Friday, March 19, 2010

Spring Newsletter!



Legacy Family Farm

Leaving a legacy of Biblical community through agriculture

Dear Friend,

We are thankful for a new year and looking forward to the challenges and joys God has in store for it.  As spring is slowly making its way, we are beginning to take orders for chickens.  But first, let’s revisit last year’s experience. 

We purchased 100 chickens last year and raised them at Keith Owens farm in Carleton, MI.  The chickens lived outside feasting on nature’s unpolluted pasture in movable pens.  We moved the pens daily. This allowed us to ensure fresh pasture every day for the chickens to forage while still protecting them from predators.  At the end of 9 weeks all the chickens were processed and sold.  We offered our chickens to a small group of people as a trial run.  It was a wonderful experience and I’d like to thank all those who came out to help.  It really felt like living in community together!  We are looking forward to the same experience this year!

This year our plans are similar to last year.  Here’s how it works:

    * If you’re interested, please fill in this sheet and return it to me.  You may email it back to me or you can print it off and put it in the mail or give it to me in person.
    * We require a $5 non-refundable deposit for each bird.  This will help us know that you are serious about your order and help defray the up-front costs. 
    * Next, you wait patiently for a hormone-free, chemical-free, antibiotic-free, pastured, locally produced and processed chicken.  Waiting time is 6-8 weeks.  Did we mention delicious?  By the way, we love visitors (especially kids) so give us a call!
    * We’ll contact you in advance with an estimated pick up date.
    * Early in the morning of the pick-up date we’ll begin processing the birds.  When you arrive, bring your cooler.  You’ll pick up the birds much like you see them in the store: no head or feet, plucked clean, thoroughly gutted, and packaged.  A lot of people ask questions about that.  If you want the feet or the giblets, please specify.
    * When you come to pick up your birds, we will subtract your deposit fees from the total cost of your birds and the remainder will be due.   If you’re not sure what you ordered, just let us know.  We’ll keep track of it for you!

In an attempt to remain competitive in our area, and to provide a product that we feel is affordable, the cost structure is as follows:
    *  Any birds 5lbs or less will be sold for $10.
    *  Any birds over 5lbs will be sold for $12.
    *  Keep in mind that a rotisserie chicken from a big box supermarket is typically 2 lbs.
Also, we realize that most of us don’t have deep freezers anymore.  Perhaps you want several birds but you do not have the freezer space.  Consider staggering your order.  Below you will see the estimated processing dates.  You can choose several dates, and the number of chickens per date.  We will do our best to accommodate.  There are approximately 3 week gaps between processing days.  We can only do this if we have enough orders so it’s subject to change.  If it does, we will let you know.



Chicken Ordering:

Chickens will have an average dress weight of approximately 5lbs.  This is comparable in size to the whole chickens you might get from the local grocery store. Similarly, this is how you will receive your whole, uncooked chicken.  These chickens have a 6-8 week life cycle.  On processing day we will keep them in a cooler until you arrive.  Due to space and regulatory restrictions we will not be able to freeze or deliver the meat.  As this is working on a cooperative model the money you invest cannot be refunded for any reason once the chicks have been ordered.  However, you will receive clean, fresh, locally grown meat for a reasonable price.  We would love to have you join with us in this vision!


Remember, this is estimated and depends on how many orders we receive.  For up to date and accurate information, fan our Facebook page (Legacy Family Farm) or track this blog.


Estimated processing date:    July 10th    July 31st    August 14th    August 28th

Number of birds:              

Family name:              

Contact info:              


*To ensure your order, down payment for the first batch is due April 18th.  Without a down payment, orders will not be placed.   Down payment dates for other batches will be emailed approximately 12 weeks prior to the dates above.


Send order information to legacyfamilyfarm@gmail.com.

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