Take reservations for a clearly described product, not an exact weight you cannot yet know. A customer asking for a smaller chicken is telling you a preference; keep that separate from a promise your farm can fulfill.

Confirm the processing appointment and appropriate sales pathway before opening orders. Then leave time for collection, cold storage and your customers’ pickup.

Tell buyers what they are reserving

Your confirmation should cover:

  • Whole bird, individual package or agreed assortment.
  • Expected finished-weight range, clearly marked as an estimate.
  • Price per pound, bird or package, and how the final total is calculated.
  • Any farm deposit, how it is credited and the remaining balance.
  • Size preferences, substitutions and what happens if supply differs.
  • Collection arrangements and whether the product will be chilled or frozen.

Live weight is not packaged weight. Keep the product and units clear, especially if customers are choosing between whole birds and cuts. Penn State’s small-flock turkey guide discusses matching production, processing and transport to customer timing.

Use actual weights for the final bill

For an order sold by weight, use actual package weight × the agreed price per pound, then subtract any credited farm deposit. Send the buyer the product, measured weight, total, credit and balance before collection.

A farm preorder deposit is separate from Underground Processing’s processing deposit. Set your own clear customer terms; Underground Processing’s cancellation policy does not automatically govern your farm’s sales.

Decide how to handle a different size

If the available bird is outside the buyer’s preferred range, contact them before changing the order or charging a higher total. Offer only choices your farm can actually fulfill, such as another available size, an agreed substitution or the previously stated cancellation arrangement.

Keep the accepted change with the original order. Do not invent a refund policy while resolving an individual reservation.

Reserve against realistic supply

Compare current flock numbers, the confirmed processing date and other allocations with the orders you have accepted. Keep a wait list separate from confirmed sales. Total bird count is only part of the picture: you may have enough birds but too few in the smaller sizes customers requested.

Use comparable past results where available, and allow for uncertainty rather than reserving every projected pound. Track what buyers actually received to improve the next offer.

Leave time for safe collection

Underground Processing’s poultry turnaround estimate is two to three calendar days; requested freezing can add up to two days. Arrange farm customer pickup after your actual processor collection is settled.

Tell buyers whether the product is chilled or frozen and ask them to bring suitable cold transport. USDA storage guidance calls for refrigerated perishables at 40°F or below and freezer storage at 0°F or below. Commercial storage and sales must also meet the requirements for your business.

Before the next reservation round, compare promised products, returned weights, fulfilled preferences and remaining stock. Send any material processing-order change to Underground Processing with the species, count, products and confirmed appointment.