WEBSTER CITY, Iowa - Nothing heralds spring on the farm as the sound of baby chicks does. The peeping chorus at Murray McMurray Hatchery is amplified by the thousands. Each Friday is a red letter day.

Portrait of Plymouth Rock Chicken (Barred Rock hen) on the farm. Photography of nature and wildlife. In this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends podcasts: Tom Watkins from Murray McMurray ...

Here in the rolling hills of central Iowa, feathers are flying in a high-stakes dispute involving giant Northwest Airlines, the U.S. Postal Service and the not-at-all-giant Murray McMurray Hatchery.