Tractor Supply

[LittleRibbie]

Our local TC carries 2 types shaving Fine and Large Flake.

I now use a type that is large flake Sun Coast but they have increasd their price 1.00 per bag in the last yr.and they were pricy to begin with. I liked them becuase they were big but very soft flakes and I figures horses wouldnt be eatting them when eatting hay. Now im looking for a cheaper shaving. TS Fine shaving says less dust but Im afraid horses may breath in these small flakes while grazing their stalls but the Large flakes seem really hard and not very soft. Both these shaving would be fine for the big horses but I just wasnt sure about the minis. Any one use these?

 

[MindyLee]

I work at TSC and sell these all the time to both big horse owners and mini horse owners as well as goat and sheep farms. I have yet to hear anyone complain about their horses or pets having any issues eating them on purpose or accidently.

I use them myself, BUT not in a stall. It's in my stallions 4-sided lean-toos so I dont feed them on it, they just sleep on it.

Otherwise I like it!

 

[mydaddysjag]

I dont like the TSC large flake, I prefer the fine. The large flake is a pain to clean (wont fall through the tines) it sticks in manes and tails, and its just a mess. I prefer the look of it though lol. Never had an issue of fine shavings of any sort getting ingested or breathing them in. Where I have boarded for 10 years only uses fine shavings - never any issue with big horses, minis, weanlings, etc.

I actually have a bag of the flake now that hubby got. He accidentally got the wrong stuff when I sent him to get shavings for in the trailer. Wish I could return it, but he didnt keep the receipt.

 

[Marty]

I have both in stock but I do prefer the larger flakes. My horses are being stalled quite a bit lately due to the excessive heat and I find they have a lot more staying power than the finer kind and the go a lot farther. With the fine kind, I have to use twice as much and they are mashing them into nothing fast and it looks like they aren't even in there in the morning. Large flakes.

 

[MindyLee]

I actually have a bag of the flake now that hubby got. He accidentally got the wrong stuff when I sent him to get shavings for in the trailer. Wish I could return it, but he didnt keep the receipt.

SO WHAT!!! Take them back and exchange them anyway! They will do it for ya receipt or not. The're the same price and it only takes a minute of their time to put it back in the system. Also they can do a receipt look up at their service desk.

Customer Satisfaction is #1 at TSC!

If by chance they denie you, then talk to the manager! They will make it right for you!

 

[Sandy B]

I absolutely love the fine (mini flakes) shavings!! Way less waste, way less time spent cleaning, and way better absorption. I have used every bedding imaginable and hands down the mini flake is the best. I have not had one issue with coughs or eating off of it. I do have mats under the bedding and feed the hay in the corner on the mat (sweep shavings away) but they do drag hay around the stall. I will foal mares out on the large flaked shavings though, but after about a week, I switch to the fine flakes.

 

[LindaL]

Yep, we switched from the regular to fine shavings and I like them way better. Easier to clean stalls IMO. I only use shavings at the back 1/3 of the stall (they are matted) to encourage using ONLY the back of the stall to go potty...MOST of the horses do that, but I do have a few "Messy Marvins"...lol

and I can soak up their pee spots better with the fine shavings.

 

[kaykay]

I hate the fine shavings! Way too dusty for me. We use the large. We did have a new place open right across from TSC and they also have the large and they are only 3.99 a bag (for now anyway lol)

I have to say the mgr at our TSC is very rude and and not at all friendly. Customer service is last at ours. I honestly try not to go to ours anymore. If you even ask for someone to help load your truck (I buy 200 lbs of feed at a time plus shavings etc) they get so mad!

 

[shorthorsemom]

I buy Guardian pelleted bedding. You are supposed to add water to make the pellets swell and turn into pine dust bedding but instead I put two bags down on the bottom of my stable in pellet form. Then I put two whole squares of the pine flakes on top of that. this set up lasts a whole week and I don't have to do much in the stable at all. I only pick out some poo, the pee goes down and sucks into the pellets. Horses say very dry, very clean, very little flys or bugs and the stable does not smell wet.. I know of a couple of other horse people local that do the same thing. At the end of the week I move the top back and use my fork and lift out all the wet stuff and re set the stable up the same way. I used to have pee holes in the stable and my horses had wet hips and poo marks on their bodies. Now they are clean as a whistle and the stable stays great and they love to go in and lounge in the bedding. This is a run in shed, but I bed it because they will go in and lay down in it. If I try to fork it clean there is more waste because as someone else posted, the flakes stick on the small tined fork. This system works best if you just leave it alone and don't try to fork it clean and disturb it all week. I only pick the poos laying right on top.

I really don't like the finer bedding shavings stuff, but I am amused on occasion when my boys look like velcro with all those big flakes stuck to their winter coats. Anyway.. this works well for me, thought I would share.

 

[dianemcc]

I hate the fine shavings! Way too dusty for me. We use the large. We did have a new place open right across from TSC and they also have the large and they are only 3.99 a bag (for now anyway lol)

I have to say the mgr at our TSC is very rude and and not at all friendly. Customer service is last at ours. I honestly try not to go to ours anymore. If you even ask for someone to help load your truck (I buy 200 lbs of feed at a time plus shavings etc) they get so mad!

Kay I have to agree with you on this. Tsc used to be the place that we got all of our feed from and shavings from.. But they have gotten so rude and not helpful anymore that we have stop going to them. I will drive an extra 30 miles to get my feed and shavings

 

[kaykay]

When we lived in Illinois we had a Big R store. I so miss them! They were always so friendly, knew us by name. The manager would always come say hi to us. When we bought large quanities of fencing etc he always gave us a discount. I so miss that store!

 

[leeapachemoon]

I also work for TSC and I suggest to all of you that are unhappy with the service to let someone know! The best way would be to go to Tractor Supply's website and send an e-mail. I'm sure there are people that work there that do care! I would be very upset with my co- workers if they were being rude to customers. I am the Reciever so I don't spend to much time on the sales floor but I try to do the best I can to help customers. The one thing I would have to say as an employee is that the stores are grossly under staffed. Unfortunately, I have no control over that but if enough people said something maybe someone would listen.

 

 

Back to the point of the thread!

I use and love the fine shaving. I also only use them in the back half of the stall as the front half has a mat that they eat off of. I also do not like the big flakes because they do not go through the fork.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Boy lots of different opinions but I am glad to hear that the Fine shavings are safe for the minis. I do very much like you do shorthorsemom, pellets on bottom but lay lots of bigger flakes on top then I just pick off the poops on top. And depending on the horse I also put the shavings on the back 1/2 only.

I guess I will continue to do the same as before but now I will buy the less expensive T.S. shavings. Thanks for all your opinions!

P.S. In the past yr. our tractor supply has changed dramatically concerning customer service. Just a couple months ago I hooked up trailer and went to get 50 cattle panels ( the 16 ft ones ) told hubby that I could do it and figured someone from T.S. would help me load them.Not...I struggled getting the first 10 or so w/plenty of T.S. guys walking around the back lot just watching and not even offering help. Normally Im pretty independant and always think "I can do it myself" but the higher the stack got the harder it got for me. I finally asked someone for help and was told that company policy has changed and they were no longer allowed to help with loading..something to do w/insurance. This guy was awesome and he said he actually felt bad just watching me attempt to load the panels but didnt want his boss to chew him out later. He tottally understood and said that even the employees think its a stupid policy.

Another time getting shaving they were all out of reach and the only shaving available were on a pallet and all shrink wrapped. The person did cut the shrink wrap for me then walked away...what the heck, Im 5'2" and could not pull the top 3 layers of shaving down. Well I climbed up on a new lawn mower and clumbsily threw them off...landing on all the other new mowers. Someone came out and was very upset that I was standing on the new mowers joy stick with tumbling bags of shavings all around. I politely told him what I thought of his joy stick and finished tossing down the shavings...all while he just stood there holding up the side of the building. :arg! They seem to be the cheapest place for getting alot of things I need but it sure makes me want to give my business to the smaller Mom and Pop local stores...maybe pay a little more but at least they still know how impotant customer service is!!

 

[Sandy B]

That is the problem with TS. They are a "chain" store that does not have a whole lot motivation to serve its customers. The smaller mom & pop stores have that motivation as usually the owners are the ones running it and actually care. Plus most of the workers at TS do not have a real clue on what they are selling. They are kids with part time jobs that are in & out of there. I will admit I like going in to those stores to shop around. They do have everything and it is all organized nicely, but the service is not the same and they tend to drive out of business the smaller mom & pop stores.

 

[MindyLee]

WOW!!!

:shocked

I cant believe what Im reading about customer services at your TSC's and it just blows my mind! If we pulled a stunt like that and did'nt offer to help, our boss would have our a**! We take pride in helping our customers and have very high % in the customer loyalty here at our store. I may not be aware of the new rules of not helping load because of insurance reasons, BUT I would do it anyway and our boss would still allow us and expect us to continue doing so. I would email or call the 1-800 # on the bottem of ur reciept and say something. I have to say that out of all the stores in the neighboring towns/counties, we have a heavy customer flow coming through our door cause they love all of us as we treat customers like family, our store is very clean, orginized, stocked, and easy to navaigate. Our services our very good too! We approch every customer and say "hi" and ask if they need help and always offer to help with load outs and getting any thing they need. I know almost every customer's 1st name by heart as well as the rest of our team. The customers mostly know our names too. I love where I work and all the super cool and friendly customers we have. And yes we do get some that we cant always please, BUT they are far and few of them out there.

I'm so sorry for your guy's stores not being like ours and wish you had way better experiances there. BUT I can say that not all of the TSC's are the same even if its a chain store. We care about you and do what it takes to make your shopping experiances the best it can be. I could'nt ask for a funner and better job then working at out TSC!

This is me at work! AND my co-workers Jordan and Katie!

 

[LittleRibbie]

Now I really dislike my T.S....it doesnt even have minis out front like your T.S. does

 

[LindaL]

The TS we go to IS helpful and WILL load our shavings and other heavy stuff if we need it...so, not sure why other's stores saying it is "policy" and having to do with "insurance"...

We go there weekly and almost every employee there knows us and will ask if we need anything.

I will agree, tho, that they are understaffed...

 

[Becky]

Wow! Our Tractor Supply store here in Edmond, OK, is very friendly and very helpful. They load anything I want loaded without question. All I have to do ask and they usually ask me if I need help. I love shopping at my local TSC!

BTW, I like to use the larger flake shavings in my foaling stalls.

 

[shelia]

Our Tracter Supply is very nice and helpful. of course they load anything we need loaded. i can't imagine any store that wouldn't do that!

I am the odd one out on the shavings though. One of our foals had to spend days in ICU being tubed repeatedly and given many enemas because he was completly impacted with those fine shavings. We would surely have lost him. He did have a problem with wanting to eat them. If they lick them they will get a mouthfull. I urge everyone to to be very careful using them. This foal even did the same with bedding straw so it was a little different than just accidental ingestion.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Our TSC is very user friendly too. Never a problem with them at all!

As for the shaving we like the fine ones. I like them especially for the guinea pig cages!

Those little feeties have trouble walking on the big shavings!