TSC chicks keep dying despite ideal conditions

[Davethebirdman]

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?

 

[Harmoni]

We've had our ees from tsc for a week now and they are doing great! They are fiesty, no pasty butt at all, eating, drinking and noisy lol

 

[richard bristol]

I’m planning on heading over today to talk to the manager for a refund and will ask since I am also curious on the hatchery.

I have used Tractor supply for the last two years, in Nebraska, and have had 100% success.

 

[KzooChickenLady]

I’m in southwest Michigan and have had two batches of chicks from TSC die on me as soon I got them home. I’ve had chickens for a while now and never had this happen before. The manager confirmed she had gotten several reports of this happening to other people from her store.

 

[clyderiver77]

I don’t know why anyone buys chicks from TSC. Low quality, tons of sexing and breed mistakes and really high mortality. I LOVE Meyer Hatchery for hatchery chicks. Tons of breeds, really nice quality, healthy chicks and they arrive at your local post office in a day or two. Great, family run company.

 

[Mustangs 44]

I purchased bantams from TSC yesterday. Only 2 survived. When I went back to tell them and get a refund the other bantams looked I'll and I brought this to the manager's attention.

 

[chickencoop57]

I don’t know why anyone buys chicks from TSC. Low quality, tons of sexing and breed mistakes and really high mortality. I LOVE Meyer Hatchery for hatchery chicks. Tons of breeds, really nice quality, healthy chicks and they arrive at your local post office in a day or two. Great, family run company.

Well, they havent always been that way,. Meyer a lil expensive. My TS chicks came to our local PO, as well. All lived but that was about a year ago.

 

[cparkerpants]

I live in central NY & the chicks seemed extremely stressed & cold in the new brooders. I took 12 when I only planned to get 6 because they seemed so distressed. I watched one dying in the brooder and had to grab an employee to get her out! She said they’ve been having a lot of issues this year. They’re all doing well in my home, and I have plenty of space for them, but I really hope they change the brooders. Sorry to hear about your losses!

 

[Tilhana]

I imagine that this is probably dumb question: is there any chance the new brooder heat source is coated with teflon or in the family of teflon? Seems like a lot of manufactures of heating things have a tendency to put that on the heaters to ''help them stay clean or clean easier". Bad thing is that when teflon gets hot, it kills birds. Many a pet bird owner (even pet stores) have found that out the hard way. It's not really something a lot of people know about. I only know about it because I used to go to an avian veterinarian, and learned from him. And learned from experts that would give talks at bird club meetings. (pet birds)

Also learned not to use cleaning products or things to "make the air smell better in your home", as they can kill pet birds (or any kind of bird). I know of a lady who lots thousands of dollars worth of birds when her new house cleaning person, used various cleaners that are generally used and are purchased in most stores. The birds were spread all through out her house, and the air conditioning system spread the fumes through out the whole house.

There is so much toxic garbage in our consumer products that people just assume are safe because "they couldnt' sell it otherwise, right?" Anything with strong-smelling artificial fragrances, from fabric softener to carpet cleaner to those horrible plug-in air fresheners, contain VOCs and are toxic to probably most life forms. Teflon is supposed to be pretty bad, too. I always wonder if these products are a big part of why we have so much cancer these days.

Birds and other small animals (usually pets) are the canary in the coal mine. They're much smaller than us and in some cases more sensitive to certain chemicals. Many birds and small mammals are particularly susceptible to respiratory ailments, and so they may be especially sensitive to airborne toxins. It's bad enough that people poison themselves with all this garbage, but it's really sad that their animals, who don't have a say in the matter, can often get poisoned by them, too.

I wish there was more awareness. I think a lot of people would stop buying these products if they realized how bad they are. That would send a clear message to manufacturers that people care more about safety than about having everything they own smell like perfume.

 

[Tilhana]

These are all very unsettling stories. I wish I had something more constructive to say but honestly, I can't say I'm really shocked.

What does genuinely surprise me is that so many people get their chicks from Tractor Supply. I admit I've been tempted to "rescue" any animals I see at a retail outlet. But having worked in a pet store when I was younger, and with what I know about how animals tend to be handled in the retail industry, I would never get my chickens there. I mean maybe if I was really desperate, but there are so many people on facebook and craigslist selling chickens and eggs, where you can actually visit the place where the birds are kept and talk to the owner/breeder and know the birds are coming from a comfortable environment and haven't recently been stressed or traumatized by a long transit or exposure to a stressful store environment...it just seems like a no-brainer.

If it's not to OT, I'm curious, for those of you who get your chicks from TCS or other retail outlets, what are you reasons for choosing that supplier? Is it a matter of not having other options? Do you like being able to pick them out in person? Are you looking for particular breeds that you can't find elsewhere? Is there some benefit I'm overlooking?