Fenway Field Farm

01/09/2022

Locally grown turkeys must be getting popular. Today, checking out the hatchery’s website schedule for 2022 and saw the turkey poults for delivery in early August were almost sold out. So, 6 weeks after Thanksgiving 2021, we’ve ordered 60 turkeys for Thanksgiving 2022. No need to pre-order your turkey now. Past customers get first dibs on Fenway turkeys. More details later in the year. Happy New Year!

11/07/2021

Hello folks - we are all sold out of Thanksgiving turkeys. Thanks to everyone for their continued support of Fenway Field Farm.

10/26/2021

Today, our Thanksgiving turkeys have gone through 2,000 pounds of feed. Had to order another 1/2 ton to get us through to November 21st (Turkey D-day). They are packing on the weight and looking good. We have about a dozen turkeys still available. If you (or someone you know) are interested, please let me know.

Pic: I was working on the turkeys pen after an incident with a hawk (it killed one turkey). Put the ladder in the pen while I got a few tools. The turkeys were fascinated with it. Made me laugh. They would have pecked at that thing for hours if I let them.

10/17/2021

They are getting big with 5 more weeks to go. Turkeys will be processed Sunday, November 21st and ready for pick-up at the farm. If interested in a delicious farm-fresh, Thanksgiving turkey, let us know.

09/12/2021

This weekend we moved our Thanksgiving turkeys from the indoor brooder to the outdoor big house. Their pen has hotwire installed at the base of each post in case a predator tries to dig under the fence. 12,000 volts would not feel good. Also, fishing line is strung in a 4 foot grid to discourage any hawks/eagles from swooping down and grabbing a bite. We’ll have approximately 40-43 turkeys available for purchase. We timed raising the turkeys, so the finished weight should be between 18-22 pounds. More details to come.

08/21/2021

At two weeks, the turkey poults are getting big. They’ll have another 2-3 weeks in the brooder, then we’ll start moving them outdoors. Picked up one ton of Ernst Grain & LIvestock’s Homestead Harvest turkey grower feed. Best locally grown, non-GMO feed supplier around.

08/14/2021

Thanksgiving turkeys have arrived and already making a mess :) We received 52 white broad-breasted poults. About 4-5 weeks from now, once they get their feathers and we put them out in the field, we will start accepting orders for Thanksgiving 2021. Stay tuned. Dan Ouellette

12/23/2020

As mentioned in previous posts, we were not able to get turkey poults for Thanksgiving 2020 (damn you, Covid!) But wanted to let you know, we were able to secure our order at the hatchery for Thanksgiving 2021 turkey poults. Ya! Although, there’ll be a slight process change for next year. We’re ordering the turkeys 5 weeks later than in past years. So, our turkeys will only be raised for 15-1/2 weeks - no more super-sized, 20+ week Turkzilla’s. Fenway turkeys will range in size from 15 to 24 pounds. A little more manageable. Stay tuned for more details early Fall 2021. We look forward to raising your Thanksgiving turkey.

09/30/2020

Hello. Our pasture raised meat birds will be processed next weekend (Oct 10th). Stay tuned for more details.

08/21/2020

Folks - just giving everyone a "heads up", we will not be raising Thanksgiving turkeys this season. The poultry pandemic panic caused serious issues in the supply chain. There were just no turkey poults available when we needed to start raising them in July. Our apologies.

We'll see what 2021 brings. Stay tuned.

04/21/2020

Managed to get our 17 hives through the winter and a mild March really helped the bees build up their colonies. But, by early April, swarm season started, and we’ve been scrambling to catch as many as we can to place into new hives. Current hive count is 34. Video shows a swarm caught yesterday afternoon from a neighbor’s yard. You can see the bees marching into their new hive (unfortunately, not all swarms are collected as easily).

04/04/2020

Working in the beeyard when one of the hive decided to swarm. Hate to see them leave, but it is fun to watch up close

03/27/2020

Last season, we save several dozen capped honey frames in case our bee hives need emergency food during the winter. Fortunately, the bees didn't need as much as planned, so we extracted the extra frames today.

03/19/2020

Went out late this afternoon to see how the hives were doing on such a nice day. Immediately saw a lot of bees flying around ...more than normal. A swarm had formed on a small black locust tree in the middle of our field and 30 feet from our row of hives. As I was taking pics of the swarm, the bees were starting to disperse. The queen must have been out-of-shape. They didn't get far. The swarm landed on the ground 10 feet from the tree. I ran and got a large swarm box, swabbed some lemongrass oil on the front entrance, and placed the trap right next to the swarm. They started marching in almost immediately. Check out the video

03/08/2020

65+ degrees today and the bees were busy at the farm

03/08/2020

The bees were out enforce bringing in pollen - signs of an early spring. If you look close at the bees, you’ll notice a pale-yellow substance stuck to their legs. That is pollen and will be used as a food source for the development of new bees.

01/12/2020

12/27/2019

It got close to 60 degrees today, so the bees were out en force looking for food. They found the chicken feed and we had 11 very unhappy chickens.

12/27/2019

All three came in the mail today! Just a little something to help get me through the winter - planning next year's garden.

12/15/2019

Gearing up to treat my hives. One of the biggest challenges for honey bees is the varroa mite – an external parasite that has spread to become a major pest of honey bees since their introduction into US in the mid 1980's. They feed on developing bees, leading to brood (bee eggs) mortality and reduced lifespan of worker bees. They also transmit numerous honey bee viruses. Once infested, if the hive is left untreated, the colony will likely die.

One treatment that helps reduce the mites in a hive is the vaporization of oxalic acid (aka OAV). The mites hate it (most die), the bees tolerate it, but people shouldn’t breath it.

12/02/2019

This was our 3rd year raising Thanksgiving turkeys and 1st year using Ernst Grain’s Homestead Harvest turkey feed. I couldn’t’ be happier with the decision to switch feeds - even happier that my local feed supplier, Southern States-Purcellville, started carrying their products. We keep good records of my turkeys’ feed intake, progress, and dressed weight. Compared to last year’s turkeys, this year’s birds, on average, were 3 pounds heavier (dressed), and had no losses during the 20 weeks they were raised. The complements I received this year from my customers was overwhelming (THANK YOU!). In addition to a quality feed, they’re also a great local company to deal with. When Josh Ernst was delivering to Southern States, he would reach out to see if I needed more feed. This saved me numerous trips to Southern States. Josh was always available if I had any questions. I HIGHLY recommend Ernst Grain and Livestock - they produce a great product and are great folks to work with. Ernst Grain & Livestock

11/25/2019

We are processing the remaining turkeys tomorrow. If you got yours today, please keep them on ice for at least 24 hours. You can keep them on ice until you are ready to brine or cook. (After 24 hours on ice, it’s okay to refrigerate them if that is easier.).

If you are getting your turkey on Monday, we will let you know when they’re ready. And if we’ve made other arrangements...you know what they are!

11/24/2019

Turkey day is going well. Lots of birds to process. We will let you know as soon as yours is ready!

Don’t forget your cooler and ice!

11/17/2019

We are a week away from the big day! For everyone who ordered a turkey (thank you!), we will text or call you on Sunday (or Monday, if you are on our Monday list!) when your turkey is ready for pickup.

- Bring a cooler
- Bring enough ice to cover the bird
- We will provide instructions on how to store and prep the bird
- We don't recommend stuffing the larger birds because of the time it will take to cook through
- Anyone interested in watching/helping, you are more than welcome. Just keep in mind, it will be a busy place over here.
- Check (to Fenway Field Farm), cash or Venmo. We will text the final amount once the turkey is packaged ($3.75/lb).

Thank you!
Dan and Susan

11/04/2019

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Of the 55 broad-breasted white turkeys we're raising, only 14 are still available for purchase. Please let us if you are Interested in a fresh LoCo farm turkey.

10/12/2019

We processed 57 meat chickens yesterday. If you're looking for some farm fresh, pasture raised birds, please let us know. $3/lb with an average weight is 4.1 pounds

10/06/2019

Are you ready for the big feast? Less than 60 days away. If you want to amaze your guests with a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, give us a call/email/text/IM

10/05/2019

Made this Lazy Susan for the farm dinner table. Thanks, Michelle Stoll Caudill

08/28/2019

3 months till Thanksgiving. Our turkeys are out in their field eating grass and grain. Half the turkeys are already spoken for. So, if interested in reserving one for Thanksgiving, please let us know

08/16/2019

This morning moved all 55 turkeys from the brooder to their pasture pen. We'll let them get use to the new digs for a few days, then let them out to graze and forage.

08/06/2019

Ok, I got the self-proclaimed "farm manager" to come out and help unload the first ton of new feed for the Thanksgiving turkeys 😀 . On average, each turkey will consume approx 100 pounds of feed over the next 20 weeks. 55 turkeys = 5500 pounds of feed. Shout out to Ernst Grain and Livestock for the quick delivery to Southern States P'Ville.

07/13/2019

In one feeder, I have regular ol' chicken feed. And the other, I started giving them Ernst Grain & Livestock's Homestead Harvest non-GMO chicken feed. They're letting me know they prefer Ernst's by kicking it over to let me know it needs to be refilled while the other one remains full.

07/11/2019

The turkey poults are doing well. The trip from hatchery to farm is pretty stressful on them and we usually lose a few. But, so far, we’ve only lost one. As of today, we have 56 poults and plan to sell 50 at Thanksgiving. We’re switching to a non-GMO feed from a well-respected, small company out of MD - our layer chickens love the new feed, so we’re sure the turkeys will love it too. Plus, it’s healthier for them. Price will be $3.75/lb. The turkeys will dress out between 18 and 30 pounds and be ready for pick-up a few days before Thanksgiving. If interested, please DM Dan, Sue, or Fenway Field Farm.

07/10/2019

Took down our wooden sign post and installed a granite post a couple weeks ago. The granite came from New England - a little taste of the homeland in the south.

06/19/2019

Thanksgiving 2019! You may not be thinking about it, but we are. Fenway Field Farm will start raising free range turkeys in a couple weeks. Interested? Either reply in a comment below or send an IM to Susan or Dan. Last year we raised 32 white broad breasted turkeys and quickly sold out.

This year we will be raising 50+. In addition, we will be feeding our birds a premium all grain, non-GMO feed with natural supplements from Ernst Grain & Livestock.

Reserve your Thanksgiving turkey today!