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

[RaineyTN]

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

 

[sourland]

Went to TSC today large fowl chicks were eating, drinking, and content under the heating elements. The one pen of bantams was not warm enough.

 

[cmobley]

Is it hot to the touch at all ? Just curious
How much was it?
Is it just me or is their site look weird today?

Its warm to the touch not hot but the switch will go from 40 watt brooder to 200 watt coop heater and has feet to stand up. It was 40 bucks which is more than red lights but its keeping that space at a constant 95-100 and not 120 trying to find a way to hang the stupid light so it don't cook them. They can get under it toward the middle or stay towards the outside. Pics added. Its really nice wish I had bought it sooner for peace of mind.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Its warm to the touch not hot but the switch will go from 40 watt brooder to 200 watt coop heater and has feet to stand up. It was 40 bucks which is more than red lights but its keeping that space at a constant 95-100 and not 120 trying to find a way to hang the stupid light so it don't cook them. They can get under it toward the middle or stay towards the outside. Pics added. Its really nice wish I had bought it sooner for peace of mind. View attachment 2547486

I use that heat plate myself in a "Commander XXL" 27 gal tote I got from Lowes on special (30.8 x20.3 x14.5). Right after hatching, I lay it flat, using the legs to adjust it so it has a tilt - the birds can seek their own temperature to some degree, and it fills enough of the box that there's no danger of them getting so far away they can't find their way back.

Usually use a hand towel or two as well as "bumpers". As they get larger, I'll stand it upright, and reverse two of the legs so they just hook the side of the box, to keep it from falling over. Then set a perch across the uprights on the lower legs.

During the day, they have the whole of the box to wander around, eat, drink, whatever. At night, they either cuddle up next to the plate under the perch, or cuddle up on the perch.

Its good for four ducklings to about 2 weeks+. I've ten chicks in there right now, and have taken eight chicks to three weeks in the box (with frequent cleanings). Conveniently, my dog with diabetes gets his food (Hill Prescription diet) in these plastic coated bags which nicely fit the bottom of the box. Pull one out, replace with a clean dry one, wash off the old one with a brush and garden hose, takes a couple minutes. Let dry to repeat in two days.

That's not the normal perch stick, that's my wife's doing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Oh, and because I couldn't help myself, after seeing this thread, and had to brave civilization today anyways, I checked out my closest Tractor Supply. It had TWO! of these monster multi-layer brooders, not plugged in yet, waiting on chicks to arrive. (FL Panhandle, I-10-ish, halfway between Tallahassee and Pensacola).

Got to peek around inside them, can't believe they were designed with fixed position holders for the heating plates, that's really half assed engineering. Also surprised they don't share a common plug. Even my $30 router table has a switch that turns on my router and my wet dry vac at the same time from a common plug. It would seem like the base should have a common, high amperage plug with a series of lighted switches into which each of the heat plates should be plugged in (and a wire chase to contain all the cords) but the store had it set up like they were going to run a multi-socket extension cord to power the unit. Just strange.

Still, hopeful its an improvement on the old stock tanks, and that they use these to keep breeds separated - TSC is notorious for misidentified birds, and while the shipping bears some responsibility, my guess is that the store employees don't generally get the depth of training, or always the supervision, to ensure things don't get further confused during stocking.

 

[Brooks_]

and down to the floor to their deaths

That is why I don't like them. They can't really fall from a stock tank. I also dislike the virtually zero head space. They seem factory farm-ish.

 

[Pullet Press]

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!

I noticed those new brooders! Pretty slick if I don't say so myself.
Also, way to go TSC! I'm glad that they actually wrote EE instead of Americana!

 

[cmobley]

I just left my TSC. Their new shipment is in the back of the store in bins till this evening. They had a leftover blue swedish from the last batch they wanted me to look at. The chick's all seemed really vibrant and acting like normal healthy chicks, maybe the shipping debacle is clearing itself and they're getting to the stores in a more timely manner. They were loaded down with barred rocks and sex links. And no i couldn't walk off and leave it lol.

 

[janiedoe]

Here's your picture. Love them, and want to know where I can get them too

You can buy them from tractor supply online. Your's had them in stock. They looked nice. Reasonably priced ($200) but I like brooding in the coop, I'll stick to the MHP.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I love the new brooders at Tractor Supply. I dealt with similar contraptions at school. I believe they were Strombergs and were easy to operate, easy to clean, and easy to assemble. It will be interesting to see how these brooders work out for TSC as they are not a replacement for human care.

I think it will be easier for employees to feed and water since they don't have to go into a pen to feed and water