PICTURED ABOVE: McMurray Hatchery President and Owner, Bud Wood, in our recently restored 1940 Dodge truck that was used by the Hatchery in the 1940s and 1950s.
McMurray Hatchery is a family-owned business that has been serving generations of poultry owners for over a century. Many are surprised to learn that while we ship over 1.5 million birds annually, we operate with a small, mostly seasonal staff. Our dedicated team carefully hand-packs each order of baby chicks and mails them with care. Want to know who packed your order? Just check the box label when your chicks arrive!
In our new ‘Meet Our Team’ blog series, we’ll introduce you to a few of our McMurray Hatchery team members. Kicking off this new series, is a short Q&A with our President and Owner, Bud Wood.
How many years have you worked at McMurray Hatchery? I have worked for the Hatchery for fourteen years as a consultant, and eighteen years as a partner.
What position(s) have you held at the company? As a consultant, I developed software for the company. In 2001, I came in as manager and part-owner. In 2012 my partners retired.
Have other family members worked at McMurray Hatchery? Yes. My son Alex, daughters Katherine and Ashley, and my son-in-law Tom.
What is your favorite breed? For eggs, it would be the Red Star. I also like the new Bielefelder (coming soon).
What is your favorite poultry accessory? My favorite is the pluckers. They take all the work out of processing chickens.
What is your favorite thing about working at McMurray Hatchery? The people and the family atmosphere.
If you had one tip for new poultry owners what would it be? Be prepared for your chicks to arrive, and enjoy.
What is your favorite egg, chicken, or turkey recipe? It is my own recipe, I call it green eggs (recipe below).
Bud Wood’s Green Eggs
1 TBSP olive oil in small skillet.
Add a hand full of fresh spinach to skillet.
Add garlic salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook until spinach is wilted.
Crack an egg on top of spinach.
Sprinkle Feta cheese on top.
Add 2 TBSP water.
Cover and steam egg until done to your liking.
— I add other spices such as a Mediterranean blend. I have also added sweet pepper, onion and a splash of vinegar to the spinach.
