Tractor Supply or Family Farm and Home?

[Aml91]

I live in northwestern PA and I have two places near me that are selling chicks. I've bought from Tractor Supply before and the chicks were really healthy, but I went into a Family Farm and Home today and they had a lot more breeds available and were a little cheaper.
Does anyone have experience with buying from FFH? I don't want to sacrifice healthy chicks for a few cents off the price.

 

[Evadig]

I live in northwestern PA and I have two places near me that are selling chicks. I've bought from Tractor Supply before and the chicks were really healthy, but I went into a Family Farm and Home today and they had a lot more breeds available and were a little cheaper.
Does anyone have experience with buying from FFH? I don't want to sacrifice healthy chicks for a few cents off the price.

I don’t have any experience with chicks but I bought gosling from FFH and they got the breeds totally wrong - they assured me I was buying Embdens but the goslings were in fact White Chinese.
At the same time I haven’t had a great experience with TSC either - they incorrectly sexed one of the chicks and both chickens had issues.
Hope you get some good chicks either way!

 

[Tstraub]

I’m in northern Indiana and here both FFH and TSC use Hoover’s Hatchery. So there is no difference. I’m not sure if it’s the same in PA

 

[Chichin Mama]

I have bought chicks from both TSC and FFH.

The first year I bought chicks from FFH, I bought six chicks. 2 of the chicks were supposed to be olive egger pullets. One laid brown speckled eggs and the other was a rooster. Two years later, only two hens survived from my original batch of chicks. (I lost all due to sickness, none from predators)

Last year, I bought some chicks from TSC and some from FFH and brooded them together. I bought 2 from FFH and four from TSC. Both chicks from FFH did not survive the year. However, I only lost one chick from the chicks I bought from TSC. I lost that baby a couple of days after I got them. She was a bantam and it was a failure to thrive situation. I bought an "ameraucana" the correct breed, but she turned about to be some mix that lays a green egg.

To be honest, I haven't had great success with either store.

 

[nuthatched]

I believe both use Hoovers, which is a lackluster hatchery.

 

[Aml91]

My two experiences with Tractor Supply chicks have been good, I might just stick with what I know. Thanks everyone!

 

[homesteading101]

Family farm and home started selling them for $1-2 a pop at the very end I bought an absurd amount I couldn't pass them up

 

[Evadig]

Family farm and home started selling them for $1-2 a pop at the very end I bought an absurd amount I couldn't pass them up

How did they turn out (assuming you bought them last year?) My family said I can get more so maybe I'll go check them out!

 

[homesteading101]

Most turned out great I probably had about 3 unhealthy birds out of all of them I tried saving one legged bird she was doing great then just randomly died

 

[Aml91]

It sounded like FFH was going to keep getting more as the weeks go by, if we lose any of ours maybe I'll check them out as well for that kind of price