Your take on Birds from Tractor Supply?

[colbyatwest]

Hi, Well as the title states, I would like to know your take on birds from Tractor Supply? For the last couple of years I have been hatching RIR from our birds that we got from a friend. But Now I am intersted in getting some batams.....I would love to just buy them as "day olds" but don't want to purchase "bad" birds. What are your opinition on birds from Tractor Supply as far as heath and such.
-Thanks.

 

[amynbrent]

I bought all my chicks from there. Last spring was my first time with chickens so I didnt know all what I was doing. I bought 50 something thinking I would lose some due to lack of experience or disease....I didnt lose any...well until a hawk getting them for a couple months now. I have even started hatching their babies. Good luck.

 

[Fred's Hens]

TSC uses the same hatcheries as mentioned here on BYC all the time. Throughout the US, they likely employ a half dozen regional hatcheries to shorten the shipping time.

Hatchery grade stock. The convenience is well worthwhile. Small orders are not a problem to TSC, whereas it often is to a hatchery mail order. Same birds. Most store managers are fairly open and honest about which hatchery their chicks came from. Also ask the store manager which day she/he gets deliveries, if on a schedule. This is double edged sword. I have often gotten discounts on left over chicks the day before a fresh shipment. The flip side of that is that chicks can get mixed up, stressed and mishandled. Feed store/rural store chicks are what they are.

 

[colbyatwest]

Thanks Guys for all the help

 

[Tnchickennewbie]

Are the chicks seperated by sex there or are they straight run? Like you said though Fred I'm sure they get mixed up there even if they start out that way.

 

[nickie]

As I recall the last time I saw chicks at tsc they had a bin of straight run, sexes pullets, meaties, and then a bin of ducks. I wouldn't hold them to being sexed after a while in the store though, lots of people picking them up and playing with them.

 

[georgiagail]

Straight run. I got my first set of bantams from Tractor Supply. They've done quite well...

Gail

 

[Fred's Hens]

They typically have a pullet bin, the accuracy of which is spotty, but so what else is new. They'll have sex links, where the accuracy will be virtually 100% unless the buyer cannot spot a misplaced bird. They will also have some unsexed birds. This all varies from store to store and they have different birds on different weeks. It will also depend on which regional hatchery a particular store is using.

 

[spacecowgirl]

The TSC we have here has a fence around the chicks, with a gate that has a sign to keep out and ask for an employee. When I bought from them last year, the employee went in and let me point out the chicks I wanted.

He was even nice enough to say, "you probably don't want this one, it's not very active", yeah, I noticed that....

But I will be going back this spring to buy a few more, and I hope they are still fencing in the chicks. There was also a sign that said "no children allowed inside the fence".

I appreciated that. My son wasn't too happy, but, oh well. It's better than having tubs full of mixed up chicks.

 

[ladychicken&Ducklover]

I got my first chicks from TSC last year.

Minimum I could take was 6, so I bought 3 Barred Rocks and 3 " Supposed" Rouen ducks.

Every duck were Straight Runs only, but the chicks were in Pullet runs..

I wanted Rouen ducks hoping to get a Drake for their Beautiful coloring, like a Mallard.

Well, ALL the babies were healthy, however, The Rouens were NOT true Rouens..there was a mix somewhere in the lineage.

Anyway, the ducks turned out to be females, and I get 3 Jumbo eggs daily, that are in demand amongst 2 restaurants I have as customers.

The BRs are just sweet as can be and great layers too.

I asked TSC who their supplier is and they said , Town Line Hatchery.

Since then Ive used www.mypetchicken.com and chickensforbackyards.com, and BOTH took Great lengths to send my babies carefully and warm...

Meyer was a different story...I will NEVER use them again.

Good luck to you, hope all goes well.