1st Place

2nd place

3rd place

4th Place

5th Place

6th Place

Photos should give viewers the initial reactions of “oooohhh how sweet!”, “wow that’s cool!”, “how adorable!”, “look how pretty that is!”, “that is so funny!” and the like. Get your pictures ready to send in. The contest begins on March 14th.  You can register and upload your photos at the following link:   http://www.photo-contest.us/kawc2012.  The contest ends on March 31st. We can’t wait to see your photos!

Oh yeah, there’s prizes too!  First place gets a $100 coupon gift certificate to Murray McMurray Hatchery! 2nd place gets a $50 gift certificate, 3rd place gets a $25 gift certificate.  4th through 6th places each receive a $15 gift certificate…

You will be voting for a winner as well.  Get your friends, family, and fellow chicken and fowl lovers to register and vote for your photo!

Complete rules, prizes and more can be read here:  http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2012_photo_contest_rules.html

Integrating new chickens into an established flock can be problematic.  This series of past articles covers the basics of introducing new chickens into your flock as painlessly as possible.

1. The first article in this series gives the background information and tells about pecking order. An understanding of pecking order is important to understanding the problems inherent in in adding new birds to your flock. To read it, visit:

How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, Part 1

2. The second article discusses how to use quarantine to protect against introducing diseases and parasites when you introduce new chickens into your flock. To read it, visit:

How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, Part 2

3. The third article gives tips and guidelines on how to introduce new chickens into your flock. To read it, visit:

How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, Part 3

4. The final article answers some of the common questions regarding how to integrate new chickens into your flock. To read it, visit:

The answer is “Yes”.  (I realize that I just lost most of my male readers as that answer was sufficient enough for them so ladies I will expand on that.)

Proper shipping of the chicks starts with our live chick shipping boxes.  You can watch a full explanation on our shipping boxes at our YouTube channel. Click here for the direct link to that particular video.   In short, each week we review the weather across the country and adjust the characteristics of the shipping box.  For example, we can restrict or increase the amount of air flow to allow through the box, we add or take out insulation liners, we include a sheared pine pad in the boxes and we can add or take out an insulating styrofoam bottom.  Each week, we decide what will be best for the chicks and adjust the box contents accordingly.

Newborn chicks have their initial feathering but it isn’t a lot.  The chick, by itself, will have little self resources to keep itself warm.  As such, you will most likely see your chicks huddled together with each other.  They do this as a means to “share” body heat and keep each other warm.  We have found that 25 chicks provides the optimal body heat that the chicks can share with each other and thrive.  When you receive your box of chicks, you can rest assure that the most appropriate sized box was chosen for your specific order.  Based on the number of chicks you ordered, we will even adjust the box’s internal dimensions to ensure the chicks are nice and snug, yet comfortable, while in route.  To give them that great start, we always include “Grow Gel Plus” in the box.  This nutritious supplement provides immediate hydration among other needed nutrients.

Chicks will be in transit anywhere from one to two days, depending on where they are heading.  Each week, we are in contact with the postal service to identify what flight options are available and ensure that we are using the quickest routes. Bud acts as the chicks’ personal travel agent as he continually dialogues with the trucks, planes, and drivers that will get your chicks to you.  If you have chicks arriving, I highly suggest you contact the post office and let them know you are expecting them.  This gives the postal service an opportunity to plan for the chicks arrival.  If possible, I also highly suggest you pick up the chicks as early as you possibly can.  When the chicks get to you, they will most likely be thirsty and a little tired from their travel; the sooner you get them, the sooner you can ensure they stay hydrated and fed.  In some instances, you can pick up your chicks from a postal service processing center which will also help you get the chicks quicker.  In colder temperatures, the quicker you get the chicks, the less of an opportunity for the chicks to be exposed to the colder temperatures.

Okay, so far, the shipping of chicks in cold temperatures has not been a problem.  Healthy chicks, proper packaging and a smiling postal worker; all good. Now let’s look at when the chicks come home.

Analyzing the environment the chicks will come home to will give you an idea of what you might need to change.  When the chicks are delivered to you, they will require a small area, perhaps a 3ft x 3ft area, that is well heated.  As they get older, you will need to gradually increase their space.  If you do not have a place that you will be able to keep the necessary heat on the chicks, I would suggest you wait to order chicks closer in the Spring or Summer.  Barns with no electricity or keeping the chicks in an unheated garage, during the winter months, is not a good idea.  The chicks will need to be under a heat temperature of around 95 degrees or so; a heat lamp will be a must.  Keep in mind, this isn’t going to be for a day or two.  The chicks will require a heated shelter for several weeks if not longer as they grow.

As mentioned above, if you have the proper environment, you can order, receive and raise healthy, lively chicks in the colder months.  If you do not have the ideal inside environment to provide the necessary heat, I would simply wait until the warmer months get here. Of course, you can always place your order today and choose a ship date for later in the year.

One of the dilemnas posed to me on Facebook was the customer didn’t want to order in the colder temperatures but also wanted eggs from the hen as soon as she could.  Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a solution.  Hens are going to start laying eggs once they are four or five months of age.  I think if I shared her concerns, I would wait until April or May and prepare to start receiving eggs in August or September.  This would allow for the chicks to grow in the warmer months with little worry of it being too cold; by the time Winter would roll in, the chicks would now be grown chickens.

We continue to send thousands of chicks each month of the year, to all parts of the United States and beyond.  Be aware of the climate the chicks will be introduced to and, with proper care, you shouldn’t need to worry about the weather.

1.  The eggs are brought to the shipping department in standard egg cartons.  The internal portion of the carton, with eggs intact, is filled with a packing material that provides a cushion between the eggs.

2.  Eggs and carton are completely filled with packing material so the eggs do not move around or shake.  The lid of the carton is closed and then taped shut.

3. Next the carton in placed into a shipping box.  The shipping box used for eggs is prepared with a thick styrofoam lining on all sides as well as on the top and bottom of the shipping box.

4.  More packing material is added to provide extra cushion between the eggs, nestled tightly inside the carton, and the exterior of the shipping package.  The styrofoam top put in place and the exterior shipping box is taped close.

5. The shipping package is taped shut.  Labels indicating a “Rush” delivery and “Fragile” contents are applied, along with a shipping label.

We take great pride in the extra precautions and care to detail in shipping eggs to you.  As you can appreciate, the packaging style we chose allows us to ship eggs to all parts of the United States, in all weather conditions.  If you have received baby chicks from us before and want to try something new, try hatching your own chicks from our eggs.  As always, we have incubators and the materials you will need.  It is a fun and exciting adventure!

If you would like to see a quick video on how we pack eggs for shipping, check it out on our YouTube site:  http://youtu.be/P-g5utAorfY

It was a beautiful morning in Iowa, the sun was bright and the sky was a clear blue that offered a long view of the flat landscape.  Even though it was the end of January, the day’s high temperature was to be a welcomed 55 degrees.  Our drive in the Jeep this morning took us through wind turbine farms that decorated the empty corn and bean fields.  Being the new guy in the operation, I took advantage of the opportunity to tap into the mind of a veteran chicken expert like Kent and started with my rampage of questions.  As I looked over the back of the Jeep, I noticed several sets of coveralls, masks, boots, and plastic bags.  Naturally, my first question was, “Kent, what are we getting into today?”  It would soon be evident that I might want to leave my coffee in the Jeep while we conducted our work.

We would visit five different farms today, each unique in their set-up yet similar in their country lifestyles that showcased the results of dedication and hard-work.  Tractors were present in the backdrop of the properties, along with the occasional tree house and tire swing.  For most, raising chickens was a family affair that required all hands on deck especially during the planting and harvest seasons.  While the welcomed arms greeted us onto each property, the casualness of the pleasantries and conversations could not be confused with the high attention to detail that our particular work visit required this day.

I slipped on my plastic boot covers, zipped up the full body coveralls and put on my mask.  I felt like I was back in chemistry class but the absence of Mrs. Deters’ panicky “What did you do?” followed by a ringing of a fire alarm assured me this would be a safer adventure.  We were about to conduct a little experiment – one that Kent routinely does throughout the year, at each farm, as a proactive measure to ensure our chicks have the best health, even before they are born.

Upon entering each building, Kent took out two slip-on nylon booties and put them over his plastic boots.  He then walked around inside each chicken coop making sure he covered the area well in his path.  The chickens’ excitement to see Kent was obvious as they ran around the coop, circling him, some flying to the other side.  It reminded me of when I come home from work and seeing my children running excitedly around the room yelling “Daddy’s home, daddy’s home!”

As we walked through the coop and collected the remnants of the coop on the booties, Kent closely inspected the environment.  He reviewed the nesting boxes, the roosts and of course the chickens.  Kent would pick up a chicken and intricately review him looking at his feathers, his feet, beak and more.  After the inspections, we exited the coops.  Kent removed each bootie, placed them in their respective Ziploc bag and marked each with the designation of what coop, what building and what farm it was collected from.

We exited the barn and headed back to the Jeep.  Coveralls were removed and placed into a trash bag.  Next, the mask and booties were removed and placed into a separate trash bag to be discarded.  As we drove out of the farm and onto the road, Kent stopped the Jeep – there was one more thing to do.  He got out a canister of disinfectant and sprayed the jeep’s tires and undercarriage to remove any remnants of the previous farm.

Again, the natural question arose, “Kent, what’s the deal with changing clothes, boots and spraying disinfectant every time?”

The proactive measures are all part of a plan to ensure the baby chicks are born healthy.  Kent makes several trips a year to inspect the farms for salmonella and other harmful poultry diseases.  Murray McMurray Hatchery participates in the National Poultry Improvement Plan of the US Department of Agriculture program and we operate under the inspection of the Iowa Department of Agriculture.  We have made major investments in our flocks and our flock managers to ensure your baby chicks have the very best start, even before they are born.  At the end of the day, the booties that Kent wears into each coop are sent off to Iowa State University, where they are tested for a wide range of poultry disease evidence.

While this may sound like a lot of technical hoopla, it really is a wonderful way to be proactive in flock management and relates to some common precautions that you can easily integrate into your flock management as well.   In fact, page 6 of the Murray McMurray Hatchery 2012 catalog offers a wealth of information on healthy chicken management habits. 

Risk factors of transferring disease increase significantly when you travel from one farm to another, or from one chicken owner’s house to another.  Car tires, tractor tires and garden tools, if not disinfected, can transfer disease as well.  The overall idea is to ensure your boots, clothes, tires, tools, or cages are cleaned well and disinfected if they travel from one coop to another.

Think of each person’s farm or chicken coop area as a large piece of white carpet.  You wouldn’t walk on your neighbor’s white carpet without first cleaning your shoes, or taking them off entirely, right?

Similarly, you wouldn’t want to bring a disease from your flock to your neighbor’s flock.  The way to ensure this doesn’t happen is proper maintenance of your attire, tools, etc., or best yet, have a designate pair of boots and clothes to use when managing your pens or coops and limit the exposure of those items to within your barn, shed or garage.  Doing such will help drastically reduce the opportunity for disease to be transferred.

Murray McMurray Hatchery takes great pride in the baby chicks we can offer our thousands of customers.  It was wonderful to see the roots of these chicks and know, even before they are born, that they have been thought about and cared for, through the proper raising and nutrition of their mom and pop.

 With chicks fully alert and ready to meet their new homes, it was time to assemble the team quickly.   You could feel the excitement in the air!  New chicks were just born and the team comprised of veterans and rookies were anxious to prepare the chicks for a safe delivery.  Bud began the evening with a word of encouragement and thanks to everyone present.  He reminded us that we were about to make a lot of people very happy.  It felt like Christmas in a way, wrapping a highly anticipated gift and knowing that the recipient was going to love it!  Bud reminded us that while we needed to work quickly, these precious animals needed to be handled with the utmost care and respect.  While everyone was already on board, it was great to hear the head of the company set the priority for the caring of these new lives.

So how do you fill nearly 2000 orders comprised of 25 chicks or more, of various breeds, in each order?  Very carefully.  Murray McMurray Hatchery has been filling baby chicken orders since 1917.  To say they have it down to a science is an understatement.  A science, with a little bit of luck.  You have to keep in mind, orders are filled while hatching continues to happen!  What we have to fill orders with solely depends on how well the eggs hatch.  Each chick type is categorized, each order is separately printed, each worker has an access badge that allows them to take out each chick type they need, etc.  Each box has a couple of scoops of grow gel that is filled with vitamins and electrolytes to ensure the chicks don’t go hungry as well.  And when there is a question, veteran employees are quick to help as they are working side by side with the rookies to ensure each order is accurately filled.      It is a process that is extremely unique and perplexing at the same time.  Thanks to some very knowledgeable computer programmers, dedicated management and caring employees, all orders are filled quickly, efficiently and accurately.  At the helm of the hatch is Kent, a long time employee of Murray McMurray Hatchery.  Kent oversees the newly hatched eggs, enters the inventory levels, marks what orders can be filled, and keeps the general process flowing.  In the midst of what can become a very stressful ordeal, Kent maintains his energy and smile, knowing what this night is all about – happy customers and healthy chicks.  Quality controls are set in place to visually verify each order filled and then it’s off to one of the six possible trucks.  Most chicks will catch a plane, catch a nap at a local post office overnight, and then be welcomed with smiling faces at your home.    

These are no ordinary boxes that we trust with our baby chicks.  To learn more about the design of the box and the many components of it, visit our YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPqC2AMmKJU

 The entire process has been an overwhelming learning experience.  With the sound of trucks pulling away and the chirping fading away into the night, I find myself sitting on a lowly stool and realize it’s the first time I sat down during the night.  My first order that I filled was headed to Louisiana.  The next one was to Illinois.  The next one to Michigan.  We sent baby chicks out all across the United States, some into US border crossings for our Canadian customers and one even to Hawaii.  I’ll never forget that first baby chick that I saw being born.  Holding new baby chicks is one of the best things ever to experience, but nothing is better than handing them over to their new family.

My daughter loves chickens.  For the longest time, she would keep saying, “I just want chickens!”  We (my bride and I) thought this was a really cute dream.  We could easily imagine her going out to the coop and talking to the chicks, picking up the eggs, and so on.  My daughter giggles just thinking about chickens and tries to muster through her laughter to say, “They are just so cute and feathery.”  She’s seven and it’s adorable to hear her giggle.

One of the problems with her getting chickens was that she was born into a ‘know-absolutely-nothing’ family when it comes to chickens.  We don’t live on a farm (YET!), I don’t think the neighbors would want to look at a big coop, how do we keep predators away, what would the dog do, I envisioned a mess of an area, etc., etc.  All these “what if” type of concerns came rushing through my mind.  “Someday honey, you can have chickens” we promised to her.  We were willing to learn more about them, no problem.  We will do that – someday.  Have you ever noticed how kids’ dreams and wishes come true despite what our “adult” reasoning and rational might lead us to think otherwise?  Sure enough, she would get her dream before we knew it.

My passion has always been in the marketing field – not one of those telemarketers, or pushy sales people, no, a true marketer.  I love discovering the needs and wants of people through researching and talking with them and being able to create a relationship with them and the product/service they need.  One entity or product type that I have not been involved with….is the chicken.  To say the least, she was out of her mind with excitement when I told her that daddy was going to go work for a place that helps people, just like her, who love chickens.  This place of chicken heaven where poultry passion is at an all time high resides in the sleepy little town of Webster City, Iowa. It is there my journey began with being welcomed to the team at Murray McMurray Hatchery.  While Iowa may be known for the birthplace of Field of Dreams, among other things, the World’s Rare Breed Poultry Headquarters is just down highway 20 from that infamous baseball field.  Though not in the form of baseball, from amongst the corn a new dream would now be realized and a lifestyle of which we embraced is now taking flight.

One of the things that I immediately discovered in my research into chickens is that there is a whole community of chicken lovers that I never knew existed.  I would venture to say there are more of your people (chickens lovers) than you might even know!  Now, please welcome the Huseman family into your wide world of feather loving friends.  In my short time at Murray McMurray Hatchery, I have to tell you that I am getting completely giddy learning more and more about chickens.  It has been amazing and energizing reading customer posts, hearing stories and learning more and more about the wide variety of chicks (and other birds) that my company offers!

Learning something new is exciting and frustrating at the same time.  The more I read and discover the more I want to know.  To have to ask a question about every new discovery can be a bit frustrating.  My friends at Murray McMurray Hatchery are amazing individuals.  I have never met a group of people who are so self-less and ready to help a novice, like me.  I have asked the dumbest questions, I know, but each time they empathetically explain the why’s, how’s, do’s, don’ts and because’s.  There are a wealth of individuals who have worked here for well over 20 years.  They don’t just show up to work, they live and breathe chickens and the related life-style, each with unique preferences of their favorite breed.  It is a refreshing atmosphere – and I haven’t even experienced the first hatch yet!

My first resource to peruse was the Murray McMurray Hatchery 2012 catalog.  What a wealth of information!  I learned all the varieties of chicks, rare birds and products we offer.  In addition, if you know nothing about chicks, all you have to do is read the first four pages and you will start walking a lot taller in your knowledge.  These guys have obviously answered a lot of questions before and now are translating that information into the catalog.  If the catalog isn’t enough, you can see a wealth of FAQ’s, How-to-Videos, and more on the www.mcmurrayhatchery.com website.  Further, for anyone who would rather get an even more first hand experience, we have more than a dozen operators waiting to answer your phone call at 800-456-3280.  “Operators” really isn’t a good term to use for these chicken pro’s – this group of individuals consists of the most knowledgeable, friendly people I have experienced.  The cool thing is that they are “real” people – pictures of their family, friends, and chicken drawings they have received dawn their desks.  Each call is treated as an opportunity to help another chicken lover!

I have settled in well to the new environment and things are starting to become much clearer than before.  Those doubts and concerns that I initially had have been quickly pecked and scratched out of my mind.  With the wealth of books, coop plans, how-to-videos and other resources available, I am confident I, as well as you, whether you live on a farm, acreage or in town, can own chickens and be very happy with the experience!  I can’t wait for the first hatch and hear those first new chirps of life!  Now, of course, as I continue to look through the catalog with my daughter and review the mass variety of chicks that are offered, the million dollar question looms with her asking, “Daddy, what chickens are we going to start with?”  Needless to say, your suggestions are more than welcomed….

My daughter and I searching through the mass variety of rare breed poultry in the Murray McMurray Hatchery 2012 catalog (Photo by Emily Huseman)

Excited about chickens,

Chris

There are two distinct species of peafowl, then Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) and the Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus).  These two species can interbreed in captivity to produce the Spalding, or Spaulding, variety.  A third species of peafowl of a different genus also exists, the Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis).  Little is known about the Congo Peafowl.

There are many different color variations of peafowl and color patterns within those variations.

When raising Peafowl chicks, you should keep them in a brooder for the first month.  The temperature in the brooder should be kept at 95 deg. F for the first week, then reduced by 5 deg. F per week until supplemental heating is no longer necessary.  Peafowl begin to fly well even at a few weeks of age, so if you use a homemade brooder, a mesh lid is a good idea.

For the first 30 days, they need a game bird feed with 28-30% protein content. In addition to the feed, they should be given access to green material such as cabbage or chopped lettuce. They should also always have access to fresh water.

Photo by Barbara DuVall

When selecting a broody hen, you want a hen that will be a good setter and a good mother.  Our Facebook fans helped us come up with these lists of desirable traits and behaviors.

A hen with good brooding, or setting traits …

• is protective of her nest and eggs,
• is not easily discouraged from setting,
• and will not quit the nest before the eggs hatch.

A hen with good mothering traits …

• knows where her chicks are at all times,
• teaches them to forage and dust bathe,
• protects her chicks against predators,
• is attentive to her chicks,
• nurtures her chicks,
• teaches her chicks to eat,
• will accept and care for chicks that she did not hatch,
• and protects her chicks from the rest of the flock.

What Are Your Thoughts?

What are the traits, instincts, or behaviors that you most look for in a good broody hen? And in a mother hen?  Which breeds have you found to be the best setters? And the best mothers?