I find it to be a great comfort that we get to start thinking about the winter holidays in the dog days of hot East Texas summer. July means turkeys are already on pasture, foraging away to build up the centerpiece of the Thankgiving feast. 

If you’re new to our operations, here’s a little bit of info on Shady Grove Ranch Turkeys.

How We Raise Our Turkeys

Our turkeys are totally pasture-raised. But what is more important and sets us apart from many other “free-range” or even “organic” operations is that our birds are actually on real green growing grass. Not a dirt yard, not a concrete pad, not a warehouse piled high with smelly litter. The birds live in a large mobile hoop roof which is moved daily to fresh new ground. The “ground” consists of live growing vegetation–mostly grass, but lots of native herbs, legumes, and other forage crops. The turkeys get lots of fresh air and space to roam, but are still protected from the many predators in our area (skunks, coyotes, hawks, owls, dogs, etc). 

What Our Turkeys Eat

Birds are not like cows–they cannot get all their required nutrients from vegetative forage alone. For this reason, we give them free-choice access to an oat-and-peanut-based feed that contains no soy, no genetically-modified grains, and no antibiotics. Perhaps most important of all is that we do not feed any arsenic-based medications or feed additives, which are commonly used in turkeys to improve weight gains and prevent disease. Lots of issues are solved by keeping birds outdoors on fresh ground rather than cooped up in a toxic atmosphere on soiled litter. 

Do Our Turkeys Get Hormones?

Any “hormone-free” claim made by poultry producers is a little misleading–all poultry is required to be raised without hormones. But of course we feel like it should be said that ours is not raised with hormones, either.

How Are Our Turkeys Processed?

Our turkeys are processed by hand without the use of bleach, irradiation, or mechanical evisceration. This makes for a cleaner, safer, and tastier bird. 

Will You Be Able To Tell The Difference?

We sure hope so! We get great feedback on our turkeys. They are flavorful and moist, and best of all, they cook faster than conventionally-raised birds! You don’t have to do much to make our turkeys delicious.

Yes, they are expensive. And they are a challenge to raise! It takes a little over twice as long to raise a turkey as a broiler chicken, which means more days of labor, more cumulative time battling the predators. We enjoy the stories about how customers enjoyed their special bird and enjoyed sharing the special story about where they got it and who raised it for them. 

How Do You Reserve A Turkey for 2016?

This is your invitation to claim a turkey. They will be ready in early- to mid-November. We aim to harvest the turkeys by our first routine deliveries of November, but the reality is that they are outdoor livestock and may grow more slowly than we plan. We will be in touch with our reservees to make arrangements to get you your bird by Thanksgiving. 

To get on the Reserved List, you must pay a $30 deposit. You can do that by mail, or you can pay with your next order during our routine deliveries or at farmers market. We’re only taking 75 spots this year, so hurry!

Pricing

Our pricing will remain the same this year and will vary based on the size of the birds: 

Small: up to 14.99 lb, $5.00 per pound. (Estimated price range $50 to $74.95 per turkey)

Average: 15-18.99 lb, $4.50 per pound. (Estimated price range $67.50 – $85.46 per turkey)

Large: 19-24 lb, $4.00 per pound. (Estimated price range $76 – $96 per turkey)

Disclaimers

We will do things just a touch differently this year because we had to do a bit of wild-goose-chasing last year to get everyone’s turkey out the door. We’re not interested in ripping anyone off, but we can only allow so much time for the marketing and distribution of the turkeys. I don’t want to have to sell any turkeys twice! After all, there’s an awful lot to do around here!

All reserved turkeys must be picked up and/or paid for prior to Thanksgiving. If they are not picked up or paid for by November 22, 2016, they will be sold and your deposit forfeited. If you want us to hold your turkey until Christmas, you must pay in full by November 22. If the birds are not picked up by December 23, 2016, payment and deposit become non-refundable and we will pass your bird on to someone in need. 

We will be in touch with folks who have reserved a turkey to make pickup arrangements starting in early November. 

Go reserve your turkey!