I went to our local
TSC for the first time in two weeks today (been down with pneumonia). My husband had told me that the gates were up and, sure enough, the brooder area was completely surrounded by livestock gates. Every few feet, there were signs saying that only employees could handle the chicks and to ask for help. I have to say that I was very, very pleased by this. Ever since Chick Days began in March, I've had to explain to countless kids and adults how to properly hold a chick, how to return a chick to its brooder, no, not THAT brooder over there, THIS brooder, etc.
I went to find the manager, who knows me very well by now, and asked about the gates. He confirmed that this came down from corporate. He said that he had heard rumors that someone was sueing
TSC because they got burned on a heat lamp, rumors that someone got salmonella. He then told me that all of that was unsubstantiated and that he was pretty sure it was because kids were manhandling the chicks and parents were being inattentive, and that the chicks and ducklings were inventory and
TSC simply had to protect its inventory from being damaged. Personally, I agree with him. The bottom line for most corporations is $$$$.
While stackable brooders and Eco Glows are good ideas,
TSC is not going to set up a brooder with things it does not carry in the store. Every brooder in every
TSC I've been to (and we have four that I've shopped at within an hour's drive) is outfitted with items
TSC carries, from the stock tanks to the pine shavings to the waterers, feeders, heat lamps, and bulbs. If
TSC carried Sweeter Heaters, I'm sure they'd use those. They want customers to buy the gear they carry. That's the main reason they've showcased things like starter, chick grit, and waterers right near the chicks.
As pleased as I am with this development, there's still room for improvement. The bin that was labeled Black Jersey Giants also had some very pale yellow chicks in amidst the black chicks. There was a bin labeled Buff Orpingtons, and they actually were Buff Orpingtons... but that brooder tank's walls still had the violet spray marks on it from the Blue Kote they'd sprayed on Violet, the Golden Comet chick I rescued a few weeks ago. That tank should have been cleaned before new chicks had been placed in it! Seeing the Blue Kote marks made me wonder about the cleanliness of all the tanks they use, because that's eventually going to bite them in the rear if some sort of illness is passed along to healthy new arrivals. There was also one tank labeled White Leghorns. I wish I could have confirmed that. The brooder was covered in paper and, except for four chicks, all the others were sprayed with Blue Kote. My first thoughts were, "They've mislabelled this tank... these birds are already feathering in black." Then I realized what was up. And, just like with our little Violet, the non-sprayed chicks were actively attacking the ones sprayed with Blue Kote. One was on its side, its wing up defensively, and two other chicks were actively pecking and yanking at its feathers. It's for reasons like this that I started that petition... to protect the injured and maimed chicks and give them an actual shot at life. You're all still very welcome to sign it (working towards 200 signatures now at
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/tscchicknotification/.
Small steps. I'm glad about (edited, I said "to" before) the fencing and no-handling rules. These have to be across the board, even if it's obvious we know how to raise chicks. If they favor one adult because she or he knows chicks but then come down on Mrs. Sally Clueless, well, Mrs. Clueless could possibly sue the store for unfair treatment. Policies HAVE to be across the board, as much as it may seem ridiculous or insulting to our experience and/or knowledge. BUT... hand in hand with that goes employee training. Do NOT be rude to the customers, allow them to look all they want, offer assistance, allow the customers to pick out the chicks THEY want. A little training in chick handling and customer service goes a LONG way.
I have never seen a logbook of any kind regarding chick purchasing, not at any of the four TSCs that I've shopped at and most definitely not at the one closest to us. It's not a bad idea, especially if the chicks develop an illness or condition to which your chick(s) got exposed, but it has to be explained up front and not spring on buyers as they go to pay, so that people aren't surprised or upset by it. Customer service goes a long way!
