It is that time of year again: gardens are being planned, seeds ordered and the days are slowly getting longer. Along with the plant seeds, we have also ordered our chicken seeds…. err, chicks! Our timeline for chicken harvest will be quite similar as last year and if 2021 will be similar to 2020 in one way: i highly recommend that you order soon so that you don’t miss out before we sell out!
This pandemic brings with it SO many challenges…. but one silver lining has been the increased value on locally grown products and food. Your local farmer has your best interest in mind, treats her animals well and offers safe, curbside pick up of freshly harvested, ethically raised meat. Plus, your dollars are kept within the community. I like to hope that all the people who have discovered gardening, chicken raising and buying farm-direct during lock down will continue to hold these values well after covid has been squelched. (That is gonna happen, right? Right?) If you are looking for locally grown, pasture raised chicken or duck in the Corvallis/Salem/Dallas Oregon area, consider Birdsong Farm to stock your freezer.
Here at Birdsong Farm we keep a year round flock of Muscovy ducks. We sell ducklings in spring and raise a few dozen to fill our freezer and to sell as gourmet meat. We also purchase chicks once a year to fill our freezer and sell to local customers. We have several customers who return to us year after year and are always happy to welcome new buyers while supply lasts! We sell almost all of our meat by pre-order and do require a deposit. If supporting a small, local farm who loves their animals and treats them the way you’d like to be treated if you were a bird, consider ordering from us. Details on prices and ‘how to order’ below. Please send us an email or text if you’d like to place an order. I’ll do my best to update this post if/when we sell out. Contact> birdsongfarm.or at gmail dot com or text at 5zero3 nine4nine 06onezero
Pasture Raised Chickens
Along with our home-bred meats we also raise one batch of chickens each summer. Our chicks are purchased from a local hatchery and free range on pasture most of their lives. They spend their first 3 weeks in a dry, heated room in our barn, spend a week enclosed in their protected ‘tractor’ which is moved every few days, and are then allowed out during the daytime to scratch, peck and flap in large electronet pens which are moved every week or so. We raise chickens to fill our own freezers and have been happy to sell delicious fryers to our customers since 2017. We will have around 50 fryers available for sale this June, so reserve yours now!
Pricing: $10 deposit per bird. Price per pound based on number of chickens ordered: 1-4: $4.75/pound, 5-9: $4.25/pound, 10+: $4.00/pound.
How to order: Send me an email letting me know how many birds you will like then mail me a check with $10 deposit per bird. This year we plan to harvest our chickens over 3 weekends in June (precise dates TBD). We will request that you indicate your preference of date and if you prefer larger or smaller birds. We will finalize all plans the week prior. On your assigned weekend you will pick up your fresh birds around 4:00 pm or so from our farm. Balance will be due at the time of pick up based on your total weight x price per pound minus deposit. Please bring a cooler or coolers with cold packs or ice with plenty of room for all your birds. *If you need to pick up the following day we may be able to freezer your birds for you. Meat must be picked up within a week. If for some reason you cannot make it to the farm on your assigned day, please try and arrange a friend to pick up for you. Deposits are non-refundable.
Pasture Raised Muscovy Duck
Unlike our chicks that we order on a specific day and schedule their demise out up to a year in advance, our ducks do all the work for us which includes scheduling as well as mothering. We have scaled down our flock of muscovy ducks but should always harvest enough meat to share with our community. Ordering and pick up involve basically the same process as the chickens, except we do not require a deposit until butcher day is scheduled. We do require your email address and will request deposits be sent as soon as we have scheduled harvest day – 1-4 weeks in advance. Orders without deposits may be cancelled for new orders with deposit if demand is greater than supply. Prices are $7.25 per pound and duck weights generally range from 3-3.5 to 5-7 pounds.
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