Benedict was about 5-6 weeks old and seemed just fine yesterday, but this morning he was lying stiff in the little spot behind the nesting boxes where he likes to hide. He was from a small brood of day-old bamtams we got at Tractor Supply. So far 3 of the 6 chicks we got haven't made it. The other two were silkie bamtams and passed within the first week! Benedict didn't seem to have anything wrong with him and he was the fastest growing, most brazen of the bunch. His neck felt a little strange like it might've been broken but he was already stiff by the time I found him this morning. Hope we don't lose any of the others.
I've never purchased chicks from Tractor Supply because....honestly....I'm afraid to! I've been in several of their stores and seen the tubs of chicks with empty waterers,heat lamps not on,dead chicks laying around in the tubs...just very poor conditions in general. Add to that the stress and trauma of being chased around the tub by untrained store employees trying to catch them and it's a recipe for disaster! Tractor Supply even made matters worse when they started the new labeling system. "Brown Egg-layers". "Red Sex Links", "Assorted Bantams"....come on people! If they can't even sort and label the chicks better than that! I want to know EXACTLY what breed I'm getting!
