Cedar Meadow Farm Newsletter

March 2007

March is certainly living up to it’s name and is coming in like a lion.  We are expecting record low temperatures during this first week of the month – just in time for our first delivery of layer chicks.  Not to worry though, the little ones are all snug in our basement!  These girls will be ready for your henhouse as early as the end of May.  We have limited quantities of White Leghorns, Aracunas, Welsummers, Blue Andalusians, Welsummers, Cuckoo Marans, and New Hampshire Reds.  You can expect them to start laying as early as August or September.  Many of these birds have already been pre-sold.  If you are interested, please call us now so we can hold your birds for you.

Turkeys are due to arrive during the first week of April.  We have decided not to take any pre-orders of our Turkeys until August of this year.  Though our turkeys have incredible access to fresh forage and fresh air, the predators also have access to them.  Due to losses to predators, we have opted to wait until later in the season to ensure we have a more accurate bird count.   This year, in addition to our heritage breed Narragansett and Bourbon Reds, we will be adding a small number of Broad Breasted Bronze Turkeys to the flocks.  Due to their more efficient feed conversion and faster grow out times, we can offer this bird for a slightly lower price.

Please note that Effective April 1^st 2007, our prices have been raised slightly.  This is due to mostly to the rapid rise in the cost of grain.  Though we could get a low quality grain at a lower price, we do not believe this does justice to either or animals or our customers.  We are actively seeking out sources of non-GMO feeds.  In the meantime, you can be rest assured that our animals do not recieve any medicated feed (unless there is a medical reason to justify this) and are fed vegetarian feeds containing no animal by-products.

A reminder to all our patrons that this summer, we will be offering rabbit and duck for sale.  Both of these animals make for a delicious meal and we encourage you all to give it a try.  By mid-summer, expect to see a “Pork Sampler” in our lineup.  This will include 14-16 pounds of our most popular products:  ham steaks, bacon, pork chops, Sweet Sausage, and Breakfast Sausage.  The cost will be $100.  This is the perfect investment for individuals who do not have room for a ¼, ½, or whole pig in their freezer.

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we are continuing to work with the folks at Certified Humane so that we can join Footsteps Farm in Stonington as one of Connecticut’s only farms with this designation.   This is just one more way to show our commitment to our animals so that you, our customers, can enjoy a quality product with a clear conscience.

Wishing you all health and happiness,

Brian and Julia Cronin