Troubles at our Tractor Supply Company!

[Intheswamp]

Definitely an overcrowded situation, TSC definitely should've pulled out more water troughs to house the chicks. Disposal of the dead chicks, no issue for me...folks throw partially eaten lunches and worse in the garbage. The still living but apparently sick chicks should've been put down, but in all fairness they may have appeared dead to the workers when they put them in the bags. I would say that the disposal issue is a questionable issue while the overcrowding was something that was completely avoidable. I would imagine that there has already been a high priority memo sent out to all TSC outlets in the country about this situation making sure it is corrected in this store and any other stores that may have the same problem.

Having said that... This news article and subsequent discussion in the media and elsewhere is surely to provide a bit of ammunition to groups that deem the retail selling and shipping of chicks to be inhumane and who wish such activities be halted. Not a good thing for backyard chicken growers. You might say it's a "black eye" for TSC *and* backyard chicken growers...afterall, TSC would not have had the chicks in the first place if there hadn't been a demand for them.

Legal action? Be careful, the outcome could trickle down to affect *all* of us...the simple coop owners, heritage breed breeders, private expert breeders, ect.,. There is already a move towards manadatory registering of your chicks and other animals... NAIS .

Just thinking "outside the coop",
Ed

 

[andalusn]

A corporation as large as TSC should have established policies on chick disposal for all of it's stores If not followed by the store then that's a very different matter. In many counties disposal of anydead animal is written somwhere in the regs. The other missing piece here is proper housing of live animals inside the store. That brooder tank appears to be very over crowded.. did they have others in the same condition or were they getting empty? If so management of the population is a must and they need to place a set number of chicks to each tank when first "filled".

I bet there is a high mortality on peeps due to stress and other factors.. as a store they should know better and cull as mentioned and follow proper disposal practices. Bio waste does not belong in the garbage can for all sorts of reasons.

Another better question is this.. will this change your buying habits? Will you as a consumer let them know your dollar is going to a competitor that treats their animals better until they get their act together. I bet many of the local folks to this store have choices and spend in a manner that tells the store they have a bigger profile as a community member to maintain.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Thatis horrible!

and this is too TSC

and this is what I think ...

!!!

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

I used to work at a TSC. I'm not totally surprised. While I worked there, Bird Flu was a big topic - so the sale of poultry was suspended at that time. They didn't want to risk being slapped with a lawsuit. So, I can't speak to the amount of training and prep that goes with the selling of chicks, ducks, etc. What I can comment on is Upper/Mid Management. The people that they sent to our store were completely out of touch. Everything is done in a cookie cutter fashion...if it works for that particular store - GREAT! If not, tuff beans. It is all about corporate surface stuff and the TSC BRAND.

I was considered a "specialist" in one of the TSC departments. Can I sell? Yes. Was I successful? Very. Made them a ton of money and cross sold into other departments as well. I developed a hugh client list and used it to generate sales on my own...just by knowing my customers, their occupation, their kids, spouse, etc. When I left there after 2.5 years, I had 11 journals full of client contacts and special ordered items I supplied to them. I kept the receiver and the dock very busy! I loved my job and my customers - and they knew that I would move heaven and earth to get them what they needed, when they needed it. That is how I'm wired.

I had a visit by the then, Pres/CEO because of my sales - can you say photo op?? About three months after the pres/CEO visit. I had an middle management empty suit, "G" visit our store and dress me down in front of the store manager and several of my beloved customers over a clothing rack that was in an incorrect postion - according, to the store PLANOGRAM! He was vicious...I was outraged and stood my ground and told him why it was positioned where it was.

It didn't matter if it worked for the store and the customers, or me, for that matter. That afternoon, after my shift, I went home and called the home office in TN. The President that made the trip to visit me for a photo op...was out. I didn't give up. I was finally put through to the number 3 guy in charge of TSC. I let it rip. I told him about the incident with "G" - by 10 a.m. the next day the Human Resource Department was calling and interviewing me about what had happend. They had "G" call me to say he was sorry...Did he? No - he would not own up to what he did or admit he was wrong. Did I back down - No, it took three days, of very heated, angry phones calls from him - I never caved or backed down, one bit. He was a rude, spoiled, arrogant, BRAT! But, in the end, he did say he was sorry. I left two months later. Why, should I or would I, continue to add to their bottom line and HIS bonus?!

They simply do not care about their people - no matter how good you are. You are simply a number, a warm body. The employee turn over is very high, not only because of the way they compensate their employees but the underlining message to their employees is that they don't matter. Say what you want, but, the problem starts right there. Are all middle mangers like "G"?? I hope not, but some of the others that I met were empty suits as well. They can't see the forrest for the trees.

I'll make a prediction, after this season, they'll never sell poultry again. As a company, they are very, very, risk adverse - they won't risk it. They won't risk damage to the "BRAND"...that, and the bottom line - is all that REALLY matters. Little do they realize, that people that are on the inside of TSC - are doing the most damage to the BRAND!

I hope the two little ducks make it - the entire story makes me sick - but, again - not surprised.

 

[haTHOR]

i posted (subject line "tsc grumblings" i think) about this exact thing happening in front of me. someone told the manager there were dead chicks in the container and i saw the manager and clerk come over and he directed her to take out the dead and the ones that were alive but not looking so good, and to put them into a plastic bag (ziplock). i just managed to get my kids out of earshot. apparently this is a standard practice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am in no way defending that specific Tractor Supply Store. Live chicks in the trash is not excusable. I would like to hear who did what and why, but with them being taken to court, their lawyer will be very careful about what anybody says. Although it is against the law to put dead animals in the trash a lot of places, I don't see any cruelty in putting dead animals in the trash. As was mentioned, there are other reasons not to. Live animals is another story.

Now any store that sells live chicks will be lumped in with this in the public mind for anyone who reads or hears that story. Some obviously are not very good, but some are very good in the way they treat their chicks. I've never seen a chick bin overcrowded at my local Tractor Supply and I've never seen a dead chick in there. I've seen some that looked dead, but who among us have not been surprised by how sleeping chicks can look.

 

[Humhill]

jojo@rolling acres farm :

I'll make a prediction, after this season, they'll never sell poultry again. As a company, they are very, very, risk adverse - they won't risk it. They won't risk damage to the "BRAND"...that, and the bottom line - is all that REALLY matters. Little do they realize, that people that are on the inside of TSC - are doing the most damage to the BRAND!

I can see this coming too. Then how are we going to feed our impulse chick buying!?!?!?!

We've all read stories on here about "I got my chicks and thought one was dead..." If we, as people who are knowledgeable about chickens and research info on their care can make this mistake, then how can we expect someone working in a retail store to not make that same mistake? Now, what haTHOR posted, that could've been what happened too. Just keep in mind that this is in the "news." They don't always tell the whole truth.​

 

[greathorse]

I agree that this is not a desirable way to dispose of sick or dead chicks. I would also submit that this is an isolated incident and should be dealt with in that manner. If there is a federal case made of every isolated indication of poor insensitive judgement, sooner or later we are going to have every back yard chicken in America audited and reviewed by some bureucrat sp?? and none of us are going to like it. No this should not happen but should also be viewed as one local and isolated incident.

 

[ellieroo]

The support given to TSC should be for good behavior. this story is like when you are a kid and make a bad choice you lost the privledge. Objecting to it is not going to end chicks in the store that is a "lost leader" that brings in too much busy for it to vanish. But neither can live chicks being tossed away be ignored. I guess RFK's words still ring in my head "see a wrong and try to right it" ... not end it. So I think the guy who step up and said NO this is wrong gets a big round of

 

[littledel]

I bought 12 chicks from TSC last year. These were straight run RR Reds. When they got older, ALL 12 were roosters. Have not bought any from them since.