Larry Doll raises chickens, turkeys and ducks on his farm west of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Old Brick Farm was fortunate this Thanksgiving season. It had no cases of bird flu, despite an ongoing outbreak that killed more than 2 million U.S. turkeys in the last three months alone. Doll also avoided another disease, avian metapneumovirus, which causes turkeys to lay fewer eggs.

But he still saw the impact as those diseases shrank the U.S. turkey flock to a 40-year low this year. The hatchery where he gets his turkey chicks had fewer available.

Still, Doll, whose farm has been in his family for generations, moved ahead as he has every year.

“It really is a great feeling to be able to provide someone their centerpiece,” he said. “What’s Thanksgiving without a turkey?”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the shrinking population is expected to cause wholesale turkey prices to rise 44% this year.

Despite the increase, many stores are offering discounted turkeys to soften the potential blow to Thanksgiving meal budgets.

But even if the bird is cheaper than last year, the ingredients to prepare the rest of the holiday feast may not be. Tariffs on imported steel, for example, have increased prices for canned goods.

Grocery chains are offering deals to attract shoppers. One Meijer store in the Detroit suburb of Canton Township is selling turkeys for 49 cents a pound -- 39 cents with a discount program.

“We're seeing some promotions being implemented in an effort to draw customers into the store,” said David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University.

Back at Old Brick Farm, Doll walked among his turkeys the week before Thanksgiving, patting their heads as they waddled between their warm barn and an open pasture. In a few days, he planned to deliver them to an Amish butcher.

Doll sold all 92 turkeys he raised this year at a price quite a bit higher than what grocery stores charge. But, in his mind, the quality is much better.

“Drive down the highway, you can see Meijer’s got turkeys for 39 cents a pound. My turkeys are $6.50 a pound. And I’m sold out. But I only raise about 100 turkeys. They go through 100 turkeys an hour, probably,” he said, laughing.

AP video shot by Mike Householder