Tractor Supply Employee Knowledge About Chicks

[ericsplls]

The average employee at tractor supply doesn't know anything about the chicks they sell. I have yet to find one that doesn't know the difference between pullets and straight run. They have a free little pamplet that is helpful to people that are getting started. I'm sure most of the people there have never owned a chicken. They shouldn't act like they know but most of them are young and basically are left to feel like idiots with people asking them basic questions they can't answer. With as much information as their is out there on raising any animal from alligators to zebras people should research any animal they intend to buy.

 

[Doopy]

Quote:
That's the key. Do your homework before you ever enter any store. Sales people today never know what they're selling. Just look at real estate sales - the sales person takes you into a house and says "this is the living room" - "this is the kitchen" - "this is the basement". Duh, I never would have guessed. Car sales people don't know which end has the engine. I hate it when a sales person comes up to me and asks if they can help me - in car dealerships I usually tell them they can help me by going away.

 

[ajburr]

So I am the proud mother of two RIR chicks

Having gone into TSC a week ago I made an impulse buy on " 2 pretty little reddish brown chicks" that was the extent of my knowledge. Along with buying them I bought a book that has caught me up on the breed of my babies and the care which also provided me with this site! My only complaint with TSC is that they do not always have what I need in stock (chick grit) They tried to sell me " poultry grit". Im already having a ball with " the girls" such personalities for being a bit over a week old! I can never get home fast enough to see how much they have grown! We will be looking into building our coop in the next couple of weeks, living "in-town" does anyone have any suggestions?




proud wife, mother of 1 chocolate lab, blue heeler, rat terrier, 2 RIR chicks, a seal point siamese, 2 maine coones, and a tortoise shell in a pear tree!

 

[motoclown]

Quote:
Get more chicks, what if one is a rooster, can you keep it?

 

[tnchickenut]

This is exactly why I got my job at TSC.... I was a customer for so long they knew me. They said they knew nothing of chickens and hired me to do all things poultry.

I stopped the manager the other day... she was selling broilers to a guy and asked me "Hey, Stacy, when will they start laying?" and I said "Never!" LOL!!! I then quickly followed with those being meat birds who grow to butcher size in 6-8 weeks and the guy said no way. They sincerely didn't know better... but can you imagine how POed that guy would be in a couple weeks when his "laying hens" were laying around fat on the floor?

 

[NYRIR]

That'd be horrible....but I'd like to add...I have found employees at other stores(such as Home Depot) that get TRAINING in their departments.I don't necessarily fault the employees...I would think the company would spend some time inservicing their workers on a few basics.And what happens to mix up the breeds so much?Maybe a label with pics to show what breed and a few breed characteristics should be posted,and I don't mean the ones that are so broad based you can't get any real info from.Or even ONE poster that shows chicks and tells their breed by photos so each customer could look for themselves.I understand people are not going to know every detail of everything sold in the store,but my goodness...these are a bit different...THEY ARE LIVE CREATURES!I say TSC should at least be informed as to what breeds they have and if they are for meat or not!Or maybe train one or two employees to handle the chicks/ducklings who have been informed about them.I basically use 3 different TSC's and one is better than the other two...it's simply because the employees are familiar with poultry and actually did research to see what breeds they had.....they used the computer right there on the desk...thought outside the box and looked it up...Maybe it's just me because I love the little chooks so much,but I can't imagine selling someone something I had no idea about and I would do the same thing...take a second and look it up.

 

[kuntrygirl]

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Since when do layers NOT lay eggs? Is that like the same thing as them not living past 8 weeks old?

 

[FlickiChicki]

Took the spook parade in to get their shots at the TSC. Apparently I am in there too much as the Chicken Lady, so got grabbed to help them sort out the chicks who got mixed up. While, no, I know about zip on the breeds or sexing - they'd gotten ducks, geese and chickens mixed up together. Those at least I can sort out.

Generally, the store has 16-18 y/o kids in when I was there, they really don't know what is what some days. But the reason I shop at TSC, despite the less than knowledgable staff - the local farm supply store is just plain horrible. At least TSC has clean tanks, heat lamps at the right height, good waterers and feeders and they aren't overcrowded.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Since when do layers NOT lay eggs? Is that like the same thing as them not living past 8 weeks old?

These were broilers... they might lay eggs one day IF they live that long. Most get heart failure first. We are talking about birds that grow so quick they have a hard time getting around because their legs won't support them.

Are you seriously suggesting that they should have sold them to a man who wanted to have a production egg flock? REALLY!?!?

I also stated that after I said "never" I clearified. I didn't say the breed can't lay eggs. I said they are not made for it and will have health problems. All this is true.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Their is a breed poster next to the chicks (in my store) and it is basicly the info you get out of a hatchery catalog for each breed. HOWEVER, the breeds get mixed up alot because people let their kids pick them up and put them down wherever. Let's face it, some people wouldn't DO the training if they had to... they would click to the end or whatever it takes to say they done it and forget about it.
I did get the over population problem fixed though... last year I didn't work there and their was canniblism going on bad. This year they asked me why they do that... I told them they had them too cramped and the heaters way too close. Fixed! This year no dead chicks and no body eatting anyone else.

I get more fightened for the ducks than the chicks. The minimum is two and alot of people have at least two grandkids begging for duckies. And ducklings take far more work than chicks if done right.