Murray McMurray Hatchery?

[Sunny Side Up]

I've ordered several times from McMurray's and am very satisfied with them. Most orders have been just fine, and they resolved the few problems we've had very satisfactorily.

My MMH chicks haven't grown into "mean" adults, and are great backyard layers & roos. I don't show my birds regularly, but did enter the show at our county fair last year. My Black Jersey Giant from MMH won Reserve Champion Hen! And all I did was grab her out of the yard & stick her in the cage, no primping or prepping before judging.

 

[ole-crone]

MMH mean birds??? How funny. I've been ordering from MM off and on since the 80s. I have no complaints. I've ordered twice from Ideal and I'm still on the fence about them. I feel like I get too many roosters when I order pullets (with MM I rarely get one but Ideal I get at least 3 per order). For some reason their chicks don't seem as alert and active and also seem slow to develop. Lastly, they look weird and are some of the dumbest birds we have. But as I've said before - I'd still order from them because I've heard others are very happy and maybe I just lucked out and ended up with some strange birds. Afterall, they are a hatchery - I don't expect perfection.

 

[brooster]

Well what the heck, how come my birds are mean?! They were hand raised just like the rest of my birds, and for some reason they are mean, and the others are not. I cant pick most of them up (easily) and they run under the coop when i go in the run, the other birds dont, they want food and attention. and the three roosters i got from them have drawn blood, and the two i have now not from them are nice to the hens and me. Just bad luck i guess? The meat birds are nice at least, and they win at the fair! I just like breeders and small hatcheries instead, except for meat birds

 

[BayCityBabe]

I ordered the Pullet Pack from Meyer. I got an amazing variety of really healthy birds: Wyandottes, Cochins, Polish, Australorps, Andalusians, Hamburgs, Dominiques and a Turken. It was such fun to figure out who was what. I ordered from them because they are nearest my city... that, I would recommend. There are plenty of hatcheries.
I think it's great that you are researching now. I got bit by the chick-bug this Spring and sorta leapt into it. I certainly did not need the huge # of birds I started with - I just didn't know my options.

 

[nicodemuschickenfan]

Yes, I always research early. Like with my rats; I had spent six months online before I adopted some really sweet babies. All my pets so far have been rescues. Maybe if I can find RIRs up for adoption? Probably not, they are kinda popular. Well, I've gots lots of good suggestions so far. Now I have several hatcheires I wanna buy from. lol

 

[poei]

i ordered from them last march, and all but 5 out of 26 died - 5 of the 17 replacements they sent were roos. i ordered their ornamental layer collection. never again - the lady on the phone was trying to blame me - and said she was not going to send replacements if i was just going to kill them. can you believe it?

 

[cjeanean]

I really liked McMurray, they had extremely fast shipping and healthy chicks. I lost two over the course of 4 weeks, both cause I just don't think they were supposed to make it....Their customer service is excellent, and although it does help to talk to one of the more experienced phone operators (like Ruth) they all seem to be very helpful....Good luck!!!

 

[phoenix rooster]

Had 2 orders, of layers and bantams, i got 5 extras out of 50, all are healthy at 9 weeks, I'll use them again, I received it in one day to portland, oregon.

this maran pullet was an extra!

 

[chickens4jojo]

I have ordered twice from MMH the last two springs. I am very pleased with them & their customer service is great.

I ordered the Brown Egg Layers in 2007 and the Rainbow Layers 2008. I personally liked the Brown Egg Layers the best so far for personality.

But....my favorite & usually the friendliest are the few that I have hatched myself.

My local feed store that their chicks come from Ideal and they all seemed very healthy as well.

Chicks Rule!

 

[Cleoandclover]

I have had quite a few bad experiences with Mcmurray Hatchery. Not only do they require a ridiculous minimum, especially for someone who just wants to keep a small backyard flock, but they are dishonest and produce unhealthy birds and then turn around and market them as good-quality purebreds. I will occasionally split an order with a friend, but this is the last time. Next year I'm buying from My Pet Chicken. Last year I picked out a red frizzle bantam Cochin pullet to supplement my Serama flock, egg-wise. She looked enough like a Cochin up until ten weeks, then she started looking like a narrow Cochin on Modern Game legs, and started trying to kill the Seramas around the same time. She's nice enough, but every month or so, she goes under the porch and tries to raise a clutch, which is impossible, considering she won't let the rooster near her. This year, I tried to start a laying flock, by picking out what was supposed to be three Red Star pullets, plus a Silver Phoenix. Two turned out to be some kind of unspecified cockerel(I think), as they were not only the right color for a pullet, but are acting like cockerels, so those two found a new home. The third is a girl, but turned out to be a runty Buff Orpington. At fifteen weeks, she is only a few ounces heavier than my mid-sized Serama hen, and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to change that. As for the Phoenix, she came with crooked toes(which didn't respond when I splinted them), is also two pounds lighter than she should be at her age, AND appears to be a Modern Game Bantam Silver Phoenix cross.