TSC Arkansas people

[ForestOwl]

I am thinking about buying chicks from TSC when chick days start so I was wondering if anyone has ever been to the TSC's in AR especially the Jonesboro or Batesville one and if so what breeds do they have? I know a lot of the pullets are sex link chicks, but what about the st runs and bantams? so if you can tell me what chickies you ended up with and which tsc you went to. Thanks

 

[gritsar]

I am thinking about buying chicks from TSC when chick days start so I was wondering if anyone has ever been to the TSC's in AR especially the Jonesboro or Batesville one and if so what breeds do they have? I know a lot of the pullets are sex link chicks, but what about the st runs and bantams? so if you can tell me what chickies you ended up with and which tsc you went to. Thanks

Last spring I bought chicks from Atwoods. In case you don't have an atwoods close to you, they are very similiar to TSC stores. Our Atwoods gets their chicks from Ideal Hatchery in Texas. Ideal is a company that I've ordered from before and have been very satisfied with.
I bought chicks from Atwoods only because I had two broodies that both had bad hatches - one managed to hatch 1 chick, the other broodys eggs were bad.

For my larger broody I bought five pullets out of the bin marked "sexed heavy pullets". All had the wing bands marking them as pullets. Four turned out to be black sex links, but one was very different. From pictures a salesperson at Ideal told me that she was also a sex link, but I knew that wasn't so. Turns out she is absolutely stunning white faced black spanish. It's because of her that I have fallen in love with that breed.

I bought three little chicks out of the straight run/bantam bin for my other broody (a silkie) to go along with her one hatched chick. The three were polish, which I knew from the get-go, but I had to explain to the salesperson @ Atwoods that they were not bantams. Unfortunately one of those chicks was killed in a freak accident a few weeks later, but the other two did fine. I don't know the gender of the one that was killed, but the other two turned out to be a pullet and a cockerel.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not gotten any chicks from TSC but I have talked to some of the people there about them. Each Tractor Supply is going to be different. Each local manager has some flexibility to do whatever they want within certain restrictions.

They are not restricted to any one specifc hatchery but can order from different ones. They can order whatever breeds they want, whatever mix of sexed chicks they want, bantams or full-sized. They may or may not have a "pullets" bin. Some keep reordering chciks and have them available for a long season. If I don't get there when they come in, they will be gone from mine.


Some TSC's will make a specific order for you. My TSC orders from McMurray. They will place a special order for you, but they have the McMurray 25 chick minimum limit and the chicks are mailed directly to your house. There is absolutely no benefit to ordering through TSC for me. But with some, you can order the specific breeds you want and avoid the minimum chick order.

I really recommend you talk to your local Tractor Supply manager and see what they do. And make sure you talk to the person making the order. Some people at my local TSC are pretty knowledgeable about what is going on with the chick program, but not all are.

 

[suzeqf]

I've buy my chicks mainly at Buckiets because they have more of a variety than the TSC's around me do and I don't have to buy in lots of 6. I got my first chicks from TSC 4 Red Star hens and 2 banty, I got 4 hens and 2 roo's. I have better luck picking pullets from Buckiets I'm not sure where they get their chicks i've asked I just can't remember.

 

[ForestOwl]

Thank you all for the replies and gritsar for the welcome, when chick days gets a little closer I'll ask at both tsc's and hopefully decide which one i'll go with. Last year I ordered from cackle the year before that I bought chicks from tsc that had been put on clearance my sister was given one of those easter chicks and the poor thing chirped constantly so we got him some friends 6 red sex link from the pullet bin and thre from the st run bin, I had been reading on a diferent thread here before I went that you can sometimes sex barred rocks by the dot on their head, and I got lucky and ended up with two br pullets and one black sex link pullet. But i've never gotten bantams and my sister has a pet cochin rooster and I wanted some future friends for him and was curious to see if anyone had experience with the TSC's around here.

 

[sparrker]

I called our TSC that's in our neighborhood and got no where. The manager said he didn't know if they were getting any or when because of some outbreak of a disease. I asked him if it was salmonella a couple of years back and his response was I think so. Asked what breeds they would normally get if you have them, he didn't really know. Then asked where do they get them, he said a local (NY) hatchery. Again asked more ?'s can I put an order in, and he said he didn't know if they were getting any in. I told him I will go to a local hatchery when i'm ready..Good bye TSC A co worker purchased 4 last year at this same store. I believe in NYS you must buy a minimum of 6
My opinion on TSC is the employees are just wanna be farmers that have the products are ripoffs.We have returned injectable meds that had expired, they put them on the shelf next day, broken tools they were back on the shelf days later. Watch what you buy. Inspect the bottle before purchasing.
Patti



edited to remove link

 

[ozark_chickies]

We have bought chicks from TSC in Conway, several of the chicks we seen had pasty butts not the healthiest chicks we have bought. I would sugest you look into Cackle Hatchery, we have had very good luck with them. Better selection, better sexing perecentage, cheaper unless you are only interested in a couple of chicks then TSC would be the way to go.

 

[202roosterlane]

I too have bought from both TSC and ATWOODS. I have had better luck getting pullets from ATWOODS. At Tractor Supply the put them in a round brooder and after a few days, they jump the dividers and and went al willie nillie and they would not promise you what you had. You just had to hope for the best. We as you well know, a lot of baby chicks look a like. So my first time around I got 18 chicks and 6 different breeds. I donated 1/2 of them to the local 4H. I had polish, production reds, bantam frizzles, new hamps, Red Pyle Modern Game, barred rocks. What a combination.

Now I buy from BYCers. That way I know what I am getting, regardless of having to pay shipping prices. But I understand not everyone has a bator. I hate going to TSC or Atwoods for feed when they have chicks. It is sooooo hard to walk by them and not come home with some.