McMurray Hatchery Blog
Hatchery News, Updates and Information on Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Other Poultry17 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...
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 23
Moving the chicks from the brooder into the chicken tractor.
Photo gallery.
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 17
Cleaning out the brooder. Foraging in the yard. Friendly Americana. Photos.
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 9
Brooder temperature. Chicks sparring. Wing and tail feather development. Foraging in the yard. Feeders. The free rare/exotic chick. Photos.
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 4
Chick grit – making it from grower grit. Overcoming problems with pasting up. Photos.
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 3
Moving the chicks outdoors to a larger brooder. Description of the new brooder. Quick Chick supplement. Photos.
Raising Chickens for Our Home Flock, Day 1
The arrival of the baby chicks at the post office. Basic chick care for the first day.
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Day-old baby chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry now available for the 2026 season!