Post by woodstocksanctuary

We went to a few Tractor Supply locations recently and saw these tiny babies sitting under heat lamps in galvanized tubs, huddled together and unaware of what lies in store. They’re so small, so fragile, and inevitably, things will go wrong for them.

Despite Avian Flu ravaging the country, Tractor Supply is still shipping hatched birds to stores around the U.S. to supply backyards farms and hobbyists with “starter flocks”. These chicks often arrive sick or injured, and are not given appropriate vet care. Things don’t get better for them once they’ve been purchased. We know soon we’ll start getting calls about abandoned roosters who were once little chicks at the Tractor Supply, assumed to be hens at first. We’ll get calls about chickens and ducks that people no longer want after a few months of trying to care for them and realizing the enormity of the task. We’ll get calls about neglected, sick, and dying chickens who were never taken to the vet and never given appropriate living conditions. It happens every single year.

This year the threat is greater than ever as we know most potential chick and duckling buyers aren’t aware of the mass cullings that have already happened across the US in response to the Avian Flu, and don’t know how to enact proper biosecurity measures to keep their birds and their community’s birds safe.
We need your help asking Tractor Supply to stop selling live chicks and ducklings in their stores. Help us tell Tractor Supply to stop profiting from ignorance and passing the burden of care and education to rescues, sanctuaries, and shelters. We want to get ahead of the impulse buying that occurs during the Spring and Easter season, and bring a strong show of public support to Tractor Supply leadership.

Our goal is to reach 8,000 signatures by March 31st. Can you help us send a strong message to Tractor Supply? Sign our petition on our website today, and please share widely.