Owen’s Poultry Farm

[CLOSED]
After 70+ years Owen Poultry Farm has closed, and the store is closed as well. The town of Needham has bought the property with an intention to use the area to build an elementary school.
We have just moved in the neighborhood less than a year ago and sorry to see it gone. It is surprising however how long they have been able to keep the farm operational in such a close proximity to Boston, in a dense residential area. Good luck to the family in its future endeavors and good luck to its customers in finding a replacement.

I was all excited to stop at Owens while in the area this week. On entering saw the sign no credit cards, had to leave as I never have cash. Why did they stop taking credit cards???

Great quality and prices for fresh happy chickens and birds of all kinds (including whole duck!), as well as eggs, liver, and a whole lot of pre-​prepared food! A gem in the densely residential area and a pleasure to be able to get REAL chicken meat, and at better prices than most grocery stores. Same goes for their REAL eggs. Couldn’t recommend this place highly enough!
Cash/​Check only, so bring cash — or use their ATM in the back.

This place has great frozen turkey dinners and awesome fresh turkey. Turkey pot pies!!! I haven’t tried the chicken. Sides not so much. Definitely not cheap. And didn’t get to see the actual turkeys but next time.

Usually wonderful turkeys. This year. Not so much. The turkey had a gamey taste. No one had second helping. fortunately the sides were very good. I threw out most of the leftovers. Disappointing this year.

They have the best eggs! You can’t beat the freshness and price ($ 2.75/doz). So happy they are down the street from us.

The presence of Owen’s is a huge help to people in the neighboring towns. Every Thanksgiving I do 2 turkeys and we compare. Whenever Owen’s turkey is in the mix, it wins. I have never gotten a cooked turkey from them. I always assume that if a business is cooking your turkey their first intent is not to kill you with a raw bird, so I imagine that overcooking is preferable to undercooking. And really, how hard is it to cook a turkey? Don’t stuff it. (Who wants all that fat and blood dripping down into your stuffing? Bake the stuffing in a buttered lasagna pan — covered at first, then not, for a crispy top) Then, before the veggies go in, blast the turkey at 450 for an hour to 2 hours (depending on size), use a thermometer, baste it with butter in chicken broth (or water) every half hour. Then let it sit, tented in tin foil for an hour while you cook the veggies.
I always get a couple of their gravies. Is it as good as mine? No. Is it good? Yes. Sometimes, when things get crazy after a little too much wine and 20 people are milling around and muttering about where is their food, this gravy can save your life.

Well, well, well… what can I say that hasn’t already been said.
We have had it all in one form or another over the years. They don’t grow the potatoes. So, we forgive them for that. They’ve been surrounded by development and they’re still a farm. So, we’ll forgive the pricey — cash or check only — ouch. Ultimately though, the quality level is as high or higher than the higher priced meat «purveyors» dotted around the area. You know the names. Try getting as fresh a bird from Mr. Dewar at the price of Mr. Owen. There — Owen’s offers higher quality at a lower price. Econ 101 + Value + Taste + Choice = Yum. And yes, even the frozen pot pies are worth over-​nighting to friends and family. Telling how much space the birds have ranging around outside compared to the tiny, cramped aisles (3) for the customers. Just like when we were kids. Who doesn’t love that?

Delicious chickens and turkeys. Their potatoes aren’t the worst I’ve had, but they are OK. I LOVE the butternut squash. Cornbread is delish, and the gravy could definitely use a complete overhaul, yuk! Overall, I do really like this place. I just wish the birds weren’t so pricey.

Great poultry, yummy baked stuff, but best of all, really nice people.
Been shopping here for years and have never had a bad experience — only really tasty chickens and turkeys.

Hey JB C., try cooking it YOURSELF next time before giving it a 1-​star, ok?
Come here and taste what eggs, chicken, capon and turkey tasted like back in your grandparents day. They eggs have the brightest yellow/​orange yokes I’ve EVER seen and the chicken tastes, to quote my wife, more «chickeny»! Head out back and check out the chickens yourself, too… they’re walking around the barn without a cage in site with plenty of room to move and their beaks just trimmed at the tip. The eggs are gathered daily (not refrigerated either) and the birds are slaughtered daily as well so the fresh factor is unimaginable! Old school that’s essentially organic without the label. And while you’re there, stop by and say hi to the emu’s out back…

I’ve heard so many great things about Owens BUT my experience has been anything but stellar. On 2 different occasions, we’ve gotten their pre-​cooked capon (chicken) and turkey along with gravy and stuffing. And on both occasions the meat was DRY!!! even the dark meat was dry. I don’t understand how a place that specializes in poultry and has supposedly been cooking and selling it for years mess up the cooking so badly.
And then you’d like to think that perhaps the stuffing or gravy would help but sadly no go.
Twice our family brought it over to help us out when we didn’t have time to cook and the last time, I thought, takeout pizza would have been so much better and a lot more edible.
I’m so disappointed especially since we live so close and I’ve heard such great things. but sadly it’s just been downhill for us.

This place is a little out of the way, which is unfortunate. I’ve bought their chickens and chicken eggs before but I’ve never tried their ducks or turkeys. I think you need to call in advance for the latter. They also have pot pies, pre cooked chickens, turkey dressings, soups, etc. Their prices are very reasonable and competitive with supermarkets…$ 1.79 for a roaster and $ 1.99 for a capone but the texture and sweetness of the meat is much better than that of the supermarket. I think their chickens are locally grown in the barn in back but I didn’t ask about free range, organic, etc. They certainly don’t claim such but it may just be that they haven’t gone through the necessary paperwork to earn the label.

Well I will be the first and say this is one of my favorite places to go when im home from California. If you want a quality chicken pot pie or just great things to buy for dinner this is the place. The chicken pot pies are so good i sneak some in my suitcase to take back to Los Angeles. I give Owens a ⁹⁵⁄₁₀₀