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...
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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...
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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?...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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“How Do You Chicken?” Video Contest Winners

by | May 2, 2013

We just concluded a very fun and entertaining video contest entitled "How Do You Chicken?".  I'm happy to announce the three top video winners!   Thank you to everyone who submitted videos.  If you would like to see all the finalists, check them out at...

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2013 Easter Photo Contest Winners!

by | Apr 18, 2013

What an amazing photo contest showcasing some adorable and downright heartwarming photos during this past Easter season. Thank you to everyone who participated by submitting photos and/or rating the photos to determine our winners. Without further delay, here are the...

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Where to Begin?

by | Mar 22, 2013

With so many developments and activities going on at Murray McMurray Hatchery it's hard to know where to begin. Our 2013 season has been going very well!  We feel so blessed to hear the positive feedback from our thousands of customers as they receive their baby...

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It’s County Fair Time!

by | Jul 31, 2012

Congratulations to Seth Terwelp who was highlighted at this year's Illinois Adams County Fair. How is everyone else doing this year at the Fair? http://www.whig.com/story/19156348/payson-teen-shares-passion-for-raising-showing-poultry

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A bit of history…

by | Jul 11, 2012

Was handed a very cool piece of history this morning. From the Grinnell College Newsletter, Vol. 7, 1928, No.5, it reads "Murray McMurray, (class of 1910) of Webster city, recently shipped nine purebred Bourbon Red turkeys to Ozaki brothers poultry farm, Tokyo Japan....

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My Girl Photo Contest Announced!

by | Jul 9, 2012

My Girl Photo Contest Announced! http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/p/mygirl2012 Send in your best/favorite photo of your hen chicken for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate and other great prizes! We want to see our prized girl and give away some great prizes. Send...

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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!

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