Friday
Feb272009
Hey there Spring Chicken
Friday, February 27, 2009 at 5:11PM
Something compelled me to write about spring - and chickens today... not sure why - other than it's over 40 degrees(F) again today and the air smells a little less like winter and a little more earthy (even with the cold blast coming). It's the kind of day that when I let the dog out this morning I actually noticed slight slivers of light in the pre-6am sky. Something I haven't seen in several months now. I also heard the Bluebirds singing. A very good rural morning for sure - in the distance I heard a horse whinny.
So the picture I took a month or so back here is a little out of date - it's the pasture pen for raising the chickens... covered in an icy drift. That drift is really nothing more than a slushy pile of what is becoming an increasingly "long in the tooth" winter.
Anyhow - I mention the chicken pen because we spent last weekend working out the economics of this years batch of chickens as well as size of flock. Based on stated interest - it is definitely going to be first come / first served... We are also trying to dial in a price that's acceptable - for example the local grocery store sells USDA Organic whole chicken for $3.79/pound... and that means that at least 95% of what you get is up to the "USDA definition" of organic farming process... and it's likely a puny little 3# bone in bird. What we are selling this year is, while not "certified" organic - it is raised within the organic guidelines put forth by the USDA (and we can say that since we sold less than $5000 worth of goods last year). Our birds average about 5.5 pounds as processed folks... For your reference we are likely to be pricing out between $3.80 - $4.25 / pound.
So here's a brief overview of the process we will be rolling out in a short time:
So the picture I took a month or so back here is a little out of date - it's the pasture pen for raising the chickens... covered in an icy drift. That drift is really nothing more than a slushy pile of what is becoming an increasingly "long in the tooth" winter.
Anyhow - I mention the chicken pen because we spent last weekend working out the economics of this years batch of chickens as well as size of flock. Based on stated interest - it is definitely going to be first come / first served... We are also trying to dial in a price that's acceptable - for example the local grocery store sells USDA Organic whole chicken for $3.79/pound... and that means that at least 95% of what you get is up to the "USDA definition" of organic farming process... and it's likely a puny little 3# bone in bird. What we are selling this year is, while not "certified" organic - it is raised within the organic guidelines put forth by the USDA (and we can say that since we sold less than $5000 worth of goods last year). Our birds average about 5.5 pounds as processed folks... For your reference we are likely to be pricing out between $3.80 - $4.25 / pound.
So here's a brief overview of the process we will be rolling out in a short time:
- We will put up a web form for you to register for the number of birds you are reserving
- We will then close enrollment once we have hit capacity and have a wait list
- We will email those that have successfully reserved their chickens and request a deposit on the birds (likely the equivalent of 2 pounds of the final weight - this is your deposit on ownership of that bird)
- For customers who wish to have their bird(s) slaughtered and plucked on pick-up day - we will require your signature on a form indicating you are choosing that option and understand what it means.
- People that register but do not provide the deposit in the specified time period will be moved to the bottom of the wait list and we will begin notifying people wait-listed until all birds are accounted for.
- We will publish "pick-up day" on the reservation form - SOMEONE MUST PICK-UP YOUR BIRDS THAT DAY - we can not hold birds to be sold at a later time - you will have the option of choosing a Saturday or a Sunday of processing weekend.
- We will obviously keep posting updates on the flock throughout the season to keep you updated - and encourage people to come visit "their chicken(s)"
- Should you select to have on farm processing performed (everyone does), upon arrival on processing day, you will be able to select your bird from those processed, we will collect the balance due based off of the final weight and bag your bird(s) for you.
tagged chickens, farm, processing in Farm Life
chickens, farm, processing in Farm Life
Reader Comments (1)
Spring is here because KONE KING opens tomorrow at 11am. I will be there waiting in line for my free small cone. OK, maybe I will be eating it in the car with the heat on, but once KONE KING opens, you KNOW spring has sprung.