Roperti's Turkey Farm prepares for Thanksgiving

LIVONIA (WXYZ) - With Thanksgiving right around the corner, action at the Roperti Farms is in full swing.

The Livonia turkey farm expects to sell 4,000 birds again this year, but this time they're larger than in years past. "They're bigger this year because the weather has been much better this year," said Christine Roperti, the farm's owner. "There's been hardly any rain, so it's been good for them. When there's no rain, they eat more."

Dry conditions also increased the cost of feed, which Roperti says was passed on, at least in part, to customers. "It's about 10 cents more because my corn was more than a dollar a bushel over last year because of all the droughts," Roperti said.

The price hike doesn't seem to be keeping customers away. John Tyrrell picked up at 17lb turkey on Sunday. "It's the whole experience really. You see the turkeys outside, you know they're not being processed somewhere offsite. It's all done right here, so it doesn't get much fresher."

Monday is the last day for customers to place orders for Thanksgiving turkeys, but Roperti says walk-in customers are welcome through Wednesday.