Eustice Lake opened a hatchery at 1203 South Main Street about the same time. He later moved to the northwest corner of Third and Main Streets. Frank Fister offered chicken culling in the 1930's, and firms such as the Farmer's Union Service Association, Lake's, and Kruse's sold poultry feeds.

Lloyd Rix opened a feed and produce business in 1941, and Harry Raebel started Raebel Produce in 1943. Raebel added a hatchery to the business in 1945.

Roger Nissen entered the poultry business during this time, and in early 1945, he and Merle Stoelk went into partnership in Nissen's Hatchery. The business operated until November, 1946.

Clarence Grundmeier purchased the Kruse Hatchery in 1942, retaining the Kruse name. After a fire damaged the business in 1943, Grundmeier bought Lake's store and changed the name to the Grundmeier Hatchery. Lake, who had also had a grinding and feed manufacture business, continued that line.

Grundmeier first hatched between 50,000 and 75,000 chicks a year during the three month season. When broiler hatching began in 1948, that number increased to one and a half million annually. In broiler hatching, the eggs were placed on long trays in incubators. Every three hours, the eggs were turned mechanically. In 21 days, the chicks hatched and were put in big boxes; the day-old chicks were sexed and sold. Many went to area farmers, and eventually sold to the Priebe processing plant. Nearly 40,000 chicks a week, in two deliveries, were shipped to Arkansas.

The Grundmeiers had many hatching flocks in the area and as far away as Maryville, Missouri and the northeast corner of Iowa. The firm also did a large business in cream and eggs.

Raebel Produce moved into the basement of the former Kruse building, 509 Main, shortly after the 1943 fire. Throughout the years, the building had housed a hotel, livery barn, dance hall, vereins, Petersen Garage, and today, Manning Motor.

In the summer of 1946, the Ross Graner family purchased Raebel Produce, and in November, they purchased half interest in Nissen's Hatchery. The business was then renamed the Hi-Way Hatchery and Produce, and included a hatching operation, the buying and selling of eggs and cream, and feed sales.

Graner became sole owner of the Hi-Way Hatchery in 1949, and Nissen continued in the poultry business in the old Puck building at the north end of Main Street, near Front Street. Glen Jensen and Gerald Schroeder bought shares in the business in 1955. The three-way partnership continued a year, when Nissen's closed and Jensen and Schroeder formed J & S Feed Service.

Rix Produce was destroyed by afire in the mid-1950's, and the city hall building stands there now. After his building burned, Lloyd Rix moved into a building at the Dultmeier plant, continuning there several years. In the early 1960's, John Frees bought the Rix business, and a short time later built the building on Center Street which is now used as a school bus garage. The business was called Johnnie's Feed & Supply, and he sold chicks and Wayne feeds and bought cream and eggs. The business was discontinued in 1965 when Frees became clerk of the City of Manning.

The Merlin Schroeder family opened the Schroeder Farm Store on the west side of the Priebe building in 1960. They sold feed and baby chicks, and bought eggs and poultry from the farmers. Merlin also had an egg route twice a week. The business was discontinued after a fire destroyed the building in 1967; Schroeder later opened a feed and seed store.

When Highway 141 was widened in 1961, Graner merged the Hi-Way Hatchery with Glen's Hatchery, which was opened in 1959 by Glen Kusel. The business was renamed the G & R Hatchery, and was located east on Highway 141 in the Bunz building, which was earlier the Preibe Hatchery and then the Kusel Hatchery.

G & R had the last hatching operation in Manning, which ended in 1968. The firm remained in the feed sales business; in 1971, the partnership was dissolved. Kusel opened his Dozer Service, and Graner continued to operate as the G & R Hatchery. He moved the business to his acreage northeast of town in 1973.