Thanksgiving FAQ

No, our turkeys are all natural. They are freshly processed, free roaming, steroid free, preservative free, hormone free and animal by-product free. The organic certification process would increase the cost of our products and would not make the flavor any better. We prefer to keep our birds all-natural to provide a fresh product at a sustainable cost.

No, we do not have the ovens required to cook turkeys for Thanksgiving. However, we do business with several restaurants and caterers that purchase our birds and would love to cook your Thanksgiving dinner. Some of them also prepare side dishes. If interested, give us a call and we will check who is available.

Absolutely! We believe the combination of ethical treatment, all-natural free-range farming and overall freshness of our birds make a Goffle Poultry Turkey much better than a turkey found pre-packaged in a supermarket. Even after the holiday is over, customers take the time to let us know what a success their dinner was and how much praise they received from their guests about the delicious turkey.

Yes, it is true that fresh killed will have a chewy, gamely texture if cooked within 24 hours of being processed.  However, we have streamlined the process.  The bird you take home will be ready to cook on Thanksgiving, as long as it is picked up Sunday or later.  Simply leave it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.

Please see our product list here, which includes pricing for items such as whole Turkeys, Turkey Breast, and other Turkey parts.

Yes. We do sell other birds for the holiday including Capon, which is a chicken that grows slower and as a result develops a large breast, duck, and chicken. If you prefer white meat, you may also order just a turkey breast.

While we try to accommodate the needs of our customers, our store is too small to handle much more than pre-ordered pickups that week. Therefore, we may be unable to fill regular orders Thanksgiving week. It is recommended that orders for chicken and other poultry be placed by the Saturday before Thanksgiving, just like orders for Turkey.  We resume regular business when the store reopens on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Due to excessive demand on our resources, management feels it is best to withhold cooking rotisseries and pot pies during the height of Thanksgiving week. This includes Sunday through Wednesday. We resume regular business when the store reopens on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Sunday:     10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.*
Monday:    8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Tuesday:    8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Wednesday:    8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Thursday:    CLOSED
Friday:    Regular store hours
Saturday:    Regular store hours

*We are normally closed on Sunday.  We open one Sunday a year during Thanksgiving week for order pickup.

We believe hens are the best breast meat yield. It is almost impossible to have a hen above 28 lbs., so anything above 28 lbs. will be a tom. It should be noted that toms share the same advantage of having a large full breast if they are over 28 lbs.

No. If you need to change something that week, please come in and tell us the change in person, even at the time of sale. You can change sizes in person the day you pickup, as long as we have extra birds available. It may be impossible to reach us by telephone since the lines are very congested that week.

Yes, all whole turkeys will have the giblets and neck included. The neck will be in the cavity, and the giblets will be in a small big in either the neck cavity in the front of the bird or inside cavity, depending on the size of the bird. If you do not want them, you can simply remove the bag and neck from the cavity and discard them.

Turkey breasts, chickens, and capons do not come with a set of giblets. If you would like it, ask for it when you place your order, and we will include them.

We accept Thanksgiving reservation via phone, in person, or online.  Phone and in-person reservations begin October 1st, while online reservations open up early-mid October.

While we try to have extra turkeys available for walk-ins, due to supply and demand constraints, we cannot guarantee we will have extra turkeys available for non-orders. By ordering ahead, we guarantee we will have a turkey available for you.

No. All of our turkeys are deep chilled after processing, so they can safely be keep in refrigeration under you are ready to cook on Thursday.

If you do not cook your bird on Thursday, we do recommend you cook or freeze it by the Friday after Thanksgiving.

A turkey leg is the combination of the thigh and drumstick. You can refer the the following diagram as a guideline.

Turkey sizes range from as small as 10 lbs. to as large as 36 lbs., depending on availability. Orders are taken in 2 lbs. increments, for example, 10 – 12 lbs., 12 – 14 lbs., 14 – 16 lbs., 16 – 18 lbs., and so on.

It is recommended that you get 1 lb. per person if you do not want leftovers. If you want left overs, it is suggested 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. per person. The exceptions are that a 10 – 12 lb. turkey is only recommended for a maximum of 5 – 6 people. See the size chart at the top of this page for a better understanding.

We begin taking Thanksgiving orders on October 1st. It is recommended that you place your order prior to 3 weeks before Thanksgiving since we can run out of specific sizes as it gets closer to the holiday.

We stop accepting phone and online orders the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Walk-in orders are accepted until supply lasts. For specialty items such as stuffed turkey breasts and Tur-duc-kens, ordering ends the Wednesday of the week before Thanksgiving or sooner depending on availability.

No, We are unable to take payment before the pickup date, as all items are weighed at the time of pickup, and the total weight will determine the final price.

Weather accommodating, all customers will check in at our wooden outdoor overhang station. Once checked in, all orders will be called out at our tented outdoor station. Most orders are filled and rang up within 5 minutes. Orders with multiple parts and special instructions will take longer to fill and ask that customers with larger order be patient as we fill the order.

Thanksgiving order pickup is available on the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Since turkeys need time to age and tenderize, they can be picked up as early as Sunday and are guaranteed to be good on Thanksgiving Day.

We accept all major credit cards, Apple pay, Android pay, EBT (SNAP), checks, and cash.

We will be busy all 4 days before Thanksgiving, however we have noticed the store is less crowded Sunday after 2:00 and Wednesday after noon than on Monday or Tuesday.

It is strongly recommended that you maintain an environment under 35° Fahrenheit until the bird is cooked.

Yes. To ensure turkeys stay fresh in the time between pickup and cooking, we use a process called chilling to keep the birds fresh. A chilled bird is colder than it would be under regular refrigeration, but not so cold that the meat freezes. By chilling the bird, any moisture in the cavity may turn to ice, while the bird itself will stay fresh. Chilling guarantees your bird will stay fresh for the 3-5 day resting period it needs before it is ready for the oven on Thanksgiving.

It depends. We do not believe our turkeys require brining, as they have never been frozen. Brining turkeys can be a great way to add moisture to a bird that might have lost it due to freezing. Since our birds are fresh, brining is totally optional.

That said, you may still want to brine a bird to change or add to the flavor of the birds, and that is totally acceptable. Try to offer a small selection of brining kits every year.

Usually up to 30 lbs.

See our roasting instructions page here.