It’s a new year and a new decade. At McMurray Hatchery, we’re excited for 2020 — our 103rd year! Our team has been hard at work planning and getting ready for this year’s hatch season. Our first hatch of the year is just three weeks away, and the eggs are trayed up and ready to go into the incubators next week. Before you know it, the Hatchery will be ringing with the chirping sounds of baby chicks.

We’re kicking of the new year, and new decade, with several exciting new offerings.  We’ve added several new breeds, new chick assortments, and a new low 6 chick minimum!

McMurray Hatchery New 6 Chick Minimum Order
Many of our customers are backyard flock owners living in urban areas with restrictions on the number of chickens they are allowed to keep. By popular request, and for the first time ever, we have reduced our minimum to just six for select breeds of standard-sized chicks. When shopping for breeds on McMurrayHatchery.com, look for the 6-ship icon. The icon appears on all breeds that are eligible for low minimum orders. Bantams and some rare breeds do not qualify. We offer free shipping on all baby chicks, however please note there is a $35 small order fee on all shipped orders of 6-14 chicks.

NEW BREEDS FOR 2020

For over a century, McMurray Hatchery has offered the widest variety of rare, exotic, and Bantam breeds of chickens, other poultry and fowl. Continuing that tradition, we are kicking off he new decade with the addition of the chicken and duck breeds shown below. Our new layer breeds will add color to any flock — in both eggs and feathering. Our new broiler lines offer a choice for customers living in higher altitudes, or those looking for a more traditional Heritage option. And last but not least, our new duck breeds are two of the most requested by our customers.

McMurray Hatchery | Blue Sapphire Rock Chicken
BLUE SAPPHIRE ROCK

Our new Blue Sapphire Rock is a popular hybrid cross that produces a blue bird. There will be some barring on the males. These birds retain the temperament and disposition of a Plymouth Rock, and hens lay beautiful brown eggs.

McMurray Hatchery | White Sapphire Chicken
WHITE SAPPHIRE

Our new White Sapphire hybrid cross is a crested, blue egg-laying machine. Adult hens will be white with a crest, and may have flecks or markings as shown. Up your blue egg quantity and add some of these birds to your order.

McMurray Hatchery | French White Marans
FRENCH WHITE MARANS

French White Marans have bright red combs and wattles against snow white feathers that run from tip to toe. These hens lay the same dark brown eggs as the French Black Copper Marans — the darkest eggs of all the breeds we carry.

McMurray Hatchery | Lavender Orpingtons
LAVENDER ORPINGTON

Lavender Orpingtons — also called self-blue — are truly stunning. This popular chicken breed is a new spin on the classic Orpington with a new color. This is one of the most breathtaking and friendly breeds we have had the pleasure of raising.

McMurray Hatchery | Feather Footed Females Chick Assortment
FEATHER FOOTED FEMALES

Feather Footed Females is a NEW all-female chick assortment from McMurray Hatchery — requested by our customers. Now you can get order a mix of our our feather-legged chicken breeds in an all pullet assortment, perfect for those who can’t have roosters. Includes our choice of Brahmas, Cochins, Faverolles and Langshan female baby chicks.

McMurray Hatchery | Rock and the Blues Chick Assortment
ROCK AND THE BLUES

Murray’s Rock and the Blues Special is an all-female chick assortment which includes a variety of our Plymouth Rocks and Whiting True Blues. These hardy and productive layers will fill your egg baskets with a beautiful mix of brown and blue eggs. Plymouth Rocks varieties include our best-selling Barred Rocks, and our Buff, Partridge and White Rocks. These brown egg layers are a sturdy, heavy and hardy breed. Whiting True Blues lay a consistently blue egg and are excellent layers.

McMurray Hatchery | Silver Appleyard Ducks
SILVER APPLEYARD

The Silver Appleyard duck is one of the best egg laying duck breeds, and one of the best tasting. These large ducks are very active and have good temperaments. This waterfowl breed is an exciting new addition for us at McMurray Hatchery.

McMurray Hatchery | Saxony Ducks
SAXONY

The Saxony Duck is a unique waterfowl breed. Thes ducks are very large, excellent dual-purpose fowl — second only to the Pekin. They have a light-colored undercoat of feathers making them an excellent meat bird, are active foragers and also very gentle. In recent years they have become popular for exhibition.

SHOP BY EGG COLOR AND MORE!

Do you dream of having a full rainbow in your basket of fresh eggs? Looking for that deep, dark, chocolate colored egg layer? Or wanting to add some green eggs to your collection of blues and browns? Now it’s easier than ever to shop chicken breeds by egg color at McMurray Hatchery! Our newly redesigned chicks page now includes filters to sort breeds by egg color, egg production, rare breed, color/weather hardiness, best sellers and more. Take a few minutes to visit our chicks page and try it out for yourself. You may just discover new breeds to add to your list!

Don’t forget to request a FREE copy of our 2020 catalog. This year’s catalog is 108 pages of full-color images of each breed we carry — many of which show various ages and stages of growth. The highlight of this year’s catalog is a full-color spread showing a beautiful roulette of various colored eggs — one from each of the standard-sized chicken breeds we carry. Each egg is labeled with a key indicating the page where that particular breed is located. Spend a few minutes and check out the variety — you won’t believe how many different shades of brown eggs there are, or how many sizes of white eggs! Many of our customers use each year’s catalog to plan their flock orders, while others use it as a nice reference of poultry breeds.