Local turkey farm gobbles orders ahead of Thanksgiving

A quiet road in San Acacia, Rachel and Bryan Dockens’ property—Quiver Acres Farm— hums with the chatter of turkeys. The couple, along with their five at-home children, are preparing for their seventh Thanksgiving season raising and selling turkeys—a tradition that began as a 4-H project while living in Las Vegas, NV.

“We wanted the kids to learn where our food comes from, so one of our sons chose turkeys to raise and grow. Even after he stopped doing the project, we just kept doing it,” said Rachel, remembering the struggle of raising a handful of turkeys in the Las Vegas ‘burbs.

After relocating to San Acacia three years ago, the Dockens family now raises about 25 broad-breasted turkeys each year—large, fast-growing birds that have replaced the smaller heritage breeds they started with.

“The first year we did heritage, but they don’t grow as big,” Rachel said. “These ones grow quicker and are better suited for holiday tables.”

Though the family’s hobby farm isn’t a formal business, word-of-mouth and Facebook groups in Socorro and Valencia counties have helped connect them with loyal customers.

“It’s really just a hobby project,” Rachel said. “Our profit margin is basically raising a turkey that other people paid for.”

The Dockens family raises two flocks—one for Thanksgiving and another for Christmas—and this year they’ve adjusted their prices slightly to account for rising feed costs.

“We increased to $5 a pound,” Bryan said, “but our repeat customers from last year still get the $4 per pound rate. We try to respect that loyalty.”

Processing the birds themselves, the Dockenses emphasize humane and careful handling—a practice they’ve shared with local youth. Last year, they hosted a 4-H club from Belen for a hands-on field trip to learn about raising and processing turkeys.

“We had about 17 kids come out,” Bryan said. “It was really rewarding to see them learn something real and practical.”

For the Dockens family, raising turkeys is less about profit and more about purpose.

“We just want our kids—and other families—to know that food doesn’t come from a foam tray at the grocery store,” Rachel said. “It comes from hard work, care, and respect for the animals we raise.”

Those interested in purchasing a turkey from Quiver Full Acres can reach out to Bryan at 702-374-9799, quiverfull6arrows@gmail.com, or through Facebook at https://facebook.com/bryan.dockens.