Dear Grower,

02/21/10

As I sit here writing this letter the temperature outside is in the single digits and it’s hard to believe another growing season is just around the corner. This is our 25th year of selling and processing poultry. I’ve met a lot of people along the way, and made what I consider some great friends too. Tracy joined the operation 15 years ago and life around here “changed”. I remember asking her to “just collect the money so I can keep working”. Now she can run the whole place and does it better than me, so I’m told. A person couldn’t ask for a better partner in business or life. The kids were introduced to the operation early, sleeping in a play pen in the office, graduating to sitting on a five gallon pail drinking from their bottle while watching mom and dad work the kill area. Now they answer the phone, schedule appointments, unload poultry, and package finished birds. Even the crew has remained family oriented, now in the third generation!

Many many people over the years have asked “why do you keep doing it?”

I have never been able to come up with an intelligent answer, I just tell them “It’s in my blood.” Yes there are many instances of questioning our sanity with all the interrupted suppers, phone calls and some people that need a trip through the plucker, but it all as much a part of us as snow is to winter.

So you are probably wondering what up this year and yes there are a few slight changes in the way we will be able to operate due to family obligations and pure economics.

 BROILERS:  We will as always be offering the same commercial broiler chickens. The change from past years is that we will only be offering three planned hatch dates two in April and one in mid August. The two April hatch dates were selected because this allows the broilers to be grown and processed before the July summer heat starts to take its toll. The August hatch was selected because this allows folks to grow the birds to roaster size 6-7 lbs into October without the concern of birds dying from over heating. We have set our slaughtering schedule to accommodate for these hatch dates (i.e. seven and eight weeks from our hatch date). Some people will choose to order birds outside our hatch schedule therefore they will fall outside of the set slaughter schedule as well, we will attempt to accommodate as best we can. We have a very busy summer planned off the farm.

TURKEYS: We will also have the usual commercial large white broad breasted poults available. We are negotiating a price for the 3-4 week old started (mid July and late August hatched) birds but it was too early to get a commitment in February. My guess is that they will be around $6 each but I’m just guessing .We will have July and August day old poults as back up. As I said before some people will order birds from other sources earlier in the season ending up with over sized birds at Thanksgiving that will double and triple their cost of processing. Remember mid-July hatched poults will dress 25 to 35+ lbs and late August hatched poults will dress 14 to 22 lbs at Thanksgiving!

Started Laying Pullets; New this year we will be offering “Red Star” sex-link brown egg chickens. These birds are approximately 18 weeks old and should start laying between 20 and 22 weeks. We get the birds a few weeks before they start to lay so the stress of transporting, handling and the new environment does not interrupt production. We have used the “Red Star” sex-link for egg production here on our farm for the past four years. This is a heavy bodied egg producer, producing 300+ eggs in a year. It has proven year after year the ability to maintain excellent egg production faced with the many stressors of Maine life such as extremes in heat, cold, confinement, free ranging and our kids. We have only a very limited number   being delivered the first or second weekend of May.  The birds will cost $8.00 each the day of delivery, $10.00 each the day after.

The best time to reach us is between 6:00a.m. & 7:00a.m. weekday mornings or even better time is 6:00 pm to 8:45pm; our phone does not work after 9:00pm for some reason. “If the sun is out so are we” We sincerely look forward to hearing from you with any questions you may have and of course with your all-important, order

Don’t forget to check out our web site at www.Mainepoultry.com Thanks, Scott, Tracy, Emily, Ben, and Adam (The Greaney's)

Greaney’s Turkey Farm

309 Main ST

Mercer, Me 04957 (207) 587-4062

2010 ORDER FORM

Remember we are only guaranteed live delivery of the day old birds. Once picked up, the hatchery will not replace birds that die unless there is a 25% death loss of the whole hatch, not just your birds. This is due to the varying husbandry practices and growing environments. Please also remember to pick up your birds during the designated time period and by 7:00pm. No whining--No excuses, PLEASE……..

Please also remember to bring a box with you.   We also run a farm and need to do evening chores in a timely manner as well as take care of our birds and of course our “kidlets”.

Greaney’s Turkey Farm 309 Main St Mercer, Me  04957