# Buying Meat in a Parking Lot



## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I've just learned about Zaycon meats. You order online and they deliver the meat at a pre-designated location and time. In July they'll be delivering 93/7 ground beef at $3.99 a pound but you have to buy it in a 40 lb. case. As a special, if you order a case of ground beef you can also buy a 40 lb. case of skinless, boneless chicken breasts for $1.49 lb. 
https://www.zayconfoods.com/

I've seen primarily positive reviews and feed back about the quality of the meat. Here are two reviews, the first one negative and the second one positive. Right now, I feel like the worst the meat would be is like what I buy at the grocery store. 
http://thisbighappy.com/zaycon-foods-chicken-review-updated/

http://www.simplycanning.com/zaycon.html

Has anyone had a positive or negative experience with Zaycon and their meat?


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

For less than $3.99 a pound, I buy a whole boneless beef shoulder and grind my own. I know exactly what is in it and how it was handled. I get it ground in less time than it would take me to drive to the grocery store parking lot and back home again. ($3.19 a pound two days ago, for the certified Angus)

Unfortunately, it costs me about $1.75 a pound to raise my own chickens.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I've used them for two years now, and love them! We've gotten the bacon ($1.50 LESS per pound than the store), chicken breasts, ground beef, ham and sausage links. They're all really good quality, but you need to make sure you can meet the truck (it's scheduled a month or more in advance), you have time, ziplocks and freezer space for 40 lbs, since you have to repackage some of it before freezing (chicken, hamburger).

The bacon is thick cut, hickory smoked in 3 lb packages. The sausage links are 2 10lb boxes, prefrozen in layers with wax paper between - I put the whole box in the freezer and just scoop out what I need. The hams are two enormous boneless and very good quality - we had one for Easter and got raves. The hamburger comes in a box with 4 10-lb tube, and is 93/7. The chicken comes in a big bag (unfrozen) and needs a little trimming, but I portioned it out to meal sized ziplocks.

The only thing we've gotten from them that we didn't really love was the "kielbasa", which is more like a hot dog or those 2-ft long sausages you find by the hot dogs in the store - the ones curled up in a package.

I can't say enough good about them!


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I'm planning on canning most of the ground beef and about half the chicken. Preparedness Pro has a youtube video showing how she canned her 40 lbs. from Zaycon and it gave her about 28 quarts. I'll freeze some into patties but mostly I use hamburger for tacos, spaghetti sauce, shepards pie, and such. I'm very interested in the bacon, ham and sausage links. Do you remember what the price was on the ham? I know it will likely be more than it was last year. They look delish.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I've been wanting to buy some meat from them but they don't have a pick up point anywhere near me.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

*


oregon woodsmok said:



For less than $3.99 a pound, I buy a whole boneless beef shoulder and grind my own.

Click to expand...

*


oregon woodsmok said:


> I know exactly what is in it and how it was handled. I get it ground in less time than it would take me to drive to the grocery store parking lot and back home again. ($3.19 a pound two days ago, for the certified Angus)
> 
> Unfortunately, it costs me about $1.75 a pound to raise my own chickens.


Not around here. The cheap cuts are $4.49lb.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Calico Katie said:


> I'm planning on canning most of the ground beef and about half the chicken. Preparedness Pro has a youtube video showing how she canned her 40 lbs. from Zaycon and it gave her about 28 quarts. I'll freeze some into patties but mostly I use hamburger for tacos, spaghetti sauce, shepards pie, and such. I'm very interested in the bacon, ham and sausage links. Do you remember what the price was on the ham? I know it will likely be more than it was last year. They look delish.


I just looked at my account history and I paid $3.50/lb for the ham, $1.89/lb for the chicken breasts, $3.50/lb for bacon, $2,80/lb for sausage links, $3.50/lb for ground beef.

They weigh the box before I get it, and if it's underweight I get a credit for the next purchase. If it's over (which happened with the chicken), I just get it free. And the last time I bought chicken, they had extra boxes on the truck which they were selling for $50 ($1.25/lb!). I almost cried because I wanted one, but I couldn't deal with my 40 lbs and another 40 lbs of chicken.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Terri, they seem to be adding new sites lately so keep checking. They just added Lubbock, Amarillo and Midland for July. If they delivered in the Panhandle before now, I didn't know about it. I just looked at New Mexico and see that they have a ground beef delivery in Los Alamos in July. That's a new one, isn't it? If you go to Albuquerque for big shopping, maybe you could plan a trip around their delivery date.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Mom_of_Four said:


> ... And the last time I bought chicken, they had extra boxes on the truck which they were selling for $50 ($1.25/lb!). ...


Wow, I haven't seen it at that price in forever!! If I have that opportunity, I'll get at least one to divide between my kids.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I agree with everything Mom of Four said. I love them too and have been using them for about two years. I've never had any problems with the delivery times being switched or heard of any that have been here. I think that must have been a problem particular to that location.

I read some of those negative reviews you posted, and everyone keeps talking about how the chicken breasts are too big to be natural. However, I was told they're Cornish Cross, which are specifically bred for large breasts. One of the HT members who doesn't post much any more, Moonwolf, used to raise Cornish Crosses just for that reason, plus he let them grow to about 10-12 weeks I think...and he was getting 8-10 pound chickens after processing! 

I don't waste any of the chicken either. I take the bits I have to trim off and throw them, along with a breast or two into a big stock pot with water, onions, celery and carrots, and sometimes some garlic and herbs, and make chicken stock out of it. When it's done, I dice up the breasts for chicken salad, plus I can up gallons of yummy flavored stock to cook with!

My only caveat is that I don't pick up meat, especially chicken, in the summer though, because it's just way too hot here and with the pickup time, getting it home (I live 40 miles from my pickup place) and processing I'd be afraid of it spoiling. Other than that, I love them, only wish I had discovered them sooner!


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## firestick (Oct 19, 2008)

Callie
In warm weather I keep large cooler in my truck when i go shopping. That way meat, milk etc. stays cold til I get home (sometimes several hours).
Would that work for you?


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

I would try it- but there are no drop points by me


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## shannsmom (Jul 28, 2009)

We've been using Zaycon for about 2 years and loved all the products we've gotten except the chicken wings (all the bones were broken and it just creeped us out). They had stopped delivering here for about the last 8 months and I was so sad, but they just added some dates! 
As a side note, since we live in FL, I always take a big cooler in the truck with us when we go out so I can scoop up any deals if I find them. I leave the house with a fake ice block and a couple of bottles of water in it, so we always have cold water to drink even if we don't find deals


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Calico Katie said:


> Terri, they seem to be adding new sites lately so keep checking. They just added Lubbock, Amarillo and Midland for July. If they delivered in the Panhandle before now, I didn't know about it. I just looked at New Mexico and see that they have a ground beef delivery in Los Alamos in July. That's a new one, isn't it? If you go to Albuquerque for big shopping, maybe you could plan a trip around their delivery date.


I've never been to ABQ. It's about an 8 1/2 hour round trip so it would make for a very long day. There's nothing up there that I need that bad! I'd go to El Paso... it's much closer.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

firestick said:


> Callie
> In warm weather I keep large cooler in my truck when i go shopping. That way meat, milk etc. stays cold til I get home (sometimes several hours).
> Would that work for you?


I do keep a large cooler in my truck for regular shopping, good idea.  But I don't think I could get one big enough for the chicken, and I'd need several since I buy 2-3 boxes at a time. I don't have any problem with not getting it in the summer, I plan for that.

On my regular shopping days, I "go to town" 40 miles away and combine as many errands as possible in one day. I might leave the house at 8 a.m. and not get home until 10-11 p.m. It regularly gets up to 110 here and sometimes spikes up to 120, so I try not to have food just sitting in the truck at all if I can help it. I save my grocery shopping for my last stop before coming home. Even an ice chest can only do so much, although sometimes I'd like to climb in it on errand day, lol!


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

If cooler space is limited, cold food can be wrapped up in a thick blanket with some blue ice or frozen milk jugs and that will keep the food cold for the drive home. 

I haven't done it in the summer, but I've kept meat cold that way for a 4 hour drive home. The car is not cold; I run the heater all the way. I've done it with a 10 pound bag of ice that I bought at the market. It leaked water, though, which is OK in my van and worth it to me for the bargain meat I found while over the mountains.

(I'm in snow country, so all vehicles are permanently stocked with warm blankets. They also make insulation if I stumble across a food bargain while away from home)


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

calliemoonbeam said:


> I agree with everything Mom of Four said. I love them too and have been using them for about two years. I've never had any problems with the delivery times being switched or heard of any that have been here. I think that must have been a problem particular to that location.
> 
> I read some of those negative reviews you posted, and everyone keeps talking about how the chicken breasts are too big to be natural. However, I was told they're Cornish Cross, which are specifically bred for large breasts. One of the HT members who doesn't post much any more, Moonwolf, used to raise Cornish Crosses just for that reason, plus he let them grow to about 10-12 weeks I think...and he was getting 8-10 pound chickens after processing!
> 
> ...




The larger breasts are off Cornish cross birds that are allowed to get a bit older. The ones everyone is used to seeing at the grocery store are about 4 weeks old. I let mine go 8 weeks for roos and 10 weeks for hens. We eat mostly breast meat so wait the extra few weeks for them to grow. We generally get about 7 or8 lbs of meat off our birds.


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## Bret F (May 4, 2004)

I also agree with everything Mom of Four said except: I've bought from them a little longer and never had keilbasa.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

I just registered..my question is are you able to buy other products or just their event product..they are having a ground beef event here but I would like to buy other products at the same time such as sausage and bacon


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## wally (Oct 9, 2007)

prices dont appear to be that good..just today we bought ground beef, 10 lb tube for 2.49 per pound, bacon was also 2.49 lb in 10 lb box. Pork loin was 1.89 lb for whole,thick sliced or thin sliced again about 10 lbs per package..cant compare chicken prices as we raise our own...this was at a regional grocer here


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Aintlifegrand said:


> I just registered..my question is are you able to buy other products or just their event product..they are having a ground beef event here but I would like to buy other products at the same time such as sausage and bacon


It's only what they're selling at that event. You get an e-mail telling you when one is coming up and what they'll be selling at that particular event. 

Not everything is offered everywhere either. For instance, we've never been offered the fruit, milk, honey, or fish here, at least not yet, but they say that eventually they will probably be offered everywhere.

Wally, that's great if you can get prices like that, but we rarely if ever see those around here. There is bacon that we can get for $2.99 a pound in a 10-pound box, but it's just ends and pieces, and the quality is just not very good, no where near Zaycon's.

For some people, their prices might not be a good deal, it just depends on what you can get through your local markets. If you can do better, then that's good for you.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Wow, Wally, those prices are great! It's been a long time since I've seen anything like that. Right now the 93/7 ground beef is running around $4.50 a pound and I expect it to get to $5 by the end of summer. Bacon is $4.50 to $5 a pound. The pork loin might dip to just under $2 a pound for a holiday and boneless, skinless chicken breast occasionally will go to $1.89 a pound. Everything is just sky high.

AintLifeGrand, it looks like they focus on getting enough of one or two kinds of meat to fill all their events for the month. In July it's the ground beef but when you buy a case, you are offered the chance to buy a 40 lb. case of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound. I'm guessing the ham, bacon and sausage will be offered in the fall. I haven't bought from them before but I'm going to give it a try and see if I like it.


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

Is the quality any different than what you get at the grocery store? Those prices are very good, but they aren't worth loading the freezer up over. I would want to know where the meat came from before I backed up the truck.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I never heard of them, but just checked them out.

Really though the ground beef price is not so great. 

I can get sirloin for 4.99 a pound and buy as much or little as I like. 

We also have a local place that raises their own beef and last I checked it was 2.29 a pound for a whole, cut and wrapped or 20 cents more per pound for a half.

We don't eat much beef though.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Calli wrote,
I read some of those negative reviews you posted, and everyone keeps talking about how the chicken breasts are too big to be natural. 

I ain't buying no chicken that has had breast augmentation surgery. 

The prices quoted seem to be about what the locally owned supermarket charges for their meat on a regular basis. If I stock up when it is on sale I can get it much cheaper. Pork loin for $1.89, 93% ground beef for $3.49, bacon for $2.50 per 12 oz, chicken parts for $.80. Freezers from CL, one free, one $80, have paid for themselves multiple times.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Man I wish I could get beef at the prices y'all are seeing. Hamburger 80/20 and cheap roasts are $4.99lb here. Steaks are all over $9lb. Bacon, there are some cheaper brands but the one my family likes is $8.99lb. I haven't prices milk, chicken, eggs or pork in a few years as we raise our own.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

||Downhome|| said:


> I never heard of them, but just checked them out.
> 
> Really though the ground beef price is not so great.
> 
> ...


When was the last time you checked the price? Our prices have shot up over the last 6 months.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Just the other day...


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Prices depend on what competition thereis around you.

I have to say that Smith's has really good prices, they are owned by Kroger, so get a lot of buying power.

Ther aren't any Smith's groceries in south NM though. I think the one in SOcorro is as far south as they have them.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Prices also depend on location. Logistics figures in as does cost of living.
If the Rents Higher so the cost of everything.

That local place that raises their own beef they also raise pigs, but the lands been paid for generations, all of the operations local. No middle men to pay, or the guys who want their cut up front either.

There are a lot of middle men in the process of getting a steak to market in the conventional food supply chain. Not to mention share holders and loan holders, and a lot of company's do not own the property they use but lease it.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

GoldenCityMuse said:


> Prices depend on what competition thereis around you.
> 
> I have to say that Smith's has really good prices, they are owned by Kroger, so get a lot of buying power.
> 
> Ther aren't any Smith's groceries in south NM though. I think the one in SOcorro is as far south as they have them.


We have a walmart and a local grocery store and a meat market. I think the closest Krogers is in El Paso. Don't know that I've seen a smiths in quite a while.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

terri9630 said:


> When was the last time you checked the price? Our prices have shot up over the last 6 months.


 Heres a local ad terri


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

||Downhome|| said:


> Heres a local ad terri


WOW! We moved here 8years ago and the prices weren't that low then. I can't even remember when ground beef was under $3.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Those are sale prices no doubt but there are enough grocers still to keep everyone somewhat honest.

There are reasons why I live where I do.

I'm rural/Suburban area centrally located.

I can more or less travel in any direction and have my pick of several small towns and a big city within an hours drive (more or less) 

Price of living here is high compared to some places, but not as high as others.

Even within the state! 

My prayers to all those who find themselves in lesser situations.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Thanks for all the feedback on this. I placed my order for the ground beef today. I thought the bonus offer of 40 lb. chicken for $1.49 would be delivered at the same time as the ground beef but I was mistaken. They're bringing chicken here in October and I'll place a separate order for that. It now shows on my account that I can buy one case of chicken at $1.49 lb. 

I definitely want to buy some of the bacon and link sausage when it's offered and the ham, too. Not a kielbasa fan.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

You'll like the ground beef, but you'll have to repackage it into manageable portions. It comes in 10 pound tubes. I used a whole tube to make jerky for Christmas gifts, but for the rest I portioned it into 2 lb packets (ziplocks).

Our favorite for taste is the sausage links, and for price we like the bacon the best. We're halfway through the chicken breasts and we're kind of tired of them, although they're great quality. I wish I'd gotten the boneless thighs instead. But you can't beat the price!


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I plan to can about 30 pounds of the ground beef. I believe I can get 7 qts. from each 10 lb. roll. The rest I'll freeze into patties and one pound packages. I'm going to do the same with the chicken except I'll can that in pints. I'm really looking forward to the ham. What I buy at the store just doesn't taste like real ham anymore.


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## edjewcollins (Jun 20, 2003)

I saw absolutely nothing they offered that I cannot get cheaper elsewhere and not have to buy so much.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Thought I'd give you a follow up on my dealings with Zaycon. Got my ground beef about a week and a half ago and I'm very pleased. They weighed my case before loading it into my car and it was about 3/4 of a pound light so they gave me a credit that will be applied to my next purchase. I shared mine with my daughter and every time she cooks some, she stands at the stove mumbling about what good meat it is. It's red, not pink and very good quality. My only regret is that I didn't buy another case when I had the chance. I'll definitely buy it again if the price is right. Now, I'm just waiting for the chicken to be delivered in October.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I registered today - I plan to get the chicken in Oct.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

edjewcollins said:


> I saw absolutely nothing they offered that I cannot get cheaper elsewhere and not have to buy so much.


Your prices are better than mine then.


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## edjewcollins (Jun 20, 2003)

Sorry, just reread my post, unnecessarily blunt. Here is what I'm saying. Availability with their dates and how they sell out is poor. Their selection, by me, is poor. Their prices are about 40% higher on average than I can get just buy sale shopping and I don't have to buy the huge quantities that way.

My family is blessed in the respect of choice. I have within 10 miles of me: Sams, Costco, Meijer, Kroger, Super Walmart, Restaurant Depot, Aldi, Save A Lot and Gordon Food service.

Maybe if I was more rural it would be good, but here it is a downgrade. Having said all that, for the bulk you are buying in and Zaycon's presumably and comparitively low overhead and limited product line, their prices should be better. Significantly better.



terri9630 said:


> Your prices are better than mine then.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

We have.... walmart and a small local store. Zaycon beets all their sale prices and since we like to buy in bulk of they had a closer pick up point we would buy from them. our next option is 120 mile round trip.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I got an email from Zaycon this morning saying they're raising their chicken prices because of shortage and demand. It was supposed to be $1.89 a pound for the boneless, skinless breasts in their chicken events in October. They're saying because of a shortage, they're moving the deliveries back about 3 weeks and the price will be $2.49 a pound for new orders. I had qualified last summer to buy a case of the chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound so I'll still be able to get that. 

Since I'm pretty skeptical about marketing ploys, I have to wonder if this is just a way to create a knee jerk reaction and get people to order more. If it is true, as I'm afraid it is, you may want to stock up on chicken whenever you have the opportunity. Right now, two stores near me have chicken on sale so I'll stock up on what they have as it's much less than the $2.49 a pound.

Here's the content of the e-mail. 

_This is not the usual email from Zaycon Foods â this is what it looks like when a company is honest with its customers. Please take a minute to read this message; it affects all of us._

_We are seeing truly unprecedented circumstances in the protein commodity markets this fall; in fact, they are turned upside down. You can see it on the news, in stories online and in print, or simply by checking meat prices at your local grocery store: the extremely short supplies in the beef and pork markets have now pushed into the chicken market, and demand for chicken is up more than 17% nationwide._

_This squeeze on the market has not merely reduced supply, it has completely changed production forecasts, impacting the production ability of suppliers of beef, pork, and chicken products. These unforeseen circumstances have caused a marked shift in the availability of products this fall._

_Zaycon is committed to getting you quality foods at the lowest prices possible. Thereâs no trick to how we keep pricing so low: we give you the best prices the going market rates allow. And we always try to secure as much inventory as our customers want. As our events near the point of selling out, usually we just order more truckloads from our suppliers. This fall, the inventory is simply not there._

_Given the reality of current supply circumstances, we simply must raise the price of our chicken to $2.49 per pound. This is, in all honesty, the smallest increase we can possibly make without actually losing money on this sale. _
_And thereâs more: given the strained supply of chicken available right now, we must move the deliveries scheduled to start in early October to the end of the month._

_To be very clear, all past sales will be honored at the price you paid: if you have already ordered your cases of chicken, your eventâs date is moving, but your price will not. The new pricing only affects future orders._

_Please know that we are working hard to minimize the impact this change will have on you: your deliveries will occur at the same locations and on the same days of the week, but with the dates moved approximately three weeks later._

_We will send details about these adjustments soon; please stay tuned to your email, texts, and our Facebook page for updates. Also, for the record: once we can lower pricing again, weâll do it._

_You have our heartfelt thanks for the understanding and loyalty our customers never fail to show us._

_Team Zaycon_


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## wally (Oct 9, 2007)

Well it wont affect me..my broilers are doing a great job of growing out in the chicken house....


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

wally said:


> Well it wont affect me..my broilers are doing a great job of growing out in the chicken house....


Mine too, pigs doing great.


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## jkhs (Sep 17, 2010)

I got that email this morning. I'm really grateful that I placed my order yesterday so qualified for the $1.89 per pound price. Chicken breasts are on sale here at the local grocery for $3.19 per pound.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Wow, that's phenomenal that you got in just before they raised the prices. I don't like to put my order in until closer to delivery time so I missed out. I can get my one case at $1.49 a pound but that's all I'll be ordering now. The odd thing is, one of the smaller grocery stores near me has put boneless, skinless breasts on sale for $1.69 a pound. That's the cheapest it's been in a long time. I'm going to get as much as I can from them. The United grocery store has whole fryers for 75 cents a pound. Not as cheap as I'd like but I'm going to get a bunch of those for the freezer. I like to roast them in the crockpot with some vegetables around them. It's what I call the no cook, home cooked meal.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I like to cut up the fryers to parts, then freeze in meal size portions.

Two breasts or 2 leg and thigh, all the wings together and the skin and backs for stock.

Its easy enough and save a lot vs paying for the service. 

Of coarse we also roast a few whole or rotisserie.


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## MamaTiger (Jun 11, 2008)

They are delivering the ground beef near me in Oct for $4.49 a lb.

There are several other deliveries from now thru Dec for the ham, bacon, and chicken as well.

I am surprised. I didn't check when this thread first posted because I assumed it was a mid western thing...but it's all over the country.

I can beat that price by almost half for the ground beef--but I want to check and see what percentage of fat mine normally has...and I'd need to save up to purchase in bulk as well.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

MamaTiger said:


> They are delivering the ground beef near me in Oct for $4.49 a lb.
> 
> There are several other deliveries from now thru Dec for the ham, bacon, and chicken as well.
> 
> ...


$4.49 is cheaper than what I can get it for here by a dollar and a half.


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