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Most profitable livestock for small farm

187K views 43 replies 29 participants last post by  jimmy quinn 
#1 ·
I am wondering what are the most profitable animals to keep on a small farm (8-15 acres of pasture and another 4-5 acres of plantable fields). Are certain types of sheep more profitable such as sheep with finer wool? Is black wool better or more expensive (neighbors have a lot of black sheep, lol). What about alpaca or some other exotic animals.

Any suggestions here are appreciated. I don't really want to spend 10 hours a day with these animals or anything by a few is no problem.

This in in Lanaster County (Amish country) so the land is pretty good around here and can probably support most types of livestock.
 
#39 ·
Profitable?

You should raise something you have a passion for raising to begin with. You gotta like what you're doing because "Profitable" most likely won't be part of the picture for some time if ever.

The big food corporations make it difficult to be profitable because they can do everything on a grand scale and the tiny farmer can't.

According to trends having to do with goats, goat is the meat with the biggest prediction for expansion as the majority of the US demand for goat meat comes from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Supply isn't supposed to catch up with demand for years according to what I was reading a year ago.

But the biggest reason for that is the HUGE influx of Muslims and Mexicans. Which is a whole 'nother subject all together.

We were never looking for profitability because I don't want anything to do with taxes or any regulation from the GOVT. We have a much smaller area to boot. That said, on .9 acre we have over a hundred rabbits currently, about 34 chickens and five goats.

On the amount of land you are talking about you can obviously have more room for grazing and planting food for your animals. But you will still be dinky in comparison with the big mega corporations and the American public, unless you compete nationally online or something, hasn't enough appetite for eating cute little easter bunnies to sell at much of a profit but they are supposed to be half the cost per hanging pound compared with chickens.

But chickens can free range and you could raise worms like I do to defray the cost of chicken feed.

Plant comfrey (15-20% protein) all over for your animals. All of our animals seek it out.

BS on rabbits not being much work. If you only have a handful I'd agree but to keep them healthy and clean adds up to some work if you have very many.

Rabbits are the quieter of any other animal I can think of if stealth is a desired condition. A couple weeks ago we had a nice young couple with a little girl come by because they heard our rooster crow. They happened to be Mexican and their little girl translated. They wanted to buy a live chicken for food. I'm not set up for that, don't have that many and don't want anybody of any race showing up at my door for anything.

I'd sure study up on things real hard before thinking about being profitable. If you can find a "niche" market and concentrate on that. I knew a guy some years ago who went to a seminar about plants and herbs and walked away with the news that lavender was going to go big. He started into that and about a dozen years ago, just four years after he started, he had 550 wholesale customers world wide. I've lost track of him but he made it very big on lavender. The little city of Sequim, WA has a yearly lavender festival and this guy was the main person who got the ball rolling. (Purple Haze Lavender Farm).
 
#40 ·
You should raise something you have a passion for raising to begin with. You gotta like what you're doing because "Profitable" most likely won't be part of the picture for some time if ever.

The big food corporations make it difficult to be profitable because they can do everything on a grand scale and the tiny farmer can't.
Boomer is right about trying to be profitable on a national scale. But I don't think that's what you would be doing. You won't be selling any of this meat to local grocery store chains or Walmart, your target will be people, families. Another good market for small farm goods are health food stores. Close to me there's a cattle ranch that raises grass-fed beef. They can't compete on any national scale, but they sell their meet in 3 health food stores around here (a small chain) and at farmers markets on certain days of the week. I know you won't be doing this (most likely) but it's a good example of how small farms can very much sell their goods to make some money.
 
#41 · (Edited)
I prefer to have several types of animals I can slaughter easily with no help. Simply because I may be alone when the time comes to kill and process that animal. Chickens, turkeys, guineas, ducks, rabbits, sheep, goats. In my experience all are relatively simple to keep.

Don't forget, those fowl produce eggs.

I'm not thinking on a large scale, not trying to turn a profit. These animals are for my familiy's use, and also to sell/trade locally. Not for profit, but for practical survival and to have some darn good meat in the freezer.

Larger animals, I prefer to hunt them. Deer meat! Wild hogs!
 
#43 ·
Here's the thing to keep in mind. If anything in farming is profitable a large corporation is trying to do it. If it is marginal they let the farmers do it. Large corps raise pigs, and poultry. They can't make money on sheep, cows, or goats. Although niche markets are always the exception.
 
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