I love Mary's chicken. They're not too far from here. They're also nice to the birds, which can go outside and peck. Thanks for the info! California hasn't had many spikes in infection rates, though one old pork plant, currently operated by Smithfield, did have an outbreak. It had had issues before the virus. Shows what ethics and caring will do for you. Excellent CS to refund you like that.

OTOH, I'm disappointed when I don't get my giblets. Often around the holidays, they're sold separately. I've gotten those random giblets in the past, where it looks like you got whatever was left on the tray. Normally, it's liver, heart, gizzard, and sometimes neck and/or kidneys.

Plllog, she did tell me they have both kinds of packaging, one with giblets and one without. I've never noticed that noted on the labels, but will look now. I don't use them so they are a waste for me to pay for. I almost always buy chicken parts, but once in a while there is nothing better than the smell of chicken roasting.

I was going to tell her to just give the $ to the food bank, but she'd already posted it. I'll just add it to my donation.

Mary's Chicken is delicious and flavorful, tasting like chicken used to taste 25+ years ago. I think the key to the flavor is that the meat is air cooled, not dunked in cold chlorinated water as the more mass produced chicken brands are. The water soaking leaches flavor from the meat.

I will often buy a whole Mary's chicken at the butcher-manned meat counter at Whole Foods and ask them to cut it into pieces - it's easier to handle and cook that way. Something that would take me 10 minutes or more can be done by the butchers there in about 3 minutes. I ask them to leave out any goodies stuffed into the carcass, we don't use them.

It's a family owned and run business. Just like the smaller scale egg producers, the products are more expensive but are of superior quality. We tried a Mary's turkey one time but found that we didn't like it as well as our normal favorite family-owned brand Diestel.

Olychick, that's nice to know. I'll sometimes use the neck and gizzards in stock, but have no use for the livers that seem to lend a bitter taste when simmered. I wouldn't want to pay the same for pound as for breast or thigh.

I'm glad they've been taking precautions, but so had the frozen fruit co in Clark County that is keeping all there in Phase 1. Management has apologized and said they realize where they dropped the ball was the break room where distancing and masks (snacks, lunch) were not enforced carefully. The outbreak quickly spread to contacts of employees, people not employed there.

My Mom is in assisted living in Clark County. I have an appointment for a 40 minutes 'window visit' where we'll be directed to a covered patio on Monday. Can't wait! No virus in her facility to date so I can't fault their cautions - and its quite large, in fact has more than one postal address depending on which side of the property one is living.

Pretty remarkable customer service! And nice to hear they're also trying to take care of their employees!

We're very lucky here in Sonoma Co. to have Williebird turkey for our poultry needs and several local meat and fish places!

We still have ample amounts of meat/poultry/fish in the grocery stores, but have these independant places to go to also.

Williebird will do whatever you want, as they're basically a Mom and Pop store (as well as being Nationally known!)

plllog, are you from that area? DH is from Selma.

Western definition of not too far. Within half a day's drive. :) A couple hundred miles, I think.

It's wonderful to hear how well Mary's treats their employees.

I would have considered those extra gizzards a bonus. Fried up they are the best part of chicken IMO.

LOL I thought this was going to be about the Venus fly-trap.

Elmer, thank you for posting the website info. It was very interesting. I too like Mary's Chickens; and am glad to know they treat their employees well too.

Factory scale henhouses where chickens and egg layers spend their lives indoors in small cage tight confinement are inhumane and produce inferior products. Allowing chickens outside to move around, peck in the dirt, eat bugs, etc., makes them happier and produces superior products, whether it's raising chickens for meat or egg layers.

Action to ban tight confinement was taken in Europe long ago. Today, only a few states have banned the too-small cages. I'm happy California is one, it also bans the sale of eggs from chickens in other states kept in non-compliant cages.

Producers like Mary's are enlightened and have shown there's an important market of buyers willing to pay more for better husbandry and higher quality products.