How Does McMurray Get Its Chicks?

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Quote:
They all vary. Sand Hill breeds their own. A couple others don't even incubate their own, just drop ship. The majority may breed a few breeds but broker or "bunch" from various smaller breeders. Hatcheries are hatcheries. Their business is hatching and shipping. They don't claim to be breeders. Breeders operate at the mercy of their chickens, which hatcheries can't afford to do. I know Sand Hill has a huge amount of trouble even filling 25 a shipping date per breed, and often can't do it even when they sell straight run. Meyer or similar contracts so that they are always hatching more than they could ever sell, with their business model including a second tier of "assortments" and a third tier of a bunch of chicks going to make protein.

And, to the above, I'm not downing hatcheries. I have an ethical problem with what the purely pet hatcheries do, which is advertise a product they do not supply. I have no issues with hatcheries that are honest. It was just funny to see the question from someone occupying the niche that the OP does.

 

[Whiskey Bay]

I don't know about the contracting on the birds,but I watched an episode of Dirty jobs where Mike spent the day at McMurray hatchery.They have Huge ROOMS for turners and walls of incubators like huge commercial size refridgerators.They pull trays of chicks by the hundreds out of them.Then they are brought for sexing by their lil orientals.And yes all their sexers are oriental. They said so on the show and showed them all sitting around.some doing feather sexing some vent sexing.Of course they don't show you the whole story....

 

[ndemerly]

I know if you go to Townline Hatcheries website, I think townlinehatchery.com
and then go to the tour tab they show photos of their breeding stock inside the barns.

 

[stoneunhenged]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying anything disparaging about large hatcheries. I don't mean to ignite a debate about whether they're good or not. I simply wanted to know how they plan and manage their chick production. Thanks for the information.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Some of these hatcheries sell millions of chicks a year. Most do the hatching/shipping, but they few would be able to actually have enough parent stock, on their own properties to allow them to produce enough fertile eggs.

A hatchery is a hatchery, as in their primary business is hatching, not necessarily keeping all the parent stock required.
Yes, contract farmers produce eggs for them. Some of the hatcheries openly state this.

 

[txcarl1258]

Looks like I was wrong.

I had no idea that hatcheries contracted out some of their breeds. I assumed they raised most of their own because of the "production" qualities their birds possess.