**NEW 2023**  Our farm is offering custom red meat and smoking services.  Please see our custom red meat processing page.

To book a processing appointment: Call 413-277-9600

**We do NOT accept processing appointments or inquiries made by e-mail or Facebook. Please see additional reservation details below.

Our farm offers custom poultry processing services May-December. Details regarding our processing services, pricing and policies are listed below. Please read carefully and contact us if you have questions.

We are a state-inspected processing facility licensed by the Mass Department of Public Health. Birds processed at our facility are done so under a Small Enterprise Exemption License and can be sold in Massachusetts. *At this time we are only offering processing services for whole meat-breed chickens and turkeys. We DO NOT process old laying hens or game birds. Duck processing is available on a limited basis and we ask that you please contact us directly to discuss your needs and processing options.

PRICING

**Please note: Prices are subject to change and we reserve the right to adjust processing fees at any point.  

Minimum Processing Charge: $100

*There is no minimum on the number of chickens or turkeys
*Minimum of 5 ducks per batch

Payment

*Payment Forms- Orders must be paid in full at pick-up. We accept cash or checks. Payments made by credit card will be assessed an additional 5% processing fee.

2023 BASE PROCESSING FEE SCHEDULE

2023 ADDITIONAL PROCESSING FEE SCHEDULE

Whole birds are vacuum packed with the exception of turkeys which are poly bagged and labeled. **We have limited parting services and we reserve the right to NOT offer parting services based on our farm schedule. All parting, if time allows, must be pre-scheduled. If not scheduled, we will not part your birds for you. 

• We do not offer parting for non-meat birds, roosters, or turkeys.
• Chickens halved, vacuum packed - additional $2 per bird
• Chicken cut into parts, vacuum packed and labeled - additional $4 per bird (see more below).
• We charge additional fee of $.35/bird to save feet. If your feet have manure blisters we will NOT save them for you.

(Meat Chickens Only) For an additional $4 per bird. The price includes vacuum packing and labeling. 

• Standard cuts available are boneless breasts or bone-in breasts, thighs, drums, wings, and carcasses/backs.

ORGANS & FEET

For bird batch sizes of 25 or more, you have the option to keep the following parts **Please note: This is all or nothing and pricing options apply to the whole batch:

• Feet - additional $0.35 per bird **Available ONLY for Meat Chickens. If feet have manure blisters they cannot be saved.
• Hearts & Livers - no additional charge
• Necks - no additional charge
• We do NOT save gizzards

These items are only available packaged in bulk, by type in 2-4 lb vacuum sealed bags.

For chicken, you have the option to select smaller approximate 1 lb vacuum sealed packs for an additional cost of $1 per bag.**Organs and/or feet for non-meat roosters cannot be saved. 

2023 NON-CHICKEN PROCESSING FEE SCHEDULE AND NOTES

2023 Turkey processing fee is $1.15/lb of dressed weight (minimum $20/bird) and includes packaging and labeling. For 11 or more turkeys, the minimum processing fee is reduced to $16/bird. We have very limited turkey processing capacity so we suggest you book your appointment early.  A finalized processing schedule will be published November 1st.

    >Example- 3 turkeys. Base processing cost is $20/bird = $60. There will be an additional fee of $1.15/lb for every bird that dresses out over 20 lbs.

*Duck Processing- We recommend you please contact us directly to discuss your processing needs. Due to the age of the ducks we cannot guarantee completely clean plucking and processing fees may be adjusted at our discretion based on the condition of the bird and excess time and labor.

• We do not save feet from turkeys or ducks
• Organs will be saved and bulk packaged in 3-5 lbs vacuum sealed bags by request only
• Necks, livers and hearts will be packaged and stuffed into the bird acvity for an additional charge of $.50/bird

Scheduling Processing Appointments

All processing appointments must be made by phone. Call 413-277-9600

• We require a credit card at the time of scheduling to secure your processing appointment
• It is your responsibility to notify us If there is a change to your batch number before your processing date.
• All cancellations or significant changes will be charged 20% OR up to $150 for appointment cancellations/changes made within 10 days of the booked date OR after the appointment is booked.
• Processing appointments are non-transferable and cannot be made for, shared with, or given to other farms or poultry owners. This undermines our ability to plan and uphold farm biosecurity procedures.

How it Works: Before, About, & After Processing Day

• Please remove access to feed 12-24 hours before your processing date. The birds should continue to have access to water.
• Drop off is between 8:00-8:30am at our Hardwick location located at 3674 Greenwich Rd. Use the lower driveway on the left-hand side of the building.
• Upon arrival birds must be crated with acceptable space and air flow. (We recommend *8 birds per crate.   If SQM employees need to crate birds, you will be charged additional fees.  Please note that under warmer weather, birds will require additional space. We reserve the right to re-crate birds if we deem conditions unacceptable and additional fees may apply.  Crates are available for rental at an additional fee of $3/crate or $25 minimum crate rental fee.
• Crates must be properly labeled with your name and contact. SQM will not be responsible for lost, stolen or damaged crates.  Crates must be picked up within 1 week of drop off or we reserve the right to charge a storage fee or dispose of crates.
• Birds will be inspected by SQM staff upon drop-off. Bird count and condition will be noted. We reserve the right to reject any birds not dropped off in suitable condition.
• It is your responsibility to fill out processing paper-work at drop-off with full information for labeling.
• Pick up for chicken is 2-3 days after processing during regular business hours after 11am. You will be notified when your birds are ready for pick-up. Birds not picked up within 24 hours of our notification call will be charged a cooler and or storage fee of $100 per day.
• Turkeys shall be picked up within 1-2 days of processing and we will notify you when the birds are ready. *Our regular hours are extended at Thanksgiving and processing policies are subject to change.

Processing Policies

NPIP Pullorum Certificate, Labels & Sale

For all poultry destined for sale, you must provide a copy of your batch’s Pullorum certificate from the hatchery on the day you drop off your birds for processing. Poultry processed without this certificate or for personal use will be marked “NOT FOR SALE” per Massachusetts state regulations.

Poultry raised in Massachusetts and processed in our state inspected facility with a retail label may be sold anywhere in Massachusetts under the Small Enterprise exemption.*Please note: If poultry is for resale or donation, by law we are required to label your birds. This label cannot be removed, modified or obstructed per state law. As the processor, we are responsible for the labeling of all poultry processed at our facility. You may not affix any additional labels onto our packaging. Additional information on NPIP can be found here.

Additional Notes Regarding Bird Health:

Antibiotics: 

We must be notified if you’ve administered any antibiotics to your flock and if so, that the proper withdrawal period has been followed. This will require a signature during drop off.

Avian Influenza:

All poultry owners, regardless of size and business structure, should familiarize themselves with signs of illness and call the State Veterinarian’s Office if they see:

• Nasal discharge
• Difficulty breathing
• Lethargy
• Discolored wattles or combs
• Sudden death

If you notice any of these symptoms in your flock prior to your slaughter date we ask that you DO NOT bring your birds to Stillman Quality Meats. Please report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through the Mass Department of Agriculture 1-617-626-1700 or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.

Your flock will be checked upon arrival by our poultry manager. If there are any signs of illness related to Avian Influenza your birds will be rejected. 

Labels

All farm information for your labels must be provided at drop-off. Labels will be printed in black and white and cannot contain any claims such as organic or pasture-raised.  We provide a basic black and white label that includes your farm name and contact information along with any necessary regulatory language including packed on date and weight. Labels cannot include any claims such as “Organic” or “Pasture-Raised” as these must be approved by the USDA.  All label information- including farm address and contact MUST be provided at drop-off on processing day.

Late Arrival Fee

Late arrivals will incur an additional fee of $100 per hour beyond the 8:00-8:30am livestock drop off window. Livestock must be present and properly crated by 8:30am on processing day. Late arrivals cause delays and pauses in the processing line. We are committed to paying our crew higher wages corresponding to the high levels of skill required for poultry processing at our facility.