The scoop on 'Murray McMurray Hatchery'

Company Profile   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 458 Webster City, Iowa 50595 (United States) Phone: 1-800-456-3280 Fax: (515) 832-2213 Categories: Supplies for Poultry Farming (Equipment & Hatcheries) Click here to send email to Murray McMurray Hatchery Click here to visit Murray McMurray Hatchery's website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 0 7 17 Neutral 0 1 5 Negative 0 4 11

Company Comment, posted on January 29, 2008:   (Posted by CATMAN1984) I worked for McMurray Hatchery for a few years and was treated with nothing but respect. I never heard anything but good comments from customers about their purchases. Extreme measures were always taken to care for the birds in conditional weather. McMurray Hatchery has been around for 90 years and I expect it to be around for at least 90 more.

Feedback History and Summary   28 positives 10 neutrals 20 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Positive jajkafarms (1 review) On September 7, 2008, jajkafarms Belleville, MI wrote: I have ordered many times for McMurray and have always had great experiences, although I have lost a few chicks along the way. However, the staff at McMurray has always been very helpful and very friendly. My last order was for package deal of 'rainbow layers' and we received very healthy chicks, with a few extra added to our order by the hatchery. I highly recomend McMurray Hatchery and also Townline Hatchery in Michigan. We have been very happy with both. Positive specialcitygirl (1 review) On July 14, 2008, specialcitygirl Huntington, IN wrote: ALL of our chickens have come from Murray McMurray and we've had nothing but positive experiences with them. All the chicks and ducks arrived in great condition! We've got lovely eggs from them and beautiful chickens. Negative Ravyn74 (2 reviews) On July 11, 2008, Ravyn74 Fordland, MO wrote: If you want cross bred chickens then order from McMurray. I ordered 25 Light Brahma pullets a year ago. Upon opening the box to check out my new chicks. Right off the bat I noticed there was something not right about these very dark mostly black chicks. NOT Light Brahmas. We called and emailed pictures of these so called light brahmas. McMurray said they don't have any cross breeds and said my pictures were to dark to really tell. Which was not true. They ended up sending us 25 more and once again little dark chicks is what I recieved. Now I'm stuck with year old hens that are lightly feather legged, speckled all over, some even have dark legs(Light Brahmas have yellow legs). I ordered these chicks for my kids to show in 4-H, so you can imagine the disappointment that they went threw. There is no way I could enter ANY of these birds in a show. I can't even sell them as light brahmas, because all they are is a light brahma CROSS. I recently sent another email with pictures of what they look like today. I wrote in my email that I don't want a refund or more chicks. I just wanted them to respond to me and tell me what these birds are crossed with or admit that they have awful breeding stock. It's been months since I sent that email and you guessed it NO RESPONSE. I even sent pictures to different Brahma Breeders of show quality birds and they all responded and said my birds have to be a crossbreed (to much black, tail carriage is all wrong, leg color is wrong and body lines are wrong) and to show them in a utility class which is a crossbreed class. I didn't pay for these over priced birds to show in a utility class. As you can tell I'm very frustrated with all this. Needless to say I will NEVER order from Murray McMurray again. I will say one thing, the chicks did arrive alive and healthy. The free exotic ended up being a Buff Cochin and he was beautiful and true to breed. Positive small_ones17 (1 review) On June 30, 2008, small_ones17 Hollister, CA wrote: I ordered twenty-five chicks from McMurray Hatchery about a month ago. Five Black Giants, and twenty Australorps, all females. They were suppose to arrive Monday or Tuesday, because we had to wait for some of them to hatch, and I got a call yesterday saying they were here! They traveled through American Airlines and arrived the same day they left the hatchery!! My family was surprised at how fast they got here! My dad and mom had to drive an hour away to get them at an airport, because we didn't want to wait another day for them to be driven to where we live. Once they were at our house, I opened the box they came in and saw that all of them were alive! I immeadiately put them in the large box we picked out, and put a light on them and gave them chick starter and water. We got the twenty-five we ordered, plus they gave us an extra Australorp, in case some died, and a rare exotic chick. I didn't even have to show them where the water was, or how to eat. All of them drank a lot of water, then ate their little hearts out without a problem! I was surprised! I heard that some chicks can die within the first twenty-four hours you have them, so I'm going to keep an eye on that. I've also heard that, even though I ordered all females, some of them could be males. So I'll just have to pray that a good sum of them are females...if not all of them. Thank you McMurray Hatchery!! This is my first time ordering chicks from out of state and I'm glad to start off with professionals! P.S: One downfall though. I wish I knew what breed the rare exotic chick is. Negative chickens91 (1 review) On June 24, 2008, chickens91 New Tazewell, TN wrote: Every Time I have ordered from Mcmurray Hatchery they have always messed up some way. My frist time they sent dead chicks and one who be was crossed over the other side (he was my favorit he sat on my shoulder he died in a bad storm).The second time I ordered blue silkies they turned buff. So I called back and they sent me more (they were blue this time) 2 were black the only promblem is they sent the blue ones dead and one was sick so I just gave up. My favorit hatchery is DUNLAP HATCHERY DUNLAPHATCHERY.NET They are very nice and sent me real healthy brids( gave me 5 free ordered 55 they sent 50 extras they were all alive till about october and the nebories dog got in the pen) Positive smfarmer (1 review) On June 21, 2008, smfarmer Lexington, IN wrote: I have nothing but GREAT stuff to say about Mcmurray hatchery! They sent me 4 more chicks than I ordered and they were all in healthy shape and on time. Laying like crazy today. I buy all of my supplies from them and get very good service. It is IMPORTANT to note that when a person buys chicks through the mail they choose a ship date. YOU MUST BE READY AT THE DOOR WITH A PLAN FOR THEM. I always have antibiotics and quick chick ready for them. YOU MUST TEACH THEM TO DRINK AND EAT, you are the new moms! Please do not blame the hatchery. Dip the beeks of the chicks in water, and with your fingers pick at the starter chick feed and teach them how to eat. My first delivery of chicks from the hatchery has brought me atleast 40 more chicks from hatched eggs on our farm. Save your really negative comments for the nurseries that send you dead plants. Positive Haystack (1 review) On June 4, 2008, Haystack Ferndale, WA wrote: I received my thenty-five chicks, plus one exotic. Three were deceased when I received them, I also lost three within the next twenty four hours. All the rest are doing excellent. There was no pasting during shipment. Your personell was very professional on the phone, and gave me credit for those that were lost. I'am very happy with the chicks and the service. I will be ordering more soon. Thanks. Negative x3ashleymae (1 review) On May 25, 2008, x3ashleymae Hays, KS wrote: We have been ordering large amounts of chicks for years from McMurray Hatchery, and normally would not have a problem, besides the fact that we would occasionally get a bird that we could not identify, and seemed to be a mixed breed, but we bought our birds for show. This would mostly happen if we would purchase the "package" type of deals from the hatchery...go figure. Well this last year we ordered 5 pullets of a few breeds, and upon their arrival we were informed we would not be getting one of the breeds we had ordered, and that WE would need to inquire about a refund. Lovely. Most of those chickens ended up dying, when we had never had a death rate like that any year before. I now have almost no show birds for this years fair. We are not sure why they died, but I have a feeling it must be the disease they had going around that a man had talked about in an earlier review. We normally have no problems with the hatchery (just beware if you get one of their 'package deals'...we always received some mixed breeds with the lot). This may have just been an off year for them, but I don't think I'll be ordering from there in a while. Not to mention, their birds and eggs are pricey, which is funny because I know of other hatcheries that sell their eggs for about half the price, or can give you a better deal, etc. Thanks for your time! Positive paulemar (1 review) On May 19, 2008, paulemar Pittsburgh, PA wrote: I've ordered from McMurray before and received my latest order this morning. The Post Office called me at 7:15 AM and told me my chicks were in and to come and get them. All were alive and active in the box. Even though the outside temperature was in the 40's a poke with my finger between several bunched up chicks was very warm. As I released each one into the brooding area after dipping their beak into the water, they immediately began to feed on chick starter crumbles that I had scattered. They also seemed to have no trouble finding the water fount again. It's always been a good experience receiving chicks from McMurray and I have nothing but positive things to say about them. I worry more about the Post Office contacting me in a timely manner, but they have never failed me either. This is one of the Pittsburgh PA post office branches and I'm pretty sure that handling chicks is not a very common thing for them. All involved in this delivery process performed admirably. Neutral rollyson8867 (2 reviews) On May 11, 2008, rollyson8867 Justice, WV wrote: does this hatchery have show quality silver spangled hamburgs. Positive Rocky2007 (1 review) On April 27, 2008, Rocky2007 Glasgow, KY wrote: My wife and I ordered 27 Barred Rock chicks which arrived on the specified date. All appeared healthy and active. One started to act a bit lethargic, a little wobbly with no interest in food or water. My wife hand/force watered and fed it and within a day or so it was fine. We have had them three weeks now and all are doing well, flying up on the edge of the brooder and out on occasion. Very friendly breed. We are very pleased with McMurray's. Negative MonikaRiney (1 review) On April 24, 2008, MonikaRiney Winthrop, ME wrote: MM cancelled my order without contacting me after encountering a problem w/ payment processing. A very rude young woman, Macy, in MM's customer service department informed me that I was a day too late to have my order re-instated for the original shipping date. She said MM's had left a message with my young son informing him that the order would be cancelled. Now I have no birds for the customers I have promised chicks to for resale. One should NEVER leave a business message with a child. Negative MNKris (1 review) On March 30, 2008, MNKris Long Prairie, MN wrote: My family and I had been customers of McMurray for over 30 years, probably longer. We had been pleased with the quality in the past. I ordered over 100 chicks from MM to be picked up at the hatchery on 2/9/08. The chicks appeared healthy but 5 of the 11 breeds started to die off at about 2 weeks of age. Although I was a very experienced chick raiser, these breeds were new to me and I contacted the hatchery for advice. I was told that I was raising the chicks wrong and the customer service person was rather rude. Two days later, I called back again and got a much better customer service rep that agreed to replace the sick chicks. I also added an additional 12 to the order for 3/1/08 to also be picked up. These 50 chicks appeared very healthy at first. Again at 2 weeks of age, the chicks started to get sick and die. McMurray would not acknowledge they had a problem at their hatchery, but offered to replace the chicks again. I demanded my money returned and they did give me a full refund. The problem is this...I didn't know what was wrong with the chicks so I had them tested at the University of MN diagnostics lab. I was concerned for my existing flock that was not part of the MM order. It turns out McMurray had a flock borne illness called Avian Encephalomyelitis, a virus that has affected thousands of McMurray chicks across the United States and Canada where the virus is primarily passed from the hen to the egg. This could not have been a situation I created. My veterinarian contacted MM and let them know of their problem. I spent the money, and it was NOT inexpensive, to have them tested, and I drove over 135 miles away from my home to deliver the chicks to the Lab. I fed infected chicks for two weeks before they died, and although it didn't affect my other chickens, it certainly could have. I have had the unpleasant task of destroying infected chicks that have not fully recovered. I am not upset that MM had a biosecurity problem, it could have happened to any hatchery. I am very angry that they put the burden on me to find out what their problem was. McMurray is supposed to be one of the best hatcheries in the business. I am a lowly backyard flock owner. I also have issue with the fact that they have done nothing to remedy my financial burden when I am the one that told them what was wrong with their flock. I didn't even get a thank you, nothing except "we will replace your sick chicks" that will probably die again anyway. Although their catalog and website clearly state they won't refund above the price of the chicks, I feel this case is extraordinary and unusual. An aknowledgment would have been nice. Perhaps the company should spend more time and money on quality chicks that are bio-secured and less on their fancy catalog. I will never order from the McMurray again and certainly will not recommend them to any of my friends. Positive nickcitarella (1 review) On March 24, 2008, nickcitarella Fairfield, NJ wrote: hi everyone!, just wanted to let you all know that i recieved a shipment from mc murray hatcheries for 25 chicks. I was truly in awe of the overall experience. From the kind receptionists, (Peggy and jackie) , all the way to my door, which my mailman delivered right to me! W'ell!, I recieved 32 chicks and every single one of them alive and strong! they looked so good that they almost appeared artificial when standing still! If i ever recieve a shipment in the future not as good as this one, it still wouldnt sway my opinion in any way for this truly wonderful hatchery! Bye the way, 19 of my chicks were barred rocks/ 12 were rhode island reds, and one gray/white/brown mystery chick (feather footed), which im guessing to be a buff cochin! Thanks guys!!!! Sincerly, Nick Citarella Positive greyhairedmommy (2 reviews) On March 22, 2008, greyhairedmommy Montevallo, AL wrote: I am very surprised by all of the negative feedback on Murray McMurray! We have ordered from Murray McMurray for several years and have never had a problem...caused by the hatchery that is! Yes, I have traveled the learning curve of raising baby chics and not all have survived, but the ones that survived ME are well and healthy and have lived long properous chicken lives. It sounds like some customers have really awful post office service. All of our chics have arrived soundly every time. The post master calls several times on the delivery day worried sick they won't be picked up! (We pick them up at the post office rather them have them dropped off at the house.) It is also worth mentioning that the rare and exotic chics seem to be the ones that always require the most care and attention. (Most likely to be weak or get trampled when a bug makes the mistake of flying into their corral.) They seem more fragile than the more common breeds. Then it occured to me...That's probably why they are rare... I did have trouble with one batch that started to go "lame" and this was again my own fault. I used shredded newspaper instead of the pine shavings recommended. (The store was out of pine shavings for the week.) Once the bedding was replaced all was fine. My family and I have chalked it up to experience and not the fault of the company. Sometimes that would be easier, but if the instructions are read and followed...and your postal workers are not "postal", all should go well with this company. I should also mention the customer service has always been well humored, professional and courteous and we have always received the sex of chickens we requested when selection was possible. Good luck! Negative Tammy (3 reviews) On March 22, 2008, Tammy Barto, PA (Zone 6b) wrote: We ordered 32 chicks of various breeds and got 3 free ones in with the order. They arrived Mar 3. We lost 4 the first day, 4 the next day (8 in 48hrs) and 2 more since. They are three weeks old and several look rather sickly. This is my first experience with mail order and it was very difficult emotionally. MMH did refund us for the first 8 that died in 48. Positive vinil (1 review) On March 4, 2008, vinil Woodburn, OR wrote: all my experiences with mm have been great! i placed an order fro 25 chicks,got 4 extra.the sexing was right on, we never lost even one and when there was a problem with filling my order because of a late hatch for the variety i needed they immediately called my cell phone to let me know and reset my pick up date.they even paid the difference in cost. the lady i talked with was polite ,professional and a delight to talk to.( we swapped chicken jokes while she fixed my order) today my chickens are 1 year old ,i am getting 2 DOZEN EGGS A DAY!! we are working on a third hatch of chicks from these buff orpingtons and even our own hatch has been 100%.(we let our chickens hatch their own).they are the greatest mothers and have not lost any of these chicks either. i made sure the post office knew we had chicks on the way..a must..since they arent notified ahead of time...this gives them a heads up..and helps you cover all the problems that can happen in transit..this year we are ordering buff orpington ducks....cant wait!!!! Positive cdenny21 (2 reviews) On March 4, 2008, cdenny21 San Antonio, TX wrote: I have ordered twice from McMurray hatchery. Last year I ordered 10 White Chinese geese. They sent 1 extra and they all lived. I've had them for a year and they are now reproducing just fine. I lost 4 to predators, but that is not McMurray's fault! After the fine order of goslings proved to be healthy, I ordered a group of 25 mixed pullets. These were 15 Americaunas, 5 Australorps, and 5 Silver Laced Wyandottes. All of these chicks were healthy upon arrival, even though they had been riding around in the back of a metal mail truck with temperatures near 100. They all needed a drink, but they settled down nicely with no mortality. I split this order with my brother and his chickens are laying nicely. Mine are also laying nicely. One Australorp turned out to be a rooster, but the rest were pullets that I ordered. In their favor, I have to say, the thing that has impressed me the most is the beautiful color of eggs that these Americaunas lay. It's a wonderful shade of blue green. My older Americaunas lay an olive green that is not nearly as attractive as the color of the McMurray hen's eggs. I have not experienced any difficulties with any order thus far and will continue to order from McMurray. Neutral Oma2 (1 review) On March 3, 2008, Oma2 Alachua, FL (Zone 8b) wrote: A month ago, i ordered 25 straight-run barred rock and 25 Straight run rare breed special chicks. I was told that they would arrive Mar 3 and at 7:30 AM on Mar 3, i received a call from my Post Office saying that my chicks were ready to be picked up. I picked them up at 7:50 AM and found them to be in perfect condition. They were packed in a sturdy little box that had litter in the bottom and a cardboard shield around the inside to protect them from cold drafts. The chicks were bright and healthy and warm. I had them vaccinated for Marek's disease and coccidiosis at the hatchery. Also, i ordered Quick Chick vitamins and minerals and Gro-Gel Plus to get them off to a good start. They were ready to eat and drink are really chowing down. I haven't had chickens in 30 years and am delighted to have such a good experience with McMurray Hatchery. I must admit that i was worried about the Postal Service getting them to me in good condition. Some postal staff are less than caring about the quality of job that they do, in my experience. However, this time the Postal Service did a fine job. Thank you, McMurray for your job well done! :-) On October 4th, 2008, Oma2 changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: Update October 2, 2008. Well, my flock is raised and laying. I ordered 25 straight-run barred rocks and only 11 turned out to hens. They are good yard birds that really go after the bugs which are abundant in FL. Two of the roosters had crooked feet, a genetic defect. The roosters are quite aggressive and rape the hens instead of courting them. Had to separate ALL barred rock roo\'s from the hens. The roo\'s are much larger than the hens. (The barred rocks we had when i was a child and teenager were gentle and the roo\'s and hens were close to the same size and were heavy birds.) The other half of the order was the mixed-breed-special. The ad said that i would receive at least 6 chicks of each of 4 different breeds plus a surprise rooster. The real surprise was that 8 of the birds turned out to be bantam breeds instead of the full size birds that i ordered. Though the mixed-breed-special was supposed to be a straight-run package only 7 of this group turned out to be hens. All the chick deaths were in this group. Also, one of the roo\'s in this group had a cross-beak and was blind in one eye. McMurray did include 4 extra birds but 1 did not live 24 hours and 2 more died the next 2 weeks, 2 others did not live past the first month. (Normal attrition rate is 5%.) This current group consists of: 3 blue cochins: 2 roo\'s and 1 hen; 2 black cochins, both roo\'s; 8 bantams, 6 roo\'s and 2 hens from 3 different breeds; 3 hens with lace-pattern feathers; 1 five-toed roo with a beard and feathered legs (there were originally 4 chicks like this but 3 died before they were 2 weeks old); 5 roo\'s all different breeds. I lost 2 birds to predators and have eaten 2. What i have learned: Barred rocks are hardy, healthy chickens and the hens are good layers. The black cochins are shy, gentle, very large birds; the blue cochins are also large, quiet, gentle birds; 5-toed birds aren\'t hardy and not worth the trouble to raise; the other 3 cochins are aggressive but meaty (one was the cross-beak which i destroyed). I think i will try a different hatchery next year and order hens only. Neutral chixlover (1 review) On March 1, 2008, chixlover Kiln, MS wrote: I work in a post office and have seen chicks mailed "Priority" (3-5 days until delivery). This is outragious! I started to raise chickens, because I did not want to contribute to factory chicken farms. PLEASE! Pay the extra money and only order an animal "Express" delivery. Animals should not needlessly suffer. Positive BentWillow (1 review) On February 26, 2008, BentWillow Memphis, TN wrote: We received our first order of chicks from Murray McMurray on Feb 11th as promised. They all arrived healthy and warm. We ordered 5 Ameracaunas, 5 Rhodies, 5 Dominiques, 5 Cuckoo Marans, and 5 Pearl White Leghorns. In addition to those, we were given an extra Pearl and an Eqyptian Fayoumi exotic (roo I think). Our only issue the first week was excessive pasting on the Dominiques and Marans. Otherwise, the chicks are very friendly and seem very hardy. They are coming up when called and will eat out of our hands now. I would order from MM again. Negative triathing (1 review) On February 23, 2008, triathing East Dover, VT wrote: I bought 50 chickens from McMurray last year. They did OK but not spectacular -- about 20 percent died over a year. I tried them again this year. The first batch of 25 arrived -- all dead. Every last one. I called and asked them to send more. They sent the second batch to the wrong post office over a long holiday weekend. I don't know how many of them lived, because they went missing between the time the post office called and the time I got there (a 30-minute drive). I called McMurray and told them I'd blown three hours of work and a half-tank of gas, and I still didn't have any chickens. I told them they'd have to work a little harder to make this right -- two bad deliveries in a row had wasted too much of my time and money to be happy with just a refund or another order. I was thinking something along the lines of 10 percent off my next order, five free chickens, some modest gesture for my time. They were completely uninterested in doing anything above and beyond a refund or third delivery. I told them I'd take the basic refund and that they'd lost a good and potentially steady customer. Didn't concern them at all. Which is OK with me. I suspect their chickens are inbred as hell, and the deformity rate is higher than other hatcheries. I've gotten chicks from other hatcheries, and they're usually a very diverse bunch, even though they're the same breed. They're also a lot more chicken-like in their behavior, with much more scratching and socializing. Bottom line: I'd go with Cackle or Stromberg. Positive dealhound (1 review) On February 21, 2008, dealhound Eagle Springs, NC wrote: I just received my first shipment from McMurray on Tuesday this week. I had previously called the PO to let them know that they were arriving and had spoken to McMurray last week to ask about the details of the shipment. They had told me that they would be shipped on Sunday from Minnesota. Monday was a post office holiday, but my postmaster told me that she would be in on Monday morning and if they came in she would call. They did not arrive on Monday, but we got the call at 6:30 am on Tuesday. I must say that I was very worried as the Midwest had a storm over the weekend with bitter cold weather. I had feared my chicks might be caught up in this and stranded or too cold. Turned out my fears were baseless. My chicks arrived in perfect condition, all beautiful and energetic, thirsty and hungry and WARM. I had ordered 26 chicks and McMurray had included a couple of extras of varieties that I had ordered as well as the extra rare breed chick promised. The package was prepared for cold weather with insulation along the sides. All chicks were in the proper #s ( I had many varieties and sexes) and the ones I had asked to be marked were marked perfectly with little leg bands! I couldn't be more happy with my McMurray experience! I am sorry for some of the previous purchaser's experience, but if McMurray is making it all right, I think you should be pleased. If they were packaged properly and the chicks were healthy when shipped, I would think that was all they could do. The varieties we purchased were Black Australorps, Brown Leghorns, Lakenvelders, Speckled Sussex, Light Brahma and Golden Campines. As mentioned previously, all were vigorous and perfect. I think my extra rare chick is a buff cochin. The extra chicks included (and marked as extra on the invoice) was a buff orpington male and a australorp pullet. Thank you McMurray. You may not be the cheapest, but you may be the best value for the small grower with all your extras! (multiple varieties and sexes and identity banding for no extra charge) I will certainly purchase from you again. Negative dmcreynolds (1 review) On February 20, 2008, dmcreynolds Thousand Oaks, CA wrote: I received my shipment of chcks from McMurray's today. Yesterday was a Federal Holiday. Post Office was closed. In my box of 26 chicks were 13 dead at the bottom of the box and 13 chicks standing atop the former. By evening today I lost another 2. Down to 11. I rang the company straight away, once I returned from the Post. They were very apologetic. Informed me that they guarantee the birds for 48 hours from arrival. Sad thing is that the wee birds died. I believe that they will honor the purchase. Just don't know if I want them to ship anymore to me. Cut my loses and take a refund. I can not trust that the next box will have all live birds. Neutral coolshadz (1 review) On February 15, 2008, coolshadz Mulino, OR wrote: On Feb 11th, I received my first McMurray order. I was disturbed to see a flattened dead chick at the bottom of the box. It appears they must have either miscounted or knew this one was going to die since they sent 26 plus my free rare chick. The very next day, another chick died off. I don't think sending them Priority as opposed to overnight is a good idea. I noted these chick have EXCESSIVE rear end pasting. This is caused by the stress of transit according to the web site. I don't think this is healthy for them as it plugs them up and I have to constantly pull doodie from their rear ends. I have more babies coming this week and I am very nervous about the way these will arrive. Monday is a postal holiday and I am afraid my babies will be dead when I get them. Not so good practice. I am curious as well how many roos I will end up with. I bought them all sexed so only time will tell. McMurrays prices are outrageous if you ask me. This is a sad price to pay if you want early birds I guess. I don't think I will be purchasing again from them in the future. This was a definate learning experience for me. Local hatcheries are recommended if you have any in your area. On February 15th, 2008, coolshadz added the following: Oops. Sending them Priority as opposed to overnight IS NOT a good idea. Typo, sorry. On February 15th, 2008, coolshadz added the following: On February 22nd, 2008, coolshadz added the following: ON Feb 19th AM, I received my 100 chicks ordered from McMurray. The 75 large breed birds were all perfect, we did lose 2 in 24hours but had 2 extra for loss purposes. My 25 (plus 2 extras for loss purposes and free rare chick-total 28) bantams were not well at all. The post master told me, Tuesday morning, there were a lot of casualties in the box when they arrived. They were only there 15 minutes before I picked them up. Monday was a holiday and we did have a post master at the post office that holiday day. I made her aware my chicks were coming in case they showed up on a non postal day, she promised to call if they came. They did not arrive until Tuesday, count them folks, 4 days!!! Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues! I opened the box when I got home and was devastated to say the least. 12 dead on arrival and 3 more barely clinging onto life. Several others looking not-so-well either. I called the company right away and they told me to wait 48 hours and call back. Glad I did. I lost a chick every 15-20 minutes. 48 hours later, I had 6 left. It was not only VERY sad, but very sickening as well. McMurray was very good about giving me a replacement. They are honoring an entire new order at no cost. I am, however, VERY concerned about having them shipped again. 2 days is too long without water, food, and heat. I was told they would ship out on Saturday for Monday arrival, EEEK! I have my fingers crossed for a no loss shipment this time. I do give McMurray applause for fantastic customer service. I just wish they would ship EXPRESS mail since the package is precious cargo. VERY IMPORTANT. I will be dealing with my local hatchery from now on. On February 26th, 2008, coolshadz added the following: On Feb 25th, I received my replacement Bantams for all the loss on my Feb 19th arrivals. As I feared, there were dead ones in the box and a few clinging onto life. I have since lost approximately 13 total out of 28. A few of them appear they may \"check out\" as well. I do commend McMurrays customer service. I have told them of the loss and they are going to replace, refund, or credit. They do guarantee the first 48 hrs. I am pleased with the customer service this company offers. They have an outstanding customer service center, and I appreciate how easy they are to do business with. Their representatives are very professional and compassionate. I will keep my rating at a neutral however. I think the shipping method seriously needs to be reconsidered by McMurray. It is very sad to watch these innocent little babies die off from chill caused by delay in arrival :( Positive rivno1 (1 review) On February 10, 2008, rivno1 Augusta, KS wrote: Nothing but great experience with this company. Fast shipment. only time I ever lost chicks was the post offices fault and McMurray made it right. Neutral arcosantiag (2 reviews) On January 31, 2008, arcosantiag Mayer, AZ wrote: I ordered 36 chicks, 2 straight-run, 34 pullets. I received 40 chicks (1 free rare bird, and 2 extras). Two died within the first week. We had 6 roosters of the surviving 38. The rainbow layers mix included a lot of barred rocks, a few cochins (which I didn't think were great layers?) and quite a few americaunas/auracanas (yay!). So overall a few more roosters than I might have liked but the chicks are wonderful! Negative TheQueenBee (1 review) On January 31, 2008, TheQueenBee Momence, IL wrote: In March of 2007 I ordered Rhode Island Reds and Americaunas from Murray McMurrays. They arrived at the post office on a Sunday and the PO is closed on Sundays. A P.O worker called me and said she stopped by to pick something up and heard the crying, and that she would wait for me to pick them up if I wanted. I did pick them up. The Americaunas started dying right off the bat. In 2 days I lost 5. The RIR's looked fine. I sent photos and called McMurrays right away and was told I had a credit for the dead birds. Weeks after their arrival I noticed one of the pullets had a leg that was turned sideways from the hip. I didn't know what that was from then, and still don't. Now, I made another purchase of 25 RIR's from them, and they were delivered in November 2007. There was no record of the last dead birds from the first order, but she took my word for it and gave me the credit. ( I still had the pics on a floppy) Upon opening the box I found a smashed chick on the bottom of the box. The rest were fine. Then weeks later I notice the same thing again, I have 2 pullets with a leg turned sideways from the hip and they're crippled like the first one from the first order. What is this? Something genetically wrong with their RIR stock? The eggs from my first batch of March 2007 pullets are mixed colors. Some of the browns are dark and gorgeous, and some are so light they're almost white! I get lot's of deformed eggs also with wrinkles and knots on them! Well, I just ordered new breeding stock from Ideal Poultry and will be culling the McMurray birds once these new ones come into lay. I wasted a whole year raising inferior stock, and now I have to wait another year to get large NORMAL eggs! I should mention that I'd also purchased 50 birds from Marti Poultry the same month in 2007, and they all grew up fine. Marti's just didn't send my white egg layers! Positive MArjos (1 review) On January 27, 2008, MArjos Gainesville, FL wrote: Ordered 25 cuckoo maran day-old str run last May. All lived. 13 hens turned out to be beautiful top quality and high producers. The cockerels were delicious. Am reordering 50 for this coming Feb 11th Negative fireprookie (1 review) On January 8, 2008, fireprookie Rock Island, TN wrote: Hello, I have been ordering chickens from murray mcmurray for the past 5 years.. I ordered chickens this year and my order was outrageous for 25 chicks it was going to cost me 68.00 . I also ordered 15 turkeys last year that cost me over 150.00 I only have three left which is going to set me back a year in my buisness. (I couldn't afford to order 15 more so they credit my account which I praised. However, I was discouraged with the disease and loss they all developed after having them 3 days fat faces and all Positive mabecca (1 review) On December 5, 2007, mabecca belmont county, OH wrote: Murray McMurray has been a great company for me to get my birds, I have ordered from them 5 or 6 times. They have been very helpful with my phone orders, offering suggestions when perhaps my first-choice chick was not available at the shipping date I preferred. Although I order only 25-30 chicks at a time, they have always added 2-3 'extras' which have always been of one of the breed types I wanted. Out of the 150 some pullet chicks I have ordered from them, very few, perhaps only one or two, have turned out to be roosters. So their accuracy is also excellent! The shipping date for me has never been a problem but I have been very, very careful when choosing that date, as well as telling my post office that they were coming and which day to expect them. I also made sure the P.O. had my phone number, which is just common sense. Positive ceeadsalaskazone3 (1 review) On December 4, 2007, ceeadsalaskazone3 Seward, AK wrote: I have dealt with Murray McMurray for over 40 years and have had only the best to say about them. Over the years I've had the occasional loss and told them about it and they kept a record of it and recopensed me the following year (Or years, since I order every other year or so. One time a foolish postal worker left a bunch of peeping chicks on a loading dock, outside, in Alaska and they all died, of course. I contacted MM and they sent me the same order, right away, apologized for something out of their control and all lived. I think the negatives are the exception and I know that MM contracts with different breeders and sometimes they, like everyone, else has bad experiences, but cut off relations with those breeders and go on. I have been treated with the utmost consideration and would recommed them as A1+ Carol Eads in Seward, Alaska Negative TritonsFarm (2 reviews) On December 1, 2007, TritonsFarm Beverly, WA (Zone 5b) wrote: Ordered 50 chicks. 15 were dead on arrival. This may have been from the post office, but even if it was McMurray hatchery didn't respond very well. I had to send two emails and no one ever contacted me back. They did credit my account, but wouldn't it be a good idea to send an email to the customer? I won't order from them again. I like ideal hatchery much more. They have great customer service and chicks arrived very healthy and active. Positive wmcarthur (1 review) On October 4, 2007, wmcarthur Valdosta, GA wrote: I ordered 25 araucana chicks. They shipped on Wednesday 10/3/07 and were at my local Post Office in Deep South Georgia by 7:30 a.m. Thursday.10/4/07 All were healthy and ready for something to eat. Great job by McMurray! Positive native (3 reviews) On September 29, 2007, native Anson, ME wrote: I can't complain about McMurray- we've ordered the All Heavies deal pretty much every spring for the past 5 years or so to fill the freezer in the summer. It's a bargain that can't be beat, imo. And I have yet to see one of their birds with genetic or congenital defect. The only other option for us in terms of buying local chicks are cornish cross and I think that's an absurd, cruelly created breed. We're in Maine and always receive McMurray chicks in a timely fashion. Only once over a holiday weekend were they a day late. I anticipate a 10% mortality rate with mail order chicks no matter what company we order from- and that's typically what we experience. Usually one or two chicks are DOA and a couple die within a day or two. I additionally hatch my own chicks and very rarely lose one. If i do, it's always due to a congenital defect. Hatching chicks is a tricky, time consuming, expensive endeavor. It takes 21 days to hatch an egg- 21 days of checking humidity levels, temps, worrying in a power outage, candeling, and etc. But one needs to consider that sexing, immunizing, sorting, and mailing a chick is a bit more traumatic on it than just putting it directly in a brooder after it hatches. I think this is something many folks don't consider when getting chicks through mail order, which is obviously the more convenient, cost effective way to obtain poultry. The price for this convenience is seeing a few checks dead or dying. I'm glad hatcheries like McMurray exist as they keep many heritage and special breeds going strong. Positive chapman1 (1 review) On September 26, 2007, chapman1 Concho, AZ wrote: I HAVE BEEN USING THIS HATCHERY FOR 28 YEARS. ALL MY BOYS SHOWED THEIR CHICKENS, ONE FIRST PLACES. FOR A FEW YEARS AFTER THEY GREW UP I STOPPED RAISING CHICKENS. NOW I HAVE ADOPTED A BOY AND ORDERED HIM CHICKENS. ALL LIVED, AND IM VERY HAPPY WITH THE ORDER I GOT BACK THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. NOW ALL ARE LAYING, HE ENJOYS GETTING ALL THE EGGS AND SELLING THEM. HE SHOWED AT THE COUNTY FAIR AND WON!!! NEVER A PROBLEM WITH SHIPPING. NEVER A DEAD ONE! I WILL ALWAYS USE MURRAY MCMURRAY AND SO WILL MY CHILDREN. Positive boneriver (1 review) On July 7, 2007, boneriver South Bend, WA wrote: I have had only positive experiences with McMurray hatchery. I recieved 50 chicks on July 1st. Which is a Sunday. The chicks were hatched the day before at McMurray and sent out immediately. The Postal service Distribution office called me on Sunday and I drove 1 1/2 hrs to pick them up. Each time I order chicks, I contact the post office/distribution center and ask them to call me immediately so I can pick them up asap. This way they get food, water, more space and heat sooner than waiting for them to be shipped to my local post office the following day. I follow McMurrays instructions exactly and I have a great survival rate. I have been extremely pleased with the advice and service I have been given whenever I call them. They are excellent when it comes to replacing miss-sexed chicks. I even had some bantams shipped with this order (risky I know) they gave me an extra bantam of each (which was very nice since I was not charged). They are doing great!! I have 2 heat lamp stations set up to make sure no "pig piles" occur. Overall good quality chicks. Maybe some of the problems people experience is due to the postal service in their area. I live in western Washington State, which seems to be great. People love my eggs. I can sell my eggs for more than anyone else in my area. (.75 more a dozen) and I can't keep up. Thank-You McMurray hatchery!!! Negative deadchickens (1 review) On July 3, 2007, deadchickens Rochester, NY wrote: We ordered 25 day old chicks. These birds were shipped on a Saturday (standard practice from Mcmurray despite postal regulations prohibiting animal shipments that may arrive on a Sunday). We waited, Monday- Tuesday, Wednesday - we called Mucmurray repeatedly, they assured us the birds were on their way but because they only ship priority (not express) there was no way for the USPS to track the shipment. Finally, Thursday afternoon (6 days in transit!)we got a call from the Post Office. There were a few birds still alive, the rest were dead and maggots were crawling around on them. We did our best to save the live birds but over a few days my 10 yr old was treated to the sight of the chicks he had dreamed about die one by one. We contacted McMurray and they sent a replacement batch of chicks. I begged them to send them express, at my cost- no dice. However they did insure this bunch (I guess that way if these died the Post Office pays the full retail value and Mcmurray doesn't lose $- tough luck for the chicks but hey that's business). We got the second order Tuesday afternoon - (4 days in transit) one dead already and a few more in the afternoon. As I understand it Mcmurray hatchery has been around since 1919 and employs about 75 people. I'm sure that most of these people are decent hardworking folks, but in my opinion the company is making decisions that result in very inhumane treatment of their animals. I will never buy from this company again - and wether you want broilers or pets I would strongly encourage that you avoid purchasing live animals from Mcmurray. Negative macfarms (1 review) On June 13, 2007, macfarms Dexter, NY wrote: I ordered 30 pheasants from McMurray. When I received them they were extremely small and frail. After 5 days I had only 13 of the 30 left. I called them and they agreed to send me 15 replacements, but I had to pay for another 15 since thier minmum order was 30 chicks. I reluctantly decided to do so, and the second shipment was even worse. 2 dead at the post office, and 13 dead in the first four days. I will never order from them again. I have since purchased some pheasant chicks locally, and have not lost a single chick. Negative Leva (1 review) On June 11, 2007, Leva Bethel, NY wrote: Beware: even if you paid them it doesn't mean you are going to get it! I have placed an order for Ornamental Pheasant Chicks with the hatchery more than six months ago. We have spent all this time preparing: building a coop, aviary, setting up automatic waterers, feeders, etc. The delivery during the week of May 29 ,2007 as we expect never happens. We start calling the company around May 31 and spent the next seven days calling. And they spend these days saying that one day old chicks are still en-route to our home. (Imagine us, adults, frustrated) Finally, we get a hold of the manager, 'Brad', who says the chicks were lost (imagine our kids crying) and promised that the chicks would be shipped the next day, that is Wednesday June 6. Indeed the chicks arrive to our local post-office on June 8. Four or five dead on arrival (again, imagine my kids crying). The chicks were so tiny, they must have been an hour old when they got into the US Postal Service box! The following two days are an agony: they just keep dying unable to eat, drink or even get under the heat lamps - they are just too weak. (At this point, the kids have no tears left, and adults are dramatically moved by what happened) By June 11 we have half an order dead with 13 chicks doing O.K. We get on the phone with the hatchery explaining that 50% of the order is dead and asking for replacement. Alas, the lady on the other end of the line, Marilyn, does not want to consider anything but credit. We explain the waiting, the thousands of dollars we spent on proper facilities, the aggravation, and the willingness to pay extra for an overnight delivery - nothing works. At the end, we are getting a credit for half the order, but no satisfaction. Now, how does this $100 credit can make us happy after having spent six months waiting and almost two weeks horrifies? What's mostly upsetting is that the Hatchery had absolutely no feelings of compassion or remorse. They felt sorry for teh chicks, but didn't even once apologize to us.

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