E11: Chick Days! | Tom Watkins of Murray McMurray Hatchery

Homesteaders of America

With springtime fast approaching, homesteaders and backyard chicken keepers are planning ahead for their next round of chicks. In this conversation with Tom of Murray McMurray Hatchery, we discuss everything a brand new chicken owner needs to know to get started. Tom also shares about some of the rare breeds being raised at McMurray; you don’t want to miss it!

In this episode, we cover:

• Three chicken breeds that are great for getting started
• Speciality breeds raised by McMurray Hatchery
• What you need to know about ordering meat chickens this year
• Ordering trends of backyard chicken keepers vs. homesteaders
• Legislation concerning shipping live chickens
• Considerations for raising multiple types of poultry together
• Is it possible to get healthy chicks through the mail?
• How to prevent and treat the most common chicken illnesses

View full show notes and transcript on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

ABOUT TOM

Tom Watkins is the President and co-owner of Murray McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, Iowa. Tom and his father-in-law, Bud Wood, are building on the company’s 105-year-old legacy of hatching the highest quality baby poultry in the U.S. Tom manages day-to-day operations of the hatchery which offers more than 120 varieties of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and many other types of poultry and fowl. Tom, his wife Ashley, and their four children have a 5-acre homestead in central Iowa where they raised and keep their own flock of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and Scottish Highland cattle.

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