McMurray Hatchery Blog
Hatchery News, Updates and Information on Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and Other Poultry
Heritage Breeds Week: Supporting the Livestock Conservancy
For over a century, McMurray Hachery has remained dedicated to preserving rare and exotic poultry breeds. Today we carry over 120 breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas, peafowl, pheasants and other rare and exotic birds. As part of our dedication to the...
Hatch At Home: Getting Started
When you work at a Hatchery, it’s inevitable that someone in your family will develop an interest in chickens. My 12-year-old has caught the ‘bug’, so we decided to try our hand at hatching eggs at home.
2019 Spring is in the Air Photo Contest
It seemed like Winter would never end but warmer weather is finally here and Spring is in the air! Now through April 21st, enter photos of your Spring chickens in our third annual Spring is in the Air photo contest. Send us photos of your baby chicks,...
NEW Lower Minimum on Two Best-Selling Assortments
NEW! Starting in April, to meet the needs of our customers with limitations on the number of birds they are allowed, we are offering lower minimums on two of our best-selling assortments — Murray's Choice Layer Assortment and our Brown Egg Layer...
2019 Battle of the Breeds
Spring has sprung and we're in the mood for a little fun. Over the next few weeks, we're inviting you to play in our first ever Battle of the Breeds. We're pitting 64 of our top breeds against each other and offering you a chance to vote for your favorite breeds....
2019 Mystery Chick Photo Contest Winner Announced
For years, McMurray Hatchery has been including a free mystery chick with each order. It's exciting to receive one and try to determine the breed as they grow. With over 100 breeds, our customers have received crested varieties, speckled beauties,...
Preparing for Your New Chicks
The first time we brought home a box of chicks, I was terrified. The day-old chicks needed specialized care and I wanted to do everything right to help them grow from cheeping balls of fluff to a feathered flock clucking around the pasture.I read a lot of...
Fill Your Coop With These Red Breeds This February
February kicks off chick season at the Hatchery and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. We're feeling festive and highlighting many of the 'RED' chicken breeds we love. RHODE ISLAND RED The Rhode Island Red is one of the most famous and...
Gail Damerow Discusses Egg Anomalies
Once you start gathering fresh eggs from your flock daily, you may start to notice differences or imperfections in them. As part of our blog series with poultry expert and best-selling author, Gail Damerow, we ask her about a few of the most common egg...
Winter Photo Contest Winners Announced
Winter Photo Contest Winners! Congratulations to these Winter photo contest winners, and thank you to all who entered. There were so many beautiful photos to choose from! These winning photos will be used on our website, and in our marketing materials. The...
Building for the Future – An Update
In December 2018 we announced that we were in the midst of a major expansion project — building a new state-of-the-art barn dedicated preserving rare and exotic breeds, breeding new varieties, and more. We're thrilled to announce that the new facility...
Building for the Future
Continuing our dedication to preserving rare and exotic breeds, we are in the process of building a new, state-of-the-art barn.
Gail Damerow Discusses Egg Quality
Continuing our series with poultry expert and best-selling author, Gail Damerow, we talk to her about egg quality. The internal quality of an egg is determined by the appearance and consistency of the contents inside the shell, which you can examine by breaking a...
Photo Contest Winners Announced
The 2019 Murray McMurray catalog will be landing in mailboxes late December / early January. We are thankful to be able to feature so many amazing photos submitted by our customers each year, and this year was no exception. Our 2019 catalog will feature...
Enter to Win FREE CHICKS
In celebration of our 2019 season — and for the first time ever — we are giving away FREE CHICKS! Now through December 2nd, sign up for the McMurray Hatchery newsletter for a chance to win a box of 15 female day-old baby chicks from our newest and best breeds...
Shop Day-Old Baby Chicks
Day-old baby chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other poultry now available for the 2026 season!