine is - people aren't allowed to touch chicks and don't even have the chance to sneak-touch because of the fence. The hatchery did have labels on the box, but I think the hatchery itself messed up on the Sicilian Buttercup's and probably the Russian Oloff's (I think that's what they're called?). And if you get an employee that doesn't care handling them, it's a bit of a mess - the girl that was putting the chicks in yesterday mixed RIR's with possibly Production Red's or Sex-Link Red's, as was suggested. So, I have no idea what my 5 supposed Sicilian Buttercup's are out of those 3 breeds.

At least 16 years old I believe, we had gates around ours too. The one I work at is in a small town so we only get the chicks once a year in the spring and, at least at my store, the employees are really good at taking care of them. Unfortunately, being shipped across country right after hatching is a very stressful situation for these chicks and some dont make it. We try and remove the dead ones as soon as we notice them and even isolate the ones that aren't looking to good, but still care for them as long as we can. If a chick isnt doing so good we take it to an isolated tub in the back (out of customer view and stress of the other chicks and surrounding chaos) and give it food and vitamin/electrolyte infused water, and check on it around the clock.

 

[DesertBird]

At least 16 years old I believe, we had gates around ours too. The one I work at is in a small town so we only get the chicks once a year in the spring and, at least at my store, the employees are really good at taking care of them. Unfortunately, being shipped across country right after hatching is a very stressful situation for these chicks and some dont make it. We try and remove the dead ones as soon as we notice them and even isolate the ones that aren't looking to good, but still care for them as long as we can. If a chick isnt doing so good we take it to an isolated tub in the back (out of customer view and stress of the other chicks and surrounding chaos) and give it food and vitamin/electrolyte infused water, and check on it around the clock.

Good to know! Earlier this spring, I saw about 3 dead chicks in the EE bin alone - just there for the other chicks to walk all over them. Maybe the employee's were just busy, though. The employee's at mine seem knowledgeable enough, and try to pick out the healthiest chicks to give people. They also usually have one person at least near the chicks to watch them.

 

[DesertBird]

Cornish X are White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock cross. These are the ones in the store. Have to be butchered at 8-10 weeks because they get so big they will break their own legs or have heart attacks or strokes. As far as I know its almost impossible (or rare) to breed these. I mean if they can barely walk how are they having sex??

Rock Cornish or Cornish Rock is a breed from England and they are big birds (like 8 lbs.) supposedly noisy and the site said some consider them lap birds cause they're not energetic or great foragers.

If they're not fed meat bird feed, more like 20% protein or maybe even cutting it down to 15% if they start getting too big, maybe it's possible they wouldn't be big enough to have as many issues?

 

[Leighe]

If they're not fed meat bird feed, more like 20% protein or maybe even cutting it down to 15% if they start getting too big, maybe it's possible they wouldn't be big enough to have as many issues?

Hmmmm, interesting. I believe there's a whole forum here devoted to them, I just haven't gone and read it because I don't plan on having them anymore. I have friends who raise 50 a year and butcher and put in freezer.

 

[keesmom]

Cornish X are White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock cross. These are the ones in the store. Have to be butchered at 8-10 weeks because they get so big they will break their own legs or have heart attacks or strokes. As far as I know its almost impossible (or rare) to breed these. I mean if they can barely walk how are they having sex??

Rock Cornish or Cornish Rock is a breed from England and they are big birds (like 8 lbs.) supposedly noisy and the site said some consider them lap birds cause they're not energetic or great foragers.

Cornish X and Cornish Rocks are different names for the same meat birds. They are no longer simply Cornish x white Rock crosses but specific 4 way breedings.

If managed carefully they can live longer lives and people do use them for breeding. Check out duluthraplhie's Toad thread in the Meat forum if you're interested in what can be done with them.

Cornish is the English breed. Rocks are a US creation.