McMurray Hatchery Blog

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

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?...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

2024 Catalog Photo Winners

The 2024 Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog will start landing in mailboxes across the U.S. and Canada over the holidays. Each year's catalog features photos submitted by our customers. Our 2024 catalog is our most comprehensive issue to date, featuring 132 pages of...

5 Reasons to Raise Waterfowl

I have been known to swim against the current, do things my way, and voice my reasons loudly. Not in a bossy way, but in a way that makes you wonder if you should have taken my advice. This rings true for my beliefs on intentional gardening, how and what I choose to...

2010 Photo Contest: Semi-finalist Poll

Update The polls are now closed, and the 2010 Chicken Photo Contest has ended.  To see the winners, visit the link below: 2010 Photo Contest Winners Too Funny for Words The poll for the "Too Funny for Words" category of the Murray McMurray Chicken Photo Contest is now...

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2010 Photo Contest Winner

"That's So Sweet" Category Results The final results are in for this category of the photo contest. The Winner Congratulations to Elizabeth Robinson! She won first place in the contest with her photo of the Buff Orpington hen and her newly hatched chick. As the first...

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Why Raise Ducks?

Ducks are easy to raise, and there are a number of good reasons to raise them.  According to Dave Holderread, author of Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, they are "one of the most versatile and useful of all domestic fowl." As a meat bird, ducks are an excellent...

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The Importance of Water

It is important for your chickens and other poultry to always have access to an adequate supply of clean, fresh drinking water.  This is even more important during hot weather, when a chicken's water requirements increase significantly. When chickens don't have enough...

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2010 Photo Contest Update

Update: The poll is now closed. To see the winning photos, visit the link below: 2010 Photo Contest Winners Visit the link below to rate the five finalist photos in the "That's so sweet" category of the photo contest: Finalist poll for the "That's so sweet" category...

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Chickens in the Garden: The Deep Mulch System

This is part two of a multi-part series. If you missed part one, you can read it here. A second approach for keeping chickens in your garden is the deep mulch system, described in detail in Andy Lee's book The Chicken Tractor. You can begin with part of your existing...

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Backyard Chicken Myths, Part 2

by Andy Schneider (the Chicken Whisperer) If you missed part 1 of this article, you can read it here. Many people who oppose the keeping of backyard chickens often sound off during meetings about decreased property values if the city allows the keeping of backyard...

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Green Chili Sauce

This green chili sauce is excellent when poured over the top of Chile Relleno Casserole. 1 lb. round steak, cut into small cubes 2 tbsp. olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 - 4 oz. cans of chopped green chili peppers 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1 - 15 oz. can of...

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Chile Relleno Casserole

This is a delicious main dish that uses a lot of eggs and serves eight people. It tastes best when served with Green Chile Sauce. 4 - 4 oz. cans whole green chiles 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated 6 eggs, separated 1 cup sour cream...

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Shop Day-Old Baby Chicks

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!