I want to be a "REAL" Farmer someday... Lambs or Turkeys?

[Lloyd_E]

David,

The pigs were easy to keep and perhaps we were lucky. I built a 4x8 shed for them with a slant roof - 5' slanting to 4' hinged, so I could get in and clean it(bed of hay). Only did it once - they are very clean animals! I fenced in a small area - 24' x 30' roughly with spruce posts(4' O/C for strength) and slab wood from a mill. The slab wood was laid horizontally and came to about 24" in height. They stayed in this area from about 35lbs onward for about a month. There was a strand of electric fence wire just inside this area at about 10" in height. This set up gave them time to respect the electric wire(and me too). We had a gate of slab wood and wire in this area as well. The month gave me time to do a larger area with an electric fence wire. I used plastic stakes because we had them left over(we have horses too) and ran three strands of wire: from ground 4" / 12" and 20". We enlarged the area to about 60'x40'. I removed the gate to smaller section after we enlarged their area. We also had a small gate(electric fence wire and stakes) to the larger area. It's important to be able to whipper snip the grass below the bottom strand to keep the fence from shorting out. Also, I walked the area and removed any rocks or branches and mud from the bottom wire on a weekly basis. The charger meter will let you know if there are grounding problems. Pigs are smart! I am amazed at their strength and the ability to move stuff including large boulders. If you want part of your 26 acres clear cut or cleaned up put the pigs there! They were in this area from June to Oct. They had a wet area plus trees for shade to keep the sun off them. They seemed happy...

We lucked in when we had to move them. It took 10 minutes to load them into a box that was on my tractor forks. We moved from lower field to my trailer and off to the next phase. I will be enlarging the area for next year - probably double. Not once did they get out. They came to greet you but always stayed at least 6" away from the wire.

Good luck.

 

[blueriver]

David,

The pigs were easy to keep and perhaps we were lucky. I built a 4x8 shed for them with a slant roof - 5' slanting to 4' hinged, so I could get in and clean it(bed of hay). Only did it once - they are very clean animals! I fenced in a small area - 24' x 30' roughly with spruce posts(4' O/C for strength) and slab wood from a mill. The slab wood was laid horizontally and came to about 24" in height. They stayed in this area from about 35lbs onward for about a month. There was a strand of electric fence wire just inside this area at about 10" in height. This set up gave them time to respect the electric wire(and me too). We had a gate of slab wood and wire in this area as well. The month gave me time to do a larger area with an electric fence wire. I used plastic stakes because we had them left over(we have horses too) and ran three strands of wire: from ground 4" / 12" and 20". We enlarged the area to about 60'x40'. I removed the gate to smaller section after we enlarged their area. We also had a small gate(electric fence wire and stakes) to the larger area. It's important to be able to whipper snip the grass below the bottom strand to keep the fence from shorting out. Also, I walked the area and removed any rocks or branches and mud from the bottom wire on a weekly basis. The charger meter will let you know if there are grounding problems. Pigs are smart! I am amazed at their strength and the ability to move stuff including large boulders. If you want part of your 26 acres clear cut or cleaned up put the pigs there! They were in this area from June to Oct. They had a wet area plus trees for shade to keep the sun off them. They seemed happy...

We lucked in when we had to move them. It took 10 minutes to load them into a box that was on my tractor forks. We moved from lower field to my trailer and off to the next phase. I will be enlarging the area for next year - probably double. Not once did they get out. They came to greet you but always stayed at least 6" away from the wire.

Good luck.

I agree pigs are an easy keep. I have good luck selling feeders just after they are weaned. I have a lean too on the barn and 2 smaller pens for farrowing.

 

[WayneB]

I basically started out thinking both turkeys and sheep. I was lucky and only tried 25 turkeys any more than that and I would of really blown it. First thing I learned, the hard way, is to make sure there are no sharp corners in the holding pen. We lost 3 turkeys the first week because they all pushed into the corner killing three of them. It's cold up here so we have to start everything inside. Biggest problem was we were about two weeks early and all of the turkeys were ready to be butchered way before thanksgiving time so we had to hold them and naturally they were at a point where they were eating away the profits, plus we also had a couple that weighed so much that they broke legs. Hard to sell a turkey that is over weight and had a broken drumstick.

I knew we were not going to be turkey farmers so we turned to sheep. We had 15 to start with and learning how to manage them, cut the wool, give shots, keep fenced in turned out to be a major work in progress. At least once a week they would break through the fence and we would spend hours Harding them back into the fenced in area. The following spring when it was lambing time we had major problems with every failure one could imagine happening. By June I decided it would. E time to start butchering lambs so we were taking them in weekly to have slaughtered. By late fall the last of the sheep were gone to market.

We then turned to pigs and for a few years we kept things under control and only did under a dozen at a time, had a mobile pig man come and do the killing and butchering. Then I decided to expand the sows and maintain our bore and the following year we raised 65 pig. Grain prices went up and when the pigs were ready to be butchered meat prices went don. To top that off we were forced to use a USDA certified butcher and could not butcher at home. This alone made the selling price so low it wouldn't cover the cost of grain let alone any for our labor. We did have lots of pork for ourselves though.

This is all leading up to you making sure you know what you are getting into! There is a reason why most small farmers are rather poor!

Just my two cents...

 

[Duffster]

I think "heirloom" ( along with organic)turkeys might be something to check into.

I have heard of them going for as much as $200 before thankgiving.

Baby dairy billy goats are free in the upcoming kidding season. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Duffster]

I agree pigs are an easy keep. I have good luck selling feeders just after they are weaned. I have a lean too on the barn and 2 smaller pens for farrowing.

Nice. She only have 6 pigs though?

 

[IndyIan]

Do some asking around to see if anyone is selling pastured chicken or eggs in your area. If not, its a good niche market and pretty cheap to get into. Also the product is not available at the grocery store and the difference in quality is plain to see and taste.
Probably the biggest investment in time at least, is training a livestock dog to keep the chickens safe and a shelter that you can lock up at night for the chickens. Also the dog is good to keep pests like racoons and skunks away too.
We have a few goats too, and the best market is other people looking to get goats, or we had some bred does that brought $300 each. For what they often sell for at the local livestock auction for meat, we just rather eat them ourselves.

 

[zonta223]

Lloyd,

The PM was awesome info! Thanks. You and I are in VERY similar situations I suspect.

I would love to see video of you chasing down the turkeys! :laughing:

My market here would mostly be pre-sold at a discount to friends, family, Church buddies who know me. The remainder would likely be sold via a couple of "farmer's market" shops.

We've got a guy here who sells pork sausages etc in a number of "Farmers Market" type stores "Papa Weaver's Pork" I've seen his ribs and bacon in freezer in a commuter lot Saturday market type place offered at $15/ lb ribs and $24/lb bacon!!!!

I've heard pigs are hard to contain, but I'd love good clean pork at a reasonable price.

I would not shoot for "Certified organic" until I was running a farm full time. Right now I want it part time side job, and for my kids.

PS - No matter what I will never let this place have less than 26 acres of "woods"

Be well,
David

Number one thing to know before you choose sheep or goats is what is the predator situation. And I don't just mean "wild" predators. Neighbors dogs etc in one night can cause large losses in your flock. Goats are better than sheep at defending themselves but getting a couple of Alpacas to run with the flock is the best deterrent.
With sheep you have to decide if you are only going to raise them for meat or for meat and wool. If you can learn to shear and have a lot of "crafty" ladies in your area that are into spinning and weaving then wool can be a good money earner especially if you have a few colored sheep. BUT you have to crutch and tail them etc which takes a lot more of your time.
"Wool less" sheep like Dorpers etc require no shearing produce big quick growing lambs and the meat is tasty. Just keep an eye on their general health and as with all sheep look after their feet.......trim their hooves,treat them for lice and worms etc.
Sheep are true flock animal and tend to walk single file around your property.....this soon leads to sheep trails appearing in you pastures and can lead to erosion on steep land.
Unless sheep are hand reared and constantly handled they very rarely become really tame. As already stated by others a good sheep dog is a big help in moving sheep around. It can be done with a bunch of helpers but there is always one or two of the sheep that "escape" to freedom meaning you have to start collecting them again.

Goats are a lot hardier than sheep....require less work from you on their general upkeep ..do better on rougher pasture.....with a bit of handling and work can be made to "come" on command just like a dog. The don't single file across your pasture..if you have a few "dairy" goats a good side line in milk and cheese is an option. Goat meat is one of the most consumed meats in the world it is only in the Anglo western nations is it not normally in the shops, but I doubt if you would have much difficulty finding customers. Goats would love your 26 acres, they would keep it mainly weed free with no work input by you, BUT you must have really good fencing. Goats will quickly find the weakest area in a fence.... I have seen them climb fencing which I thought was goat proof.
..If your goats are to be kept near your home don't have male goats......they have a habit of peeing over themselves to show who is the dominant one and to attract the ladies and man do they stink big time.

Pigs raised in open pasture will soon plow it up if the ground if it is soft enough. This is great if you want to raise vegetables, sweetcorn etc as they fertilize the area. However if you want your property to look Pristine and green you have to keep them in restricted pens which means more cost in feed etc.

Before you choose which livestock to raise ask around and see what other people are doing. Do you follow others which normally means that sales may be easy but the prices lower..or...do you go for a niche market with extras such as milk, cheese and or wool which will produce more money but you have to find and then build a customer base.
If you are going to do the slaughtering always try to sell the whole animal rather than bits and pieces of it......If you don't you will quickly accumulate a stock of less popular cuts that have to be sold off as pet food etc.

Sorry never expected my answer to be this long......hope it gives you a few options to think about

 

[blueriver]

Nice. She only have 6 pigs though?

First litter gilt ... I like to keep 3 sows and the boar. After the first litter and if you don't overfeed the sow I like a constant average of 10 pig.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Blueriver,

What type of pigs in your pic? They look like a cross between Berkshire and ???
I have a friend that grows Berkshire pigs too. We are thinking about getting into the piglet market. Berkshires go for $75 - $90 each, after weaning, up here.

Wayne,

Your story reminded me of American friends that live up here. Years ago they grew their first turkeys - sold most for the Canadian Thanksgiving market - we celebrate early. They continued to grow theirs for November... well November came, they slaughtered the turkey and got ready to bake and celebrate. Only problem it wouldn't fit in the oven - three family homes, three attempts, no go. So they cut it in half, cooked in two ovens and somewhat put it back together for presentation at the table. I think the weight was 30-35+ lbs or more. They still laugh about it now. They do lots of sheep/lambs and a few chickens and turkeys - but they slaughter early.

 

[blueriver]

I basically started out thinking both turkeys and sheep. I was lucky and only tried 25 turkeys any more than that and I would of really blown it. First thing I learned, the hard way, is to make sure there are no sharp corners in the holding pen. We lost 3 turkeys the first week because they all pushed into the corner killing three of them. It's cold up here so we have to start everything inside. Biggest problem was we were about two weeks early and all of the turkeys were ready to be butchered way before thanksgiving time so we had to hold them and naturally they were at a point where they were eating away the profits, plus we also had a couple that weighed so much that they broke legs. Hard to sell a turkey that is over weight and had a broken drumstick.

I knew we were not going to be turkey farmers so we turned to sheep. We had 15 to start with and learning how to manage them, cut the wool, give shots, keep fenced in turned out to be a major work in progress. At least once a week they would break through the fence and we would spend hours Harding them back into the fenced in area. The following spring when it was lambing time we had major problems with every failure one could imagine happening. By June I decided it would. E time to start butchering lambs so we were taking them in weekly to have slaughtered. By late fall the last of the sheep were gone to market.

We then turned to pigs and for a few years we kept things under control and only did under a dozen at a time, had a mobile pig man come and do the killing and butchering. Then I decided to expand the sows and maintain our bore and the following year we raised 65 pig. Grain prices went up and when the pigs were ready to be butchered meat prices went don. To top that off we were forced to use a USDA certified butcher and could not butcher at home. This alone made the selling price so low it wouldn't cover the cost of grain let alone any for our labor. We did have lots of pork for ourselves though.

This is all leading up to you making sure you know what you are getting into! There is a reason why most small farmers are rather poor!

Just my two cents...

I kinda chuckled at your post ... sheep in my opinion need a good field fence, a quard dog. Get hairless to avoid shearing (only works I think in the South) I really never had any problems lambing ... an ocassional still birth. And the lambing barn worked well. A bottle station for the weak lambs. I never lost a one to predators and fed at night in the feed lot.

Pigs ... I sell feeders at weaning then I don't have to feed them. I will keep two every once in awhile to butcher myself.