What is so "bad" about buying feed store chicks?

[Scout Finch]

I just have to add that while I didn't get exactly what I *thought* I was getting with my chicks from TSC, they were very healthy!! No pasty butt, no problems of any kind. They've been very healthy from the day I brought them home so that's good!

 

[PrairieChickens]

Yeah, even though the breed and gender has been less than certain with our chicks from Orscheln's, they've always been very healthy and well-cared for, and when our "pullets" turned out to be 50% boys, they gave us more chicks to make up for it. All in all, I've been very happy with buying my chicks there.

 

[Natalijaasbj]

. This is probably the ANSWER for your question - approximately he is answering exactly starting from 5th minute. But you can listen to whole thing - it is not too long. He is the guy who evaluates individuals on the heritage breeds exsibitions.

 

[Cuteincamo]

Most of my chicks, the exception being my lavender orphs, came from our local feed store. But since I work there I know what I'm getting. If you get a person who knows enough about chickens to watch over them, make sure they are in the correct bin and make sure they are labeled, your good. But I have one clerk in specific who knows nothing about chickens and quite frankly I don't think she cares to learn. Two weeks ago I caught her selling broilers as laying hens....

we'd only been through what was in specific tanks five minutes prior to this mishap. Last year I ordered sexed pullets through our hatchery, out of 15 I wound up with seven roos... It happens.

 

[TLWR]

3 of my chicks came from TSC. I bought six and sold 3 of them. All 6 came from the pullets bin. Just pullets. So I stood there for a while with my cell trying to determine breeds - which a few people commented on, "hey, that's a great idea, do you know what they are yet?"
The staff guy that got them for me was the manager, he said he doesn't know chickens, but would try to grab specific ones if I had requests. I had him get 2 barred rocks and 3 buff orpingtons and the 1 that wasn't quite the same looking as the rest.
Get home and unpack them and the different one was a bantam in the wrong bin (bantam bin was empty). All but the bantam were girls. I thought he was a cochin, but might have been a d'uccle - either way, he's not here now, so no clue.
I didn't have expectations that the people at TSC would know chickens, that's not their thing. So I knew I'd either get lucky with an employee that did know or another customer or I had to figure it out on my own. So I checked those stores a few times and when they had some BOs and something else I was interested in, I bought them. So I have 2 BOs and 1 BR (and 1.5 polish... the roo will go back to the friend, the hen will likely stay... we'll see how big she is. Don't want her being hawk bait while free ranging). For the most part, the chicks in bins were healthy. Though now and again you'd find one that had been pecked. But there wasn't lots that I saw over the weeks like that. Just a couple between 2 stores. Butts looked clean as well.


The 2 polish came from a friend's chickens. I decided early on that there was one of each of those and I'm still convinced I have a hen and a roo. I saw their flock yesterday and I just don't get genetics - the roo is solid black. I have no idea how he came to be based on their polish pen lol

 

[sarah4hchickens]

I was specifically looking for certain breeds & our local small feedstore "had them". I bought 12 chicks. the breeds were not a sure thing. the four buff orpington turned out to be red sex link. the extra thrown in was the only true buff orpington. the four silver laced Wyandotte turned out to be one that didn't survive the day & one is either mixed breed or another breed altogether. the four Delaware I bought were the same size as all the others & now, three weeks later are much bigger than everyone else. not sure what that's all about.

I think as long as you're willing to accept it's a mixed bag kind of thing, a feed store is fine.

I have had delaware as well, they just grow quick. They will even out when the rest of the flock starts laying.

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

If you arent picky about breeds then I would get them from the feed store. I have always gotten mine from tsc or a local farmers market. The chicks from tsc have always been healthy. I have gotten a pretty large variety from them. I have a bad habit of belining for the chick cage as soon as I walk in the store lol

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I only bought once from my TSC place almost 10 years ago, but of the 12 we got, all survived into adulthood and the last hen finally died last year.

I got 6 from Big R this year, and only lost one. I think she actually suffocated since she always was under all the other chicks when sleeping piles were made. The other 5 made it to adulthood