Four Time Olympic Triathlete, Hunter Kemper, visited with us at the hatchery this past week and we gave him the grand tour! Hunter is helping us spread the message that fresh eggs from your backyard Murray McMurray Hatchery chickens are the ideal source of natural protein. With his recent acquisition of Murray McMurray Hatchery chicks that made him an official backyard chicken owner, it was time to give him a full understanding of our operations.

As soon as he arrived we took him to one of our many flock farms so he could see the

Hunter tours one of our many flock farms.

‘parent flocks’ in action.  He got up close and personal with these chickens, asked them many questions and observed the entertaining chicken behavior.  Hunter picked up his first fresh egg straight out of the nest boxes!

After seeing some of our parent stock, we gave him a quick “Coop Tour” around the area so he could see some of our chickens in their separate homes.  Hunter will be

Hunter viewing some ‘backyard chickens’ around Webster City.

putting his coop together soon for his own chickens so this gave him a good look at what can be done for chicken housing.

After a quick lunch and a tour of Webster City, Iowa, we got Hunter to suit up in his Triathlon gear for a couple of promotional shots.  After we got the chicks out of their dressing room, they looked fabulous and were ready for their session.

One of the first resources we sent Hunter before he got his chicks was our new book,

Hunter does another read of our book, “Chickens in Five Minutes a Day”.

“Chickens in Five Minutes a Day.”  As Hunter said, “The Chickens in Five Minutes a Day book was such a great resource for us to read through.  I couldn’t believe how prepared we were for our chicks after reading the book.  It was a very easy read that was easy to follow and we loved all the illustrations and pictures in it.”

In the photo to the right, Hunter is reading to the chicks and telling them all about what they are going to get from their new families they are going to.  Of course, some chicks were better students than others.  Have you ever tried to keep 50 chicks standing still for a photo with an Olympic Triathlete?

One of the bonuses of having an Olympic athlete in your town is the opportunity to share him with everyone.  While we kept Hunter on a pretty tight and active schedule, he was every bit the perfect ambassador for his sport and country as he spent nearly four hours

Hunter talks to the students in one of two sessions during his visit.

visiting and talking with people.  One of the first stops was at the Webster City Middle School where he visited with the students and talked about the value of Goals and Character.  He helped students devise a plan to work towards achieving their goals and answered many questions from the audience about being an Olympian.

After the school visit, we took Hunter to Fuller Hall Recreation center where we held a “Meet and Greet” for anyone interested in visiting with Hunter.  For more than an hour,

Hunter signing one of many autographs at Fuller Hall Recreation center.

Hunter signed autographs and had many photos taken.  Conversations and questions ranged across many subjects to include the Olympics, chickens, eating fresh eggs, exercising, eating right, dreams, goals and many more.  While it had been a full two days with Hunter already, there was no rest for the weary as we had to get back to the hatchery and watch some chickens hatch!

Hunter takes a few orders on the phone

Once we got back to the hatchery, we gave Hunter the tour again but this time with all the action happening!  For the first stop, we had Hunter take some orders on the phone.  While he might not have known all the answers asked of him, he did a wonderful job of maintaining that excitement of talking to others.  He even got a call from a customer in Florida that lives near Hunter’s home town.  What a small world!  “Hello this is Hunter Kemper, four-time Olympic Triathlete and seven-time US Elite National Triathlete Champion, how can I help you today?”

Hunter watches as our team of sexers separates the males from the females.

Next Hunter got to see a portion of our business that separates the men from the women,

besides the restroom that is.  He visited our team of sexers who’s job it is to identify the chicks as either male or female.  This team has a keen eye for very small details that determine the sex of the chicken.  Some chickens can be feather sexed, some vent sexed while others can be sexed by their color.

Hunter fills an order of chicks

Hunter then proceeded to fill some orders that would be shipped out.  There is a lot that happens quickly once the hatching begins.  Hunter’s quick reflexes and energy served him well as he kept everything moving smoothly and got the chicks into the right boxes.

Within hours of being hatched, our chicks are shipped to destinations all across the United States.  It is amazing how energized the chicks are as they anticipate their new home.  Was your order filled by our Olympic Triathlete?

The Conveyor Luge

Please don’t ride on the conveyor anymore Hunter

With all the hard work that Hunter and our team had

been doing, it was just a matter of time before someone wanted to see if he could do any other Olympic sport.  I guess we could call this the conveyor luge…maybe we’ll keep him in the triathlon event.

And of course when we were just figuring out how to get the top speed out of it, the boss had to shut it down for safety reasons (just kidding).

After the cheering was over and the race was won, we sent off our Olympic athlete to go and preach the good news of chicken ownership to all.  With his chicks at home and his new appreciation for how it all works at Murray McMurray Hatchery, Hunter is ready for his new role as ambassador for Murray McMurray Hatchery.  We had a wonderful time with Hunter Kemper, husband, father, four-time Olympic triathlete and now, proud chicken owner.

Some of the Murray McMurray Hatchery team with Hunter Kemper