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?...
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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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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...
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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...
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CHICKENS
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OTHER FOWL
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Keeping Roosters Quietly and Responsibly

by | Jul 2, 2010

by Andy Schneider (the Chicken Whisperer) Several times each month I receive letters, emails and phone calls from concerned chicken owners asking how they can keep their roosters quiet. More times than not, they are keeping chickens in urban areas. Many cities around...

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Molting Chickens

by | Jun 30, 2010

Molting is a natural process that chickens go through yearly to renew their feathers. When molting, chickens gradually lose their old feathers and replace them by growing new features.  Molting can take anywhere from two to six months to complete. When a hen is...

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How To Keep Your Chickens Safe, Part 1

by | Jun 25, 2010

In a recent survey, the number one concern was “How do I keep my chickens safe?” In this blog post, learn some tips from our team on how to protect your flock and keep your chickens safe. Chickens are vulnerable at all hours of the day and night. Some of the most...

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Pearl White Leghorns

by | Jun 22, 2010

The White Leghorn originated in Tuscany, Italy (see map below) and is considered a Mediterranean breed. White Leghorns were brought to America in 1853 by ship.  Mr. W. Simpson, of West Farms, New York (now a part of New York City) claims to be the first person in America to breed the White Leghorn.

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Why Raise Chickens?

by | Jun 2, 2010

Raising chickens, like gardening and many other homesteading activities allow us to participate in something that supports and sustains life.  Food is, obviously, essential to life, and ….

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Water for Baby Chicks

Water for Baby Chicks

by | May 27, 2010

Water is essential for any living thing. When starting baby chicks, or any animal, providing water and food are the most important things to ensure their survival. Here are a few tips regarding that will help you get your new baby chicks off to a good start. Tap water...

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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!

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