Tractor Supply Employee Knowledge About Chicks

[NYREDS]

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Not sure where your "research" led you but a blanket "meds are a no no for ducks" is just wrong. There are drugs which are toxic to ducks just as there are to other life forms. The concern with medication for ducks is proper dosage. Growing ducklings will consume much more water & feed than growing chickens so added medications have to be managed accordingly.
As to the medicated chick starter it should be fed to ducklings as they too are succeptible to Coccidiosis. In the past Arsenic compounds were used as a coccidiostat in chick starter. These compounds were toxic to ducks but they are no longer used. The most common coccidiostat in feed now is Amprollium which is not harmful to ducks.

 

[NYREDS]

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Now this I can agree with & those "other places" include this forum.

 

[rtda4]

Okay BYC people, I have to admit that I didnt know what a pullet was before I becaome involved with chickens. Give these people a break. I learned alot from this site. I would not be so informed about chickens without BYC. I learned how to build a great coop for my babies who in turn provide my family with hours of entertainment and wonderful eggs. Now when I go into TSC and feed stores if asked I try to pass on what I have learned. I think we need to tell TSC to have a internet hookup to BYC.

 

[Country Parson]

I'll offer a positive (at least the story will end positively). Last week I bought 20 meaties. The employees were typical (couldn't answer basic questions, etc about the chicks in the other bins). After my 9yr old son took 45min hand-selected his 20 chicks (really...45min LOL), we went to check out. The cashier and I began talking about chickens, and she was the most chicken-knowledgeable TSC employee I've ever encountered. My son and I spent another 15 minutes asking her advice about chicken-raising, various breeds, etc. It was a great conversation.

With that said, I've received some great help from employees about various other issues (fencing, tractor implements, etc).

 

[Country Parson]

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I've always been told medicated feed with kill ducks. In fact, the 4-5 different feed stores I've purchased feed from over the years have all said that. If that is no longer true its really good to know. Thanks for pointing this out. I'll go and research it further. This is why I love BYC....its a goldmine of information!

 

[SarahBeth9394]

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Yeah really how hard could that be. Or tape that paper at every bin, register, and counter at the store. At least the kid I asked told me he really didn't know anything about chickens. When I got the guy on the phone who did he said they were straight run mixed. So I think whoever does the ordering needs to know what they are doing. And if all they could get at the time of order (I think they go w/straight runs because they are cheaper and they don't think the customer either cares or knows the difference) is straight runs then fine. As long as they answer my questions correctly I'm ok and I can choose to go to the local feed store who ordered pullets only and knew exactly what the breeds were.

 

[wsdareme]

Here are a couple of feed store stories for you...

We originally had only a Del's Farm Supply store. A local chain, just a few stores in towns around western Washington. Our local store was GREAT -- you could purchase large quantities of items that were on sale (bags of alfalfa cubes, for example) and just pick them up as needed as they came in stock. They tracked people's orders manually and kept the file under the counter. Then Del's was sold to TSC. The "new manager" came in and changed everything. He threw out the file of "orders owing" and people were either out of luck (and out of a lot of money) or, if you could show proof of purchase, you MIGHT get some of what you ordered. Eventually. The great folks that worked there all quit and and went to work for a brand new locally owned little feed store down the road. Needless to say, I don't do business at Del's unless I have to, even though they get all of their products at TSC bulk-purchase prices. The little feed store down the road does more business, but has a much lower profit margin trying to compete with Del's/TSC. I support them anyway.

So, a while back I decided I needed a part time job, so I approached the owners of the little feed store. I just wanted to work behind the counter and help people with the areas that I have knowledge and expertise in (expertise in the horse product area, experience in the chicken area). I gave her a resume, and apparently being totally overqualified (I had worked in Information Technology Project Management for 30 years and then retired) she decided my skills could be better put to use putting together employee policies and procedures. After working in a consulting role and putting together a number of documents for them, which I could never get them to review and provide input on because they were too busy, I threw up my hands. I just wanted to help them provide good customer service and feel like I was giving GOOD advice in at least a couple of areas that they didn't have knowledgeable employees.

I do have to admit, the little feed store has a good "chick policy". When they get them from the hatchery, the chicks that are similar in appearance (such as Welsummers and Speckled Sussex) are marked on the toes with a permanent marker so they can be distinguished from each other. Because they don't order very many chicks (usually a total of 150 per order) they put them in one large bin. However, they do NOT allow people to handle the chicks. You tell them what you want, and maybe even point out the exact chick you want, and THEY take them out of the bin for you. No crushed chicks, dropped chicks, or chicks handled by people with avian diseases on their hands.

All of that, and I still had to take my chicks back and get the right ones after I got them home and took a good look at them! I went there to get 2 Welsummers, 2 Speckled Sussex, 1 RIR, and 2 BRs. I got home with 0 Welsummers, 3 Speckled Sussex, 1 EE, and the rest were fine. I took them back and showed him why the one was an EE and which ones were the Welsummers and we got everything straightened out.

I still love the little feed store and the employees that work there. They all know my name, know what I'm usually there to buy, and treat me great. It's worth paying a little extra for that.

 

[NYREDS]

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I've always been told medicated feed with kill ducks. In fact, the 4-5 different feed stores I've purchased feed from over the years have all said that. If that is no longer true its really good to know. Thanks for pointing this out. I'll go and research it further. This is why I love BYC....its a goldmine of information!

Want to learn everything you need to know about ducks? Buy, borrow or steal this book: "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks" by Dave Holderread.

 

[NYREDS]

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Thanks for saying this & no, I don't work for TSC. {Don't work at all, I'm retired]
TSC doesn't just sell chicks & ducklings. The sell feed, equipment & medication for all forms of livestock. Plumbing, electrical & welding supplies. Farm equipment & parts. Lubricants, gardening supplies, toys, clothing, footwear & lots more. To expect that the employees be knowledgeable about all this is unrealistic. Their job really is to help you find what you're looking for & then sell it to you.
Apparently it's hard for some people here to understand but not everyone cares anything about chickens beyond what's for dinner. Personally, I find the comments ridiculing TSC employees & other members of the community who lack poultry knowledge offensive. I suspect that those people have knowledge about things they are interested in that the people ridiculing them lack.

 

[BarefootMom]

I have never been to a chick day at TSC but I have been to them at other farm and home stores, around here it is the company that is selling the chicks that you ask the questions. I know hatcheries will go in and set up a "chick booth" I wouldn't even dare expect the actual employees to know much about the chicks they are selling.

I would much rather go to a locally owned store if I want real knowledge. Cooperatives and local feed stores hardly won't hire you unless you know something about what you are selling. If you want to complain it is your own fault for going to the "chain" stores. Plus don't get me started on how high their feed is compared to the grain mill and you are not helping out your local community by buying things there.

I have only been to a TSC once and that was to get rabbit cages since none of the local stores carried them. I did however make a special stop on the way home at the feed mill to buy rabbit pellets, chicken crumble, schicken scratch, and some new heat bulbs.

farmers need to help other farmers out...people that actually care about animals not just making the money.