McMurray Hatchery Blog
Hatchery News, Updates and Information on Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Other PoultryThe Arrival by Hunter Kemper
Chris called us last week to let us know that our chicks would be arriving – this is great as our kids would all be home for their delivery. The anticipation was great as the boys, especially our oldest son Davis (7 years old), could not wait to meet our new baby...
Preparing a Home by Hunter Kemper
Murray McMurray Hatchery has helped make the preparation for our chickens very easy. Their book: “Chickens in Five Minutes a Day” is awesome! It’s an easy read and tells you everything you need to know about raising chickens. We also got one of their starter kits. ...
Backyard Chicken Farmer – by Hunter Kemper
Backyard Chicken Farmer? If you told me a few months ago that I’d be raising chickens in my backyard, I wouldn’t have believed you. In my backyard? Chickens? It all sounded a little crazy to me until I spoke with Chris Huseman, Director of Marketing from Murray...
Laryngotracheitis by Darrell W. Trampel, D.V.M., PhD.
Laryngotracheitis Darrell W. Trampel, D.V.M., PhD. Iowa State University January 6, 2014 Each year, chicken owners contact me to discuss a serious disease in their chickens characterized by difficult breathing, loud wheezing, and gurgling. Affected chickens...
A Coccidiosis Primer
A Coccidiosis Primer Darrell W. Trampel, D.V.M., PhD. Iowa State University December 26, 2013 Coccidiosis is found wherever chickens are raised. Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by protozoan parasites which belong to the genus Eimeria. Disease occurs...
Pullorum Disease, Poultry, and the NPIP by Dr. Darrell W. Trampel, D.V.M., PhD.
Pullorum Disease, Poultry, and the NPIP Darrell W. Trampel, D.V.M., PhD. Iowa State University December 2, 2013 Development of purebred chickens can be traced back to 1875 when the American Poultry Association (APA) published a book entitled “Standards of...
2013 Fall Photo Contest Winners
Congratulations to our winners of the 2013 Fall Photo Contest!
Poultry: The Gateway Farming Enterprise by Joel Salatin
Note: In his recent book, FIELDS OF FARMERS: INTERNING, MENTORING, PARTNERING, GERMINATING, Joel Salatin describes multi-generational, symbiotic farming opportunities. With the average American farmer nearing 60 years old and half of all farmland slated to change...
DEEP BEDDING ALTERNATIVE FOR CRAMPED SPACES by Joel Salatin
As a passionate advocate of pastured poultry, I have a companion protocol for people who don't have a yard or pasture big enough to accommodate portable shelters. The answer is deep bedding. In general, in a pastured situation, laying hens need a couple of square...
Iowa State Student Chicken Coops
Last week I took a ride down to Ames, Iowa to see the creations of many students from Iowa State University. As reported on KCCI: "Chicken coops designed by new architecture students at Iowa State University are on display. The 20 coops, with names ranging from "The...
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS by Joel Salatin
Today's food and farming system is distinctly segregated. Following the local food tsunami, however, urban and back yard poultry rearing are on the upswing. City poultry ordinances are popping up everywhere, a welcome sign toward self-reliance and better food....
Baked Eggs
There are so many things that Grandparents pass along to us - the many life lessons, the calm gentle suggestions derived from years of experience and the sweet perfections from tried and true experiments in the kitchen. The last category is of course where the baked...
The Perfect Chicken — by Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms shares his vision of the perfect chicken in this article for the McMurray Hatchery blog.
Murray McMurray Hatchery Announces New Specialty Coffee Line of Products
Murray McMurray Hatchery will always, first and foremost, be focused on offering the highest quality of chickens with a heritage of strong blood lines to produce the finest chickens in the world. As in our beginning in 1917, we continue to offer the highest level of...
2013 Summer Photo Contest Winners
Congratulations to our top six winners of this year's Summer Photo Contest Winners!
Shop Day-Old Baby Chicks
Day-old baby chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry now available for the 2026 season!