TSC chicks keep dying despite ideal conditions

[Birdsonghill]

Coccidiosis is sounding like the most likely culprit, in the majority of the cases, to me. If you get new chicks not vaccinated for it, treat them for it and then put on feed with a coccidiostat added. The vaccination does not contradict with an Organic labeling (no Chemical pesticides or antibiotics). Good luck everybody!

 

[Kittys Coop]

Last Friday we picked up 6 bantam chicks from TSC and went back Saturday to pick up a few more since ours were doing so well. The 5 we brought home on Saturday started dying within a few hours of being home and all 5 were deceased within 24 hours. My 6 from Friday were still ok but I’m very concerned to say the least. The original 6 had a little pasty butt that we were able to control quickly but the second group didn’t even have that issue. I woke up this morning to one of the pasty butt chicks having passed even though he was fine last night. We have been raising chicks for well over a decade and expect a few losses but this is mind boggling and emotionally difficult. We use the heating pad brooder, electrolytes and keep all new babies in our kitchen so we can closely monitor them the first week. I called TSC to let them know the situation because I was concerned something was wrong with the whole batch. The manager was also concerned as he had numerous reports from other stores as well as his own. According to him my chicks came from the same shipment on Friday and my 5 from Saturday were the last oh that batch. I noticed that our TSC had started using a new brooder system and hypotheses that that is a possible culprit considering my Friday chicks had just arrived when we picked them out. I had planned to allow my broody to take over the chicks after the first night but I’m scared to introduce the chicks to my flock even if they make it through. Any insight?

We’ve only gotten ducklings from TSC and will never do that again. We got 6 and they have had health issues since we brought them home.

 

[Zdonahoe]

Last Friday we picked up 6 bantam chicks from TSC and went back Saturday to pick up a few more since ours were doing so well. The 5 we brought home on Saturday started dying within a few hours of being home and all 5 were deceased within 24 hours. My 6 from Friday were still ok but I’m very concerned to say the least. The original 6 had a little pasty butt that we were able to control quickly but the second group didn’t even have that issue. I woke up this morning to one of the pasty butt chicks having passed even though he was fine last night. We have been raising chicks for well over a decade and expect a few losses but this is mind boggling and emotionally difficult. We use the heating pad brooder, electrolytes and keep all new babies in our kitchen so we can closely monitor them the first week. I called TSC to let them know the situation because I was concerned something was wrong with the whole batch. The manager was also concerned as he had numerous reports from other stores as well as his own. According to him my chicks came from the same shipment on Friday and my 5 from Saturday were the last oh that batch. I noticed that our TSC had started using a new brooder system and hypotheses that that is a possible culprit considering my Friday chicks had just arrived when we picked them out. I had planned to allow my broody to take over the chicks after the

Last Friday we picked up 6 bantam chicks from TSC and went back Saturday to pick up a few more since ours were doing so well. The 5 we brought home on Saturday started dying within a few hours of being home and all 5 were deceased within 24 hours. My 6 from Friday were still ok but I’m very concerned to say the least. The original 6 had a little pasty butt that we were able to control quickly but the second group didn’t even have that issue. I woke up this morning to one of the pasty butt chicks having passed even though he was fine last night. We have been raising chicks for well over a decade and expect a few losses but this is mind boggling and emotionally difficult. We use the heating pad brooder, electrolytes and keep all new babies in our kitchen so we can closely monitor them the first week. I called TSC to let them know the situation because I was concerned something was wrong with the whole batch. The manager was also concerned as he had numerous reports from other stores as well as his own. According to him my chicks came from the same shipment on Friday and my 5 from Saturday were the last oh that batch. I noticed that our TSC had started using a new brooder system and hypotheses that that is a possible culprit considering my Friday chicks had just arrived when we picked them out. I had planned to allow my broody to take over the chicks after the first night but I’m scared to introduce the chicks to my flock even if they make it through. Any insight?

Welcome to my world, we have lost over 150 chicks this year from Tractor Supply it is absolutely ridiculous, we finally had enough and I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, the local agriculture, and I have been talking about it to everyone I know. It's not like I don't know what I'm doing I've been around chickens my whole life we have some we've got the last 2 years are doing perfectly fine it is just this year's chicks we don't know what's going on but I'm fed up

 

[RuralWriter]

They could have been delayed in shipping. We had some several years ago that died right off. A staff memeber told us the chicks had been stuck at the post office extra day or two by accident and they had a lot die.

 

[jspeese]

I am a TSC customer, but I'll have to admit I would be a little bit reluctant to get chicks from them, at least not from our local store anyway. I've often looked at them, and I've often seen a lot that looked droopy. But sometimes you just get a bad batch, no matter where you get them. I got 8 Delawares and 8 New Hampshire Reds 4 years ago from our local feed store. The New Hampshire Reds are still doing fine, still laying, although obviously at a reduced rate. The Delawares, however, were the worst chickens I ever had in a lifetime of raising poultry. They just never thrived and by 4 years half had died. By last fall I was totally disgusted with them, and got rid of the remaining ones. I will never get Delawares again. I ordered 10 Sapphire Gems from Jenks, they should arrive next week. Although l am generally not a big fan of hybrids, they nevertheless intrigued me and I thought I would give them a try.

 

[dmaloney15]

This is troubling. What part of the country are you in?

I’m in Central Oklahoma, specifically the Guthrie store.

 

[dmaloney15]

I am on the 3rd day of having 4 ees from tsc. I'm going to follow this to see if more people are having this issue.
I'm in central FL.
I'm not sure why the new brooders would be the issue. They seem cleaner and safer than heat lamps and pine bedding.

Yes they do! I was so excited to try something more natural for my birds and boy do I regret switching from what has worked with over 1800 chicks in my sum total experience with chicks.

 

[Harmoni]

Yes they do! I was so excited to try something more natural for my birds and boy do I regret switching from what has worked with over 1800 chicks in my sum total experience with chicks.

My tsc has since changed back to their old brooder system so I am assuming there was an issue with the new ones.
Luckily, my 4 EEs all survived.

 

[jspeese]

I’m in Central Oklahoma, specifically the Guthrie store.

I am in North Augusta, South Carolina. The post office is apparently doing a really poor job with handling chicks this year. They beat the daylights out of my 10 Sapphire gems from Jenks. One arrived DOA, the rest were weak. Only 6 survived. The hatchery made good on it, but who wants to go through watching baby birds die? The 6 survivors thrived, are now pullets and should start laying in September, but who wants to go through cr** like that in the first place? Our local feed store (which I patronize in addition to Tractor Supply) told me they'd been having the same trouble. This year they too have had lots of chicks arriving weak or dead. They ordered 50 ducklings to resell and only 15 arrived alive. Our tax dollars at work! But I'm like many of you; I'd think that the new brooders at Tractor Supply would be better, but that doesn't seem to be the case. When I said that I thought the chicks at Tractor Supply looked rather sorry this year and last year, they were indeed in those new brooders. I wonder if they just don't start drinking and eating they way they should in them, and no one around to "show them how" to use the automatic feeders and waterers. Plus the fact that they may have been manhandled by the post office. Perhaps the old way is better.

 

[jspeese]

The more of these posts I read, it sounds like the post office is to blame as well. And I'm not sure it's 100% the post office's fault either, as I gather they have not been adequately funded. Just one more example of the overall incompetence of the present administration, in my opinion!