McMurray Hatchery Blog

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

Pecking Order in Chickens with Gail Damerow

Many beginning flock keepers are surprised and dismayed when they discover that chickens peck each other while establishing their social hierarchy. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her to explain the...
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What to Expect When Raising Turkeys

One of the most common reasons people raise turkeys is to provide a holiday centerpiece or a nutritious source of meat for the freezer, but there is so much more to turkeys than simply providing a meal. Turkeys are incredibly charismatic birds that are enjoyable to...
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Using Broody Hens With Gail Damerow

One way to increase your backyard chicken flock is by using broody hens. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask her about using broody hens to hatch and raise baby chicks.  What are the advantages of using...
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Top Tips for New Chicken Keepers with Gail Damerow

Every chicken keeper has a list of “things I wish I’d known” before getting those first chickens. Continuing our interview series with Gail Damerow, poultry expert and best-selling author, we ask for her top tips for new chicken keepers.  What is your top tip for...
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Raising Turkeys for Beginners with Stacy Benjamin of 5R Farm

Raising baby turkeys, also called poults, can feel intimidating for beginners. There are a few important differences to be aware of when raising turkey poults as compared to raising chicks. Heritage turkeys are very healthy and hardy as adults, but perhaps...
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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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Dominiques

by | Jan 6, 2011

History Dominiques are one of America's oldest chicken breeds. They were originally brought here from England and were common on American farms up through the 1800s. Qualities of the Dominique If you're looking for a sustainable breed of chicken, and particularly if...

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Favorite Poultry Articles of 2010

by | Dec 30, 2010

How to Keep Your Chickens Safe, Part 1 and Part 2 by Bud Wood, McMurray Hatchery president.  These posts give some important and useful tips and ideas on how to protect your chickens from predators. The Self-Perpetuating Flock - an interview with someone who worked...

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Keeping the Chicken Water from Freezing

by | Dec 15, 2010

In cold weather, it can be difficult to keep your chickens' water from freezing.  Here are a few solutions: Store the waterers in a heated area overnight then bring them back out to the chicken coop or chicken pen each morning.  Some people  keep two sets of waterers...

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Baby Chick Videos

by | Dec 8, 2010

We have made a series of short videos that show many of the breeds of baby chicks that we offer on our website.  Each video is about 90 seconds long. The baby chicks are very cute to watch, but the real usefulness of these videos is that they can help you identify...

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2010 Chicken Photo Contest Winners

by | Dec 3, 2010

McMurray Hatchery's 2010 Chicken Photo Contest has now ended.  You can view the winning photos and read the stories behind them using the links below: Winner for the That's So Sweet category Winner for the Too Funny for Words category Winner for the Best Breed Photo...

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2010 Photo Contest Winner

by | Dec 1, 2010

The final results are in for our 2010 Best of Breed photo contest. Congratulations to our winner and our two runner-ups! We thank all of you who participated in this contest, and we look forward to having more poultry-related contests in the 2011. Do you have ideas,...

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2010 Photo Contest: Finalist Poll

by | Nov 18, 2010

Update: 12-2-2010 The breed photo finalist poll is now closed. To see the contest winner, visit the link below: Contest Winner - Best Breed Photo Original Poll Announcement We've tallied the responses to the semi-finalist poll for the Best Breed Photo category....

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Spinach Stuffing Recipe

by | Nov 9, 2010

This spinach stuffing recipe is an old family favorite that is easy to make and goes well with a fresh roasted turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.  Serves 8-10 people. 3 lbs. frozen spinach, thawed 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 4 tbsp. butter 1 stalk...

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Order Now for 2011

by | Nov 6, 2010

You can now pre-order your baby chicks and other birds for 2011 delivery.  Some of our more popular breeds sell very quickly - order now to get the best selection. Yes - we do count our chicks before they hatch.

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2010 Photo Contest: Semi-Finalist Poll

by | Nov 3, 2010

Update: Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 The Best Breed Photo Semi-Finalist Poll is now closed.  The finalist poll will open later this week. Look for details here on our blog. Best Breed Photo The poll for the "Best Breed Photo" category of the Murray McMurray Chicken Photo...

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