I am so happy with Murray McMurray hatchery. I received all of the baby chicks by mail and they are doing great, two weeks old now and haven't lost any. I ordered the brown egg layer assortment and they are really just the healthiest chicks I've ever had. read more

Murray McMurray Hatchery - Livestock Feed & Supply Near Me - Webster City, Iowa

Awful experience. I would honestly rate it lower if I could. I've used this hatchery before, but that was a very long time ago and I don't recall any problems. This time, however was a disaster. Even before they arrived, six of my chicks were substituted without any warning or consultation, and I wish I could say that was the worst of it. The 25 birds arrived and appeared normal, but began to die off within the first two days. For reference, I had four other chicks in the brooder already from a different hatchery. All of them are healthy, happy and thriving. Of the 25 McMurray chicks, however, only five survived, and since they didn't die within the 48hr livability guarantee, I was only reimbursed for six of them....even though they all died of the same thing in under four days; and this is only after their customer service department was cold and snippy with me and tried to blame it on the temperature of my brooder, their feed, their bedding, despite the fact that I had four perfectly healthy chicks from a different hatchery and McMurray was the only variable. Long story short, I am heartbroken and disgusted. I will NEVER use this hatchery again. That 48 hr guarantee only covers their assets if the chicks are injured during transport. It benefits them, and not the customer. Save your money and your heartbreak. Consider buying local if possible. Avoid this business at all costs. read more

We bought our first chickens from a lady who hatched them in her home incubator. We soon learned that she had not been straight-forward about the health of the chickens, the exact age, and she misrepresented the genders. We ended up with one chicken that did not thrive and died in spite of lots of TLC as well as two gorgeous, sweet-tempered, and noisy roosters who ended up in our bellies shortly after they began crowing (we LOVED the roosters but had to be considerate of neighbors). We decided that future bird purchases would be from a hatchery. After looking at and researching various hatchery options we chose to purchase our next chickens from Murry McMurry. We have purchased Turkens, a White Orpington, a Cuckoo maran, and Black Stars. We elected to get the free mystery bird which appears to be a White Crested Black Polish Bantam. All of the birds arrived very healthy and are thriving. We absolutely love our chicks and our children are having a wonderful time observing and caring for them. The children have decreed them to be the most adorable birds in the whole world. We ordered Cornish Rocks for our meat birds which we are raising humanely indoors in a GQF Brooder and Grow Out Pens unit. The first round of 12 Cornish Rocks arrived in excellent condition with no fatalities upon opening the box. One of the cornish rocks did die within the 48 hour guarantee period and we got a $2.50 credit to out account. Another cornish rock chick passed away a couple days later. They arrived lively and very ready to start eating and I am surprised at how much they happen to consume when they are really so tiny still. I dipped the beaks but it did not seem necessary at all. We are enjoying watching them grow (very quickly) and I am sure they will provide some very tasty meat for us although at this point they are so cute it is hard to imagine that we will ever eat them. We are so pleased with this order that we ordered 25 Cornish rocks to arrive every four weeks throughout the months that McMurry Hatchery has them available. We take very good and diligent care of our birds and have realized that this is the most economical and healthy way to provide meat for our larger than average sized family. Additionally, we purchased four Jumbo White Pekin ducklings (one drake and three ducks). When I opened the box they were all popping out at me with great gusto! It brought an instant smile to my face and melted my heart. All the ducklings arrived in excellent condition and were definitely larger and heartier then I had expected. Honestly, the ducks are so cute and loveable I am not sure if we really will be able to eat them when the time comes. The may end up as just pets hahaha. This would disappoint my husband who is looking forward to making Duck L'orange on his pellet grill so maybe only half of them will end up as pets (unless my husband really likes Duck L'orange and then all bets are off hahaha). I an sure that my children are going to have a lot of fun with these beautiful creatures whether we ultimately decide to eat them or not. Me too for that matter. We ordered regular Pekin ducks (one drake and three ducks) and 2 Gold Star ducks to arrive later in the year. I have no doubt the quality of the birds will be excellent. Collecting the boxes from the post office was less hassle than I expected it to be and it is probably a plus that we live in an area where the post office frequently deals with live animals coming through. It is also a plus that we could pick up the animals as early as 5am on delivery day. Our experience with Murray McMuray Hatchery has been very positive and I imagine that we will continue to buy birds regularly from this hatchery for many years to come. read more

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I am so sad. I have been ordering 2 day old chicks from Murray Mc Murray hatchery for years never a problem. I ordered 6 - 4 week old chicks, 2 died immediately, 1 died a horribly slow death stuck in a spasm and now the 4th one has died at 5 months. I'm not a rich person but wanted the whiting true blue hens so I could get more money for the eggs. Now that dream has been shattered. They have offered me a refund but they can never pay enough for the anguish my students and I have suffered watching these poor skittish chicks die one after another. They blamed my husbandry, not taking one bit of responsibility. read more

An ex GF I shacked up with in Moab in the nineties raised a few chickens in her back yard. Ten years later I had a backyard of my own that seemed under utilized. I did very limited research into what kind of chickens to get and where I might get them. Two or three of the three people I spoke to said Buff Orpingtons from McMurray hatchery. I ordered the minimum lot size of day old BOs in June and was told that they were a very popular breed and wouldn't be available until September. That was fine by us, it would give me time to arrange the sale of 18 of the 25 chicks, and plan and build accomodations for our back yard flock. September rolls around and the long awaited day comes that we get a call from the post office that our birds are here. All but one survived the overnight flight from Iowa and how cute they were! It took a week to adopt them all out to colleagues and neighbors. Only one died in the next week or so and it looked like we were going to be satisfied customers... I didn't add that we paid a premium per chick for a sexed run. It's not as racy as it may sound, it means that the chicks are supposed to be all female. Of the six that we kept, three turned out to be roosters. They offer a guarantee on their fowl but after all the time and care given to these chicks a meager $2.50 per- hardly compensates for my efforts. A few months go by and our hens are plump and healthy, getting ready for longer days and laying rations so they'll start earning their keep. That's when my mailbox starts filling up with unsolicited catalogs from weird homesteading and wild game processing companies. Yup, they sold my name and address. read more

Murray McMurray Hatchery - They don't need much room at first. - Livestock Feed & Supply Near Me - Webster City, Iowa

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Issues resolved by management. Thanks for your help with this. I only wished that customers service could have resolved this and I didn't have to get them involved. read more

I will not order from them again. I ordered two 4 week old chicks. I received 20 week old pullets! This was due to a website glitch. Needless to say, one of them was "damaged" and did not make it. The survivor is sub quality and not to breed standard at all. You would do better to find a local source for poultry then to order online like I made the mistake of doing. read more

We bought 5 juvenile chickens (6 weeks old) from Murray McMurry...1 died at 12 weeks of a neurological issue and we lost one today with a failed liver. A third died of liver issues as well at 15 weeks. No more chickens from there for us. We recently bought 2 adult chickens from Stromberg's and are hoping for better chickens from them. read more

I have been waiting for a specific breed of geese to be in stock. I ordered in February 2023 well in advance to ensure I had the best availability to pick up the birds from the post office. I received the usual email 2 weeks in advance of my shipment but no further contact after that. I only found that my order had "shipped" when I changed the toggle to only show the orders that had shipped. I called on a Tuesday to find out why I had not received any trucking information and was assured that my birds would come out of the next day's hatch (Wednesday), & the tracking number would go out Wednesday night. So I waited until Thursday, and after multiple calls and Facebook messages (that I initiated- NOT the company), I was told that the geese had NOT hatched. I was understandably livid. Not only had I paid for sexed birds (in an auto-sexing breed where "unsexed" birds were half the cost), but I was not even informed until 4 days later that the birds were not even available. I was also blocked on Facebook from sending any messages (none of the messages were rude - just frustrated over the lack of customer service and the so called "small order charge" AKA price gouging. I received several excuses that the partner hatchery doesn't notify McMurray about failure to hatch until THURSDAY. So, anyone who has a tight schedule is out of luck for that week and won't find out until the very end of the business week. Why not hatch on Monday and Tuesday so that you can notify customers on Wednesday? We, the regular working public who may have to take PTO and ask neighbors to pick up birds of we are unable, would appreciate it. read more

I wish I would've read the reviews before I order-- Such animal cruelty the way they ship them for days without food or water. We ordered 16 and 1 died in shipment, and 4 more were dead by morning. By the next day they were all dead. We got another shipment a couple weeks later, they arrived today and 15 died in shipment and 2 are alive but falling over and about to die. This is horrible and so inhumane to treat these animals like this!! Shame on you. read more

Bought 25 chickens, sent one extra for free. The extra one arrived dead as well as another. Then 2 died that same night. Then 2 the next day. Then 1 the next day. Then 1 the next day. Then finally 2 days without death, and then this morning one is dead. So far, 35% of my order is dead. They all developed poo butt, which has been gently cleaned. The have a professional custom build brooder that's taken care of many chick's. It's just this order from McMurray Hatchery. There was no heat pack in the order. I'm extremely displeased with my first time dealing with McMurray. They keep trying to say their 48hr guarantee was done preweekend, but I fought them bc I've had nearly a chicken a day die. They're giving me my money back everyone one dies, but I'd rather have the chickens - that's why I ordered them. I will never order from them again. I'm going to cackle Hatchery for the replacements. I hear ideal Hatchery is professional too. I would not recommend McMurray. They don't care about the chicks, just the cash as noted by cutting corners and hoping it works out eg lack of a $0.20 heat pack. read more

I have been a back yard chicken farmer for 6 years. I had a flock of 39 until we downsized to 15. In May 2021, we purchased 13 cream legbar chickens and 3 partridge Cochin chicks. We received those and got a mystery chick- a Bielefelder roo. A beautiful chicken. out of the 13 cream legbar chicks we have 5 left. The ones that died all died late (5 months or later except one at 8 weeks) and never laid an egg. They were vaccinated for m&c. When I brought this to the attention of the hatchery, they gave me $50 credit but would not acknowledge that there was an issue in that set of chickens. All other chicks are thriving. $50 towards chickens that we raised for months was NOTHING! to lose 7 chicks after 6 months, there is a genetic issue. We are experienced owners. I wouldn't but from here. Get Stombergs. Much better quality and customer service. our original flock was purchased from there are we still have several of those chickens left. read more

Horrible customer service. Have ordered many birds before - and yes with great success. This past order - lost 12 birds out of 60 in the first week. Then 7 more Jumbo Cornish were stunted. I called for help and was educated on the right way to allow all birds a place at the feeder. Removed the runts to their own feed and living area - never got over 3 pounds each. I am not stupid and have raised many birds - their customer service assumes you are. No refund nothing. Better suppliers out there. read more

Murray McMurray Hatchery - 6 week old Jumbo Cornish. One of several that died or were stunted. No support or consideration from McMurry. Buyer be warned. - Livestock Feed & Supply Near Me - Webster City, Iowa

I was really apprehensive placing my order after reading these reviews. All I can say, is that I completely disagree with all of the negative. My experience was a really good one. My birds seem very happy and are all healthy! Shipping was pretty expensive, but everyone arrived in a timely manner, were packaged well, and as precious as can be! read more

You need to improve your ordering on line system. I tried for over an hour to place an order and it would not accept me. Then I tried to send a message and again it would accept me. I gave my email and you still would not find me. I ordered chicks before so I will only order by phone in the future, to bad read more

My chicks arrived all alive all the way to Hawaii. I called customer service because I couldn't find my gel packet and I counted 14 chicks instead of 16. Customer service took less than 2 min to pick up and let me know that the gel packet was under the bedding they were shipped in and easily credited me 2 chicks. The gel packet was indeed where I was told it would be. Awesome service and the process was seamless from picking the chicks, delivery ship week, and receiving of the chicks. I would highly recommend their service. On a side note, the only stressful part was was tracking the chicks, but that is with USPS and not the Hatchery! read more

Absolutely amazing service! I ordered runner ducks earlier at the beginning of the pandemic and they took all safety precautions and we're very informative every step of the way! Sorry for the late review ladies but thank you! I can't wait to do business again with y'all! read more

We have ordered 3 sets of chicks over the last 6 years. The first set was 50 birds. We lost 2. We understand that things happen when dealing with living breathing creatures. 3 years ago we ordered 20 more and then 20 more again, 2 years ago. We did not lose any chicks in the last 2 shipments. We have been very happy and have had healthy birds from them. We get them pre-vaccinated for coccidosis to insure that they stay healthy. I really like their guidance document upon receipt of the chicks. I also like their selection of breeds and other products. I have not had to call for customer service since I have not had any issues with their birds, products or website. read more

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I ordered 27 baby chicks. We are not new to chickens. I've been able to hatch my own chickens. I bought 10 different polish chickens and all but 1 has died. The jumbo x seem to be doing great. The polish ones were expensive and the ones I was most excited about. They're very sickly birds. read more

We have purchased chicks from Murray McMurray over the years, as did my mother and grandmother and had no complaints, BUT...we just got our latest shipment and only 2 of the 14 chicks were alive. For some reason the company decided to ship these poor little things in a TRUCK in the JUNE heat. It was CRUEL. We only use our chickens for eggs and the girls live 15-16 years whether they lay or not -we love our chicks...so to see a little baby die (only 1 of 4 alive and 2 died immediately) in my hands because of careless shipping was heartbreaking. Of course, the company refunded our money for the lost chicks but that was not the issue. Any company dealing in live animals is responsible for humane treatment of their stock. We will not use this venerable company ever again, and I suggest you find a different and more careful producer. We will. read more

4 chicks arrived dead & 2 more died within 12 hours. so 6 out of 28 (we actually ordered 25 but why would they get the # correct if they can't be bothered to hatch healthy, well-cared for birds). i have raised chicks & chickens for years & never had losses like this. ever. this place doesn't seem to respect that these are actually live animals. i will never buy from here again. read more

I ordered 20 meat birds and 9 egg chicks (1 free rare chick is given=10) and received 18 meat birds 9 egg chicks, 2 dead. The company gave me money back for the missing & dead... claimed someone (postal) took birds out of my order. Annoyed! What's going on Murry McMurry? read more

I should have looked up the reviews before ordering from these guys. I got blue slate turkeys because I have a tom and wanted to possibly start raising them, along with my 300+ other birds. They arrived and within 3 days, 6 of them are dead, 2 are struggling to survive so far on day 4. The response from MMH was to give me an "account credit" for the cost of 2. I told them that I doubt I'm ordering from them again so I want the money back on my credit card. No response. I have done everything they suggested to keep these babies alive. They are simply poor quality birds. Don't waste your money here. Don't use Cackle Hatchery either, they take your payment on day 1, even if the birds aren't available for another 6 months. Try Pure Poultry. Their goal is happy customers and they strive to make that happen!! Stromberg is good too! read more

Today we got 6 chicks from Murray McMurray. We ordered 5, but they put in an extra one. The extra one is ok. The animals we ordered were hardly alive when we got them They could not stand, or eat or drink. They were stretched out, necks extended, clearly dying. We spent the day trying to revive them with egg yolks and water drops. They slowly and painfully died in our hands. Thank you Murray McMurray. Someone should put you out of business. read more

20 Chicks arrived looking sick and dying. 2 died so far after having them one day. Three more deffinatly look like they're on they're way out. We knew this was going to be an issue when we knew how many days they were going to take to get to us....the company didn't try and help....we managed to get ups to help us get them a day sooner..the lady at post office was very helpful in that....unfortunatly it wasnt quick enough, or the grow gel plus did it...the grow gel plus expires after 24 hours...and it was in the box with them for at least 60 hours! we have to wait until tomorrow to call to see what they're going to do for us. I don't want to give them even one star that was forced. Just wanted to add 5 are dead now. The other are looking like they're going to pull through. read more

Poorest customer service ever you can find... check BBB website for the details... If something is going your order, they can refuse to correct issue. They have no idea to customers have a rights. read more

Just received my third live chick order from Murray McMurray. This time I changed my order after it was placed; it was my first time dealing with the customer service dept, and it was flawless. I ordered 17 chicks; 20 arrived. Birds were all alive and subsequent check found them all to be healthy! I bought from local breeders the last 2 years, and both times had to deal with pasty butt and failure to thrive losses. I will just stick with my sure thing, through Murrary McMurray. read more

This is my second time ordering from Murray mc Murray. The first time went fine we got our order of chicks and it was exactly what we ordered. The second time we ordered 15 pearl white leg horns and a mystery chick. When we got our order they were not pearl white leghorns, the recipt said 15 lighting true greens, which they are visibly different breeds of chicks. I called and the lady said the pearl white leghorns didn't hatch well so they sent the lighting true greens. Not sure what to think. read more

BEWARE they ship goslings from CALIFORNIA!!! They refuse to send them express mail (which post office told me they are required to do and they should never be accepted by carrier priority mail) Took 3 days to get them and 1 was dead. They won't replace her and she Had been dead so long the stench was horrible. I've ordered from my pet chicken, meyer and Metzger farms. ALWAYS send express mail and i get them within 12 hours. i will NEVER use Murray MCMurray ever again! read more

I started my flock nine years ago with McMurray hens, and over the years I've had mixed feelings and experiences. I've bought babies and pullets and 4-weekers. Sometimes things have gone well, other times I've had terrible losses, some of it of course being nature's course -- but any time I've reported a problem they're extremely skeptical and slow to make amends. This year I purchased birds from a more regional seller and I couldn't believe how much more pleasant the experience turned out to be. I realized how corporate McMurray feels. This new company sent extra chicks, sent lots of good materials and instructions, and the chicks were just wonderful. The inventory is far better and shipping cost much less. I'm not going to buy from McMurray again. You can find better! read more

I am surprised by the negative reviews - I know experiences vary but we have had all good luck. We have been ordering our day old chicks here for years, since we began chickening ;-) We have ordered 5 times, with a total of about 200 chicks in all (between all of the orders). We have never had a chick not make it to us alive, and we have been happy with the quality every time. We just received a new batch today and couldn't be happier. The website makes it easy to order and we are happy with the customer service we have received. read more

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They shipped 19 baby chicks for FOUR DAYS WITH NO FOOD OR WATER. We were told either overnight or 2-day priority. They were shipped on Monday, and didn't arrive until Thursday afternoon. When we called every day, they said they "had no tracking." For real, you're shipping live animals and don't put tracking on them? For real, you're shipping baby chicks with no food or water, in a box, for four days? When they finally arrived, four were already dead. Two more were dead by evening. It was heartbreaking. One is still struggling tonight. We have 13 live chicks (maybe 12, we'll see how it goes) out of 19. Inhumane. Will never do business with them again. read more

We ordered 15 chicks. With their advertising of a positive percentage of sexting, we were highly unhappy when 9 of the 15 were roosters. Try rehoming 9 ROOSTERS. read more

I had not ordered from this place in a few years and thought I would get a jump on the season by ordering for a February delivery. All but one looked good when I opened the box up. However, the sick chick died the first night, along with 4 others. I am now in to day two and 4 more died. I am painfully watching as all the others are slowing down and taking a turn for the worse. I am not new to chickens and had everything set up right in the brooder. I have also done sugar and honey water with the dropper to see if they would turn around. Nothing is working!!! The more I try, the worse they get. Most of them refuse to eat and drink on their own. I am wondering now if they got pneumonia or something on their trip. Many seem to be having trouble breathing. Since it is the weekend now, I have until Monday to report my loses and get my money back. At this point I am not sure if any of the 25 will be alive by Monday!!! I wish I had looked at some of the latest reviews before I ordered. I guess I will stick to the local sources where I have gotten chicks before from now on. read more

I ordered 10 Ameraucanas females. you add one free. all 11 arrived live and well, now all are still alive and well. the problem is I now at almost 5 months of age, 4 Roosters. and I knew the extra one you put in would be a Rooster. But I didn't want 4. May I add they are beautifully feathered. but three must go. Thank you for Beautiful Chickens. read more

I normally do not write reviews but really want to urge others to use caution when ordering from Murray McMurray Hatchery. I ordered 15 chickens and chose their priority mail option considering the only other option is priority loading they call it but that does not guarantee faster shipping. This should not even be an option to ship LIVE ANIMALS!! The only option should be overnight which would take 1-2 days max. Needless to say the chicks just never arrived. They got shipped across country and arrived in the Cincinnati distribution center and never left. So basically there is a box of dead chickens sitting somewhere at the post office. It was a horrible experience and feeling that I unknowingly killed 15 innocent chicks. I would have paid more money for overnight or expedited shipping if that was an option. They should not even have priority mail as a selection it should not be allowed. They are live animals and had to suffer a horrible death. They did refund my money but said this rarely happens which I find hard to believe. They are literally shipping live chicks like you would a birthday card. No wonder why they got lost!! I do understand it is out of their control once they are shipped but they are placing these birds in that environment when it doesn't have to be that way. I will never ever order from them again. I sure hope this helps the next person!! read more

If I could give a lower score I would. I ordered 10 4 week old pullets and I lost 6 of them within two days of getting them. No phone call back or email to refund the loss of the birds. (Dropped like flies after shipping and throughout the night.) This is after I even took them in the house and gave them electrolytes and anything else to try and keep them alive. All of the birds were flighty and have awful attitudes. And all of them have shown leg issues and have started getting worse as the months go on. They will most likely have to be culled due to the extent of the leg issues. And the started pullet I purchased is wild and flighty acting as well. ( I purchased her a week before the others or I would not have bothered with purchasing another bird from them.) Terrible breeding program. Very disappointed with all of my birds and the customer service. Or I should say lack of. read more

I am so disappointed with this place. I ordered chicks for Easter. When they arrived 2 were dead and 1 was almost dead. By the next morning I lost another one. Now over the course of a month I've lost all but two chicks out of 25. I ordered all these chicks with vaccinations and everything. I've raised chicks / chickens for 20 years and never had a problem like this. Murray McMurray Hatchery doesn't even care. read more

Murray McMurray Hatchery - Livestock Feed & Supply Near Me - Webster City, Iowa

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We ordered ducks to be delivered. Not only did they ship them from their facility in California (not Iowa) in the evening (adding 12+ hours to their time in the box) their 48 hour guarantee turned into over 100 hours and our poor little ducks arrived dead. Animal cruelty. If they know the postal system isn't able to handle delivery during this crisis they should have told us that before ordering instead of after when we called about the tragedy. read more

We ordered chicks in May we were supposed to have only one rooster. Now that they're mature we have three roosters we contacted them . they said since we had the one that was a mystery chick that was a rooster and the other was a rooster that was supposed to be a hen it was still guaranteed 90% right and they couldnt do nothing . never order from this hatchery . Use Meyer hatchery better customer service . read more