McMurray Hatchery Blog

Hatchery News, Updates and Information on Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Other Poultry

The Pros and Cons of Keeping a Rooster With Gail Damerow

Whether or not to keep a rooster in the flock can be a challenging decision for first-time chicken owners. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her to discuss the pros and cons of keeping a rooster. What is...

How to Brood Guinea Keets With Gail Damerow

Most poultry keepers know how to raise chicks in a brooder. But brooding guinea keets is a little different from brooding chicks. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her to explain how to brood guinea...

Coffee With The Chicken Ladies Breed Spotlight: Houdans

The quirky and beautiful Houdan is the kind of bird that the Chicken Ladies love. From their exuberant crest to their striking mottled feathers, you don’t have to be Cruella DeVil to appreciate how gorgeous these black and white chickens are. And their personalities?...

Are Autosexing Chickens and Sex Link Chickens the Same? Gail Damerow Explains

The terms "autosex chickens" and "sex link chickens" are often used mistakenly used interchangeably. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her to explain the difference between autosex chickens and sex link...

2025 APA Certified Breeds

As part of our ongoing commitment to Standard bred poultry and preserving Heritage breeds, we are excited to share that  we have expanded our number of APA Certified flocks for the third year in a row. This season, certification has been renewed for our Buff,...

Five Reasons I Love Keeping Ducks

My love of ducks started with my stomach. As a young girl, I vividly remember my dad, grandpa, and uncles coming home with colorful mallards hanging upside down in their hands. We’d fry up the hearts and livers in butter right away, and a few days later, we’d enjoy a...

When and Why Would You Need to Replace Your Poultry Flock

Raising poultry, whether a backyard flock or free-range birds on a homestead or farm, does come with the fact that the flock will need to be freshened at some point. Of course, when new hens are brought on is determined based on your needs. As a small family farm that...

Coffee with the Chicken Ladies Breed Spotlight: Cochins

Cochins are the OG fancy chicken. They originated in China and were further developed in the UK and US, gradually becoming the gorgeous, super fluffy, feather-footed beauties that we know and love today. They’re foundation breeds for so many chicken breeds and color...

Ringing in Our 107th Hatching Season

One of my favorite book series is coming out with a new title. It has been quite some time since I’ve read these books, so I get to re-read them now and catch back up. These days, I find that I’m re-reading more books than I’m reading new ones. I might know the...

Gail Damerow Discusses Winter Health Considerations for Chickens

Cold stress in winter can affect a flock’s health. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we query her regarding winter health considerations for chickens. What is cold stress? "Cold stress occurs when a chicken...

Starting Our 2019 Flock (Video)

Each year, when Summer turns to Fall, our team at McMurray Hatchery begins the annual process to hatch and raise our breeder flock for the following season. We hatch and ship day-old, baby chicks from January through October each year. It takes between 18 and 22 weeks...

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Gail Damerow Discusses Prolapse and Egg Binding in Laying Hens

Gail Damerow Discusses Prolapse and Egg Binding in Laying Hens

Raising and keeping a flock of laying hens can be very rewarding , but, when complications arise such as prolapse or an egg-bound hen, it can be stressful for both the hen and their owner. In the second article in our series with poultry expert and best-selling author, Gail Damerow, we ask her about these two topics.

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McMurray Hatchery Live with Tom Watkins

McMurray Hatchery Live with Tom Watkins

In our first episode of McMurray Hatchery Live, our Vice President Tom Watkins shows viewers around during a typical Hatch Day. Tom shows us around our shipping room, hand-packs a baby chick order, answers viewer questions and gets a visit from his family....

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Photo Contest: Spring is in the Air, 2018

Photo Contest: Spring is in the Air, 2018

Warmer weather is finally here and it's time for our 2nd annual Spring is in the Air photo contest! We want to see how your flock is spending its Spring days. Now through May 23rd, enter photos of your Spring chickens. Send us photos of your baby chicks, fresh eggs,...

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Shop Day-Old Baby Chicks

Day-old baby chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry now available for the 2025 season — always with FREE SHIPPING on all full orders of baby birds!