McMurray Hatchery Blog
Hatchery News, Updates and Information on Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Other PoultryWhich Chicken Breeds Do You Recommend for Warm Climates?
A recent question from one of our blog readers was: I live in the Deep South and I am wondering which breed of chickens would best tolerate the heat and humidity? I am looking for layers, that produce well year round. For a hot climate, we recommend the Leghorns and...
How Warm Should I Keep my Baby Chicks?
When baby chicks hatch, they need additional warmth. Their body heat alone is not enough to keep them warm. Without additional heat, they can become chilled and stressed, and if it goes too long, they can become ill or die. When a broody hen hatches her eggs, the hen...
How Much Space Do My Chickens Need?
Chickens will be happier and healthier if they are let out during the day to forage. At night, they need protection against predators, so they should be kept in a chicken coop or shelter. The proper size of the coop depends on how many birds you have, what...
Our Best Egg Layers
The breeds listed below are our best egg layers. They lay large eggs, and they lay frequently and consistently. White Egg Layers Pearl White Leghorns - Excellent layers of large, white eggs. They are our most prolific layers and have an excellent feed conversion...
Breaking a Hen of Broodiness
Usually, when one of our hens goes broody, we let her continue to set so that she can hatch and raise chicks. Occasionally, though, a hen will go broody at the wrong time. Maybe we don't have space for her to raise her young, or the weather is too cold and damp. If...
10 of Our Most Popular Blog Posts from January – June 2011
Here are 10 of our most popular posts and article series from the first half of this year. 1. How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock (series) Adding new chickens to your existing flock can cause a lot of pecking and harm to the new chickens. This series of...
17 Things to Consider when Planning your next Chicken Coop
Ventilation Easy to clean Clean, dark nesting area for layers Easy access to nesting area Coop size Heating Cooling Aesthetically acceptable Dropping board Easy to move Floor type - open to the ground, or closed? Protection against decay Sufficient predator protection...
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 52
[scg_html_home_flock] Our chickens are about eight weeks old. Most of their adult feathers have grown in. The chickens appear to be about one third the size that they will reach as adults. They are about the size of bantams. Distinguishing Males and Females...
How to Introduce New Chickens into Your Flock, Questions and Answers
[scg_html_flock_integration_series] 1. How old should the chickens be when I introduce them into the main flock? We recommend that you wait until the new chickens are nearly the same size as the mature chickens in your existing flock. Install a temporary partition in...
How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, part 3
[scg_html_flock_integration_series] Below are some tips to make it as painless as possible to introduce new chickens to your existing flock. With these tips, you may still see some aggression, but hopefully it will be minimal. Side by Side Temporarily install a...
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 34
Our chickens are about 5 weeks old now. They are growing and developing well in the chicken tractor…. This article also tells a little about the chicken’s crop and digestive tract.
How many Chickens are in your Flock?
Take our poll on Facebook and find out how many chickens people have in their flocks. The poll asks how many chickens are in your flock and shows the results of how others have answered the question. To participate and view the results, click the link below Flock...
How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, part 2
[scg_html_flock_integration_series] Disease and Parasites When you introduce new chickens to your flock, you run the risk of also introducing new diseases or parasites to your flock. If you take your chickens to poultry shows, then you run that same risk when you...
Snakes in the Coop
We were doing the chores late last night. We have two calves that we are bottle feeding until they attach fully to the nurse cow. After the bottle feeding we stopped by to get the eggs. There were hens nesting in each of the 4 egg nests. Continuing our conversation on...
How to Introduce New Chickens into your Flock, part 1
[scg_html_flock_integration_series] If you've ever raised chicks then later added them to an existing flock of mature chickens, then you know that it is often an unpleasant experience. The older chickens peck the newcomers hard. They chase them, and they try to keep...
Shop Day-Old Baby Chicks
Day-old baby chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry now available for the 2026 season!