The roots of Hillside Turkey Farms in Thurmont, Md., go back to 1931. That's when Bryan Smith's grandmother started the business with just six turkeys and placed them under a chicken hoping they would hatch.

A year later, Pauline Smith got a few hundred eggs, and the business has been growing steadily ever since.

These days, Bryan Smith, the third generation, is gearing up for Thanksgiving with at least 20,000 birds going out for the big holiday. But Hillside isn't just about Thanksgiving. Smith and his family have turned the operation into a year-round business specializing in deli meats, jerky and even cheeses.

Smith's father took over the business in the early 1970s, expanding the on-site processing facility to accommodate more birds.

FAMILY TRADITION: Bryan Smith is the third generation to run Hillside Turkey Farms. Pictured are Ashley Smith (left), Bryan Smith Jr., Bryan Smith Sr., Judi Smith and Derek Smith.

In 1993, Bryan and his wife, Judi, took over the business. Since then, the Smiths have worked on expanding the selection of value-added products sold at the retail store in front of the processing building.

The process starts in March with day-old poults the Smiths get from a facility in Ohio.

"From there you cycle things in to what sizes you need," Bryan Smith says.

It takes about 18 weeks — a little over four months — to grow a 22- to 24-pound turkey. For the Thanksgiving market, Smith says they grow anything from 10- to 40-pound birds with the most popular being the 18- to 20-pound birds. They grow Nicholas Select, a white turkey breed.

"We've always had good luck with that," he says. "We've tried other types, but the legs seem to hold out better for the weight, the breast comes out nice on those. We've tried other strains, and this seems to be the best one we've had."

Birds are raised in five houses, three of which are operational year-round, that are located a few miles from the retail store and processing facility. Up to five flocks are raised a year depending on how the weeks fall in a given year. The total capacity is 180,000 birds per year.

Smith says raising turkeys has become more automated. The family used to operate its own feed mill, but Smith says its more cost-efficient to get it trucked in from a mill in Pennsylvania. There are two full-time employees.

All birds are processed in the on-site USDA-inspected plant. The turkeys are sold in various retail stores and to the wholesale market, but Smith has been getting more and more into value-added products.

"The smokehouse is running constantly, usually starting in late July with turkey legs," he says. "We do so many turkey legs for festivals and things like that."

The Maryland State Fair in late August is a popular place to find Hillside turkey legs. One customer, he says, buys 17 turkey legs at a time every year.

He also makes 15 kinds of sausage, smoked turkey breast, boneless breasts and seven varieties of snack sticks. Smith also makes a turkey jerky that he thinks tastes as good as any beef jerky on the market.

"You won't even notice that it's turkey. It's that good," he says.

BIG BIRDS: The best-selling birds weight 18 to 20 pounds, but they also sell 40-pound birds that, according to Bryan Smith, can feed up to 40 people.

Smith says he gets ideas for products by visiting grocery stores around the country and around the world.

"I take great pride in my product. If I don't like, I'm not going to sell it. I'm very particular with what goes out the door," he says.

Turkey production is concentrated in six states — Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Virginia — that account for two-thirds of the nation's turkey production.

To compete in the East, Smith says growers need to produce something that is different.

"For me, you need to be unique, have your niche items," he says. "You need to be set up different, take care of your customers, have fresh items, good-tasting items."