What do you think of Tractor Supply’s new chick bins?

[pinelandspoultry]

They arent listed on the website at all anymore no links work

 

[Finnie]

They arent listed on the website at all anymore no links work

I know.

 

[RebekahTN]

She said she wouldn't sell me anything because yesterday they had 250 Chicks come in Dead and Dying from unknown cause

This sounds like a shipping problem, not a problem with the new bins. If they arrived that way, my guess would be the unseasonable drop in weather that occurred during this past week for much of the area. If you didn't have cold weather, there may have been an extended stay in the mail as this was a holiday weekend.
I have 2 of the bins and although they are slightly different from the ones in the store. The setup is pretty much the same. I think the heaters should come down a little lower especially for the bantams, and there should do away with about half of the ventilation holes but other than that they are pretty awesome. I have had mine going on 3 weeks.... I added clear tape on the ventilation holes and one of the short sides for my newborn chicks and use a heat plate in there instead of the heater. After the 2 week mark the setup is perfect. But since these brooders that are made for the store are for newborns that won't be there for more than a week or so, some adjustments should be made.

 

[BecHup]

I wonder what they’ll do with them after chick seasons over? I may have to do a little negotiating

We were just their and ended up getting 2 RIR and 4 ISA Browns for 50 cents a piece. The day before Easter. We put an order in for 10 Plymouth Barred Rock and my daughter was dying for them. But, the Hatchery wasn’t mailing them out till today. Soooo.... we got them and so far so good. They all looked healthy. Some birds were huge. They said they ship them back to the hatchery if they don’t sell by Easter. We got pullets, though.

 

[viggo63]

They said they ship them back to the hatchery if they don’t sell by Easter.

I don't know what store you were shopping at, but I work at a TSC and that is not their policy. Ever. Maybe they were joking?

 

[Finnie]

They said they ship them back to the hatchery if they don’t sell by Easter. We got pullets, though.

I don't know what store you were shopping at, but I work at a TSC and that is not their policy. Ever. Maybe they were joking?

X2

I didn’t think about maybe they were joking, I just thought maybe it was an uninformed employee that made something up. Because I’m sure no hatcheries are ever taking back several weeks old chicks.

 

[rhodyray]

I was just at TSC, and their Chick Days started about one hour before I got there. They have new bins!

No more stock tanks with filthy waters sitting in the shavings.

I wish I would have thought to take a picture. They are multi level brooders with plastic coated wire on the floor and slide out trays beneath. They have a heat plate suspended in the middle for the chicks to warm up under. I didn’t see the food, but the water was in a trough outside the brooder where the chicks reach their heads out to get a drink. The ducklings were drinking a lot, and without making a huge mess!

The one drawback I noticed was that the heat plates must not have been warm enough. All the chicks were huddled together underneath them crying. Just like they do if you have a heat lamp that’s not warm enough. The guy did say that they were only put in there within the last hour, so maybe they hadn’t had time to acclimate yet. But to me it says that the brooder isn’t warm enough.

The guy also said he was waiting to decide whether he likes the new system until he sees whether it stinks more than the troughs they used before. He suspects the poop in the slide out trays will stink really quickly between cleanings.

In my opinion, I won’t be buying any chicks from these bins if they continue to look like these ones did this morning. Chicks are stressed enough as it is from the shipping. If they remain stressed in the store, then I don’t think they will do very well in their new homes. To be fair, I did get there within the first hour of them having a new system. Next time I go buy feed, I’ll see if they have got it working better.

Oh! And I was really impressed that the signs said “Easter Egger” instead of “Americana” !! They finally figured that one out! Way to go Tractor Supply!

Not user friendly for anyone. Employees get feces all over themselves and the potential for chicks to come out and fall to the floor and be hurt/die is too great. I found them to be dirty and the chicks don't have much room. Bad idea in my book and like the tub method much better and would suggest suspending the feeder and waterer in the tubs so the chicks don't climb on them and poop in them.

 

[rhodyray]

Horrible setup for chicks and the employees who must maintain for cleanliness and selection of each chick. It is also very difficult for the customer to pick the chick he/she wants and get the correct one. The tub method is much better as long as the waterer and feeder are suspended high enough that the chicks may eat and drink without standing on either of them and poop in them.

 

[RebekahTN]

It is also very difficult for the customer to pick the chick he/she wants and get the correct one. The tub method is much better.

The first year we got baby chicks they had the tubs spread out and you could go between them and actually look at and pick which chicks you wanted (about 5 years ago). The 3 and 4 years ago they started having the tanks very close to each other and fenced in by gates so not only could you not pick which chicks you wanted, if the tank you were wanting chicks out of was in the middle of the setup, you couldn't even see the chicks. Last year they went to the new style and were more accommodating on letting you pick exactly which chicks you wanted. This year when we have been you can easily see but just ask which color/breed you want and they reach in and get whichever one they reach first.
My little always wants the smallest ones of the group, so that didn't go over well. She likes to study them and pick for temperament as well.

 

[BecHup]

X2

I didn’t think about maybe they were joking, I just thought maybe it was an uninformed employee that made something up. Because I’m sure no hatcheries are ever taking back several weeks old chicks.

The worker there, who got us our chicks for 50 cents the day before Easter said something along those lines. What do they do with the unsold ones? Kill them? They have to give them to a farm or something.