A Quieter Gobble, Thanksgiving Turkey Update

As the days get slowly shorter and November nears, we are beginning to get orders for Thanksgiving turkeys.  In the past, we have raised 300-400 turkeys for the holidays, but unfortunately we do not have the plentiful numbers this year.  We’ve had several obstacles this season, the biggest ones being predators (rats killed over twenty-five baby turkeys before we even brought them out to pasture, and coyotes have made a few successful attacks, most recently killing twenty-one birds in one night), and a parasite that took a few of the birds by restricting their breathing.  Because of these events, we decided to cancel our order of 300 broad-breasted turkey chicks and raised only the heartier heritage breed instead.  Out of the 100 birds we began with, we are now down to 16.

As farmers, we care deeply about our animals—both their health and happiness—and so it is more than just a business loss when events like this take place.  Turkeys are our favorite birds to raise for their quirky gobbles, their curiosity, their friendly personality, and their somewhat stately presence on the farm.  Though we have such a small group now, we are happy that they are healthy and growing.  It’s still fun to see the toms puff up their iridescent feathers and to watch the birds take off into the air, expanding and flapping their wings as they adventure around the field.

We have many loyal customers who have made it a tradition to buy their Thanksgiving turkey from us here at Applecheek, and we are continually grateful for your business.  Please call (802) 888-4482 or send an email, or stop by the farm to order your turkey again—but be fast since there are only 6 heritage turkeys left!  If you are looking for a less-traditional holiday meal, remember that we have gourmet French Muscovy ducks, as well as gourmet French chickens, all certified organic and pasture-raised. Please check our farm products here.

Since it’s never a bad time to be thankful, we’d like to say that we are thankful for the farm and the life of a farmer, despite its obstacles.  We are blessed to live so closely to the earth and to be able to share it with all of the visitors and customers who support good, local and sustainable food.

For those of you who are in need of a turkey, we have good news! Our friends Beth and Bruce from Maple Wind Farm are raising certified organic pasture-raised turkeys and they are making them available to our customers. You can order your Thanksgiving turkey from them. They will deliver their turkeys to our farm for your convenience. Here is a link to their contact information and the turkey order form.

We wish you and your family  a healthy and happy Thanksgiving, and we thank you for  your continued support.

- Applecheek Farm