What's the most profitable way make cash, farming

EddieWalker · Jul 7, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

Reminds me of a guy I know who wanted to raise chickens for eggs. He put up fencing, build houses for them, ran water to their location and bought feed for them at the pet store in town. He's the type of guy with gradious plans, but too lazy to do them right. Mr. Shortcut.

We figured out that his eggs were costing him over twice what he could buy them for at the store!

Soundguy · Jul 7, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

( and was buying the feed by the 5 pound bag )

Heck.. for farming.. buying feed in quantity can add up to big savings. Also look for dealer offered incentives.

For instance. I use 2 feed dealers. First dealer is my main dealer.. I buy 90% of my stuff there. They offer discounts at the 500# and 2000# and semi-trailer load level.

I used to buy 5-6 bags at a time.. just enough for a week.. then I figured out the savings game... 'more is less'. Once I got my feed and forage storage area setup and dry and rat proof in my barn.. i started taking the horse trailer or flat bed down there and getting it by the ton. Drastic savings. I was getting 5+ bags 'free' by doing that.

As long as you keep the bugs and vermin out, and keep it dry.. most feeds store for a couple months fine. Mine never last a couple months.. but could. I use pallets to keep them off the concrete, and put down livestock dust onthe floor.. keeps the weevils and ants away. Got 2 barn cats and they take care of the vermin.

The way feed prices are these days.. i couldn't afford to go back to the 5 bags a week thing.

The 2nd dealer I use to get stuff I forgot or ran out of.. he is closer .. but a tad more expensive. His deal is though.. he gives you a very small discount if you use his stores credit acocunt. 2% off if you pay the bill within a week of getting it.

I know 2% isn't much.. but I use it!

Soundguy

Soundguy · Jul 7, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

( raise chickens for eggs. He put up fencing, build houses for them, ran water to their location and bought feed for them at the pet store in town )

he must be 'trying' to do it wrong them.

I raise chickens for eggs. I built most of my pens out of cattle panels and chicken wire / tin roofs. One big pen is actually a large chain link dog kennel with avery netting over it. I ran water out to my back pasture where the hog, duck, turkey and chix pens are. I buy scratch grains, oyster shell, and feed crumbles. I DO track my feed for the chickens and calculate their feed costs seperately than my turkies and ducks.

I pay way less than half the store price for eggs, and they are fresh farm raised.

My chickens are RR's leghorns, some banty and banty mix, and dominecker, and sexlinks. I get mostly medium eggs The RR, leghorn and sexlink and dominecker kick out med-large to extra large. the banty kick out small to medium.

I keep my roosters in seperate condos, and keep one old banty rooster inthe main coop just to keep the chickens in line. I have seperate pens for breeding. I have a good variety of roosters. I keep them till they are grown enough to see how they turn out. I've got some fine RR, leghorn, and fancies, as wella s dominecker roosters. When i need/want more chickens I'll let a broody hen or two set. Occasionally I'll incubate an egg from the larger sexlink or RR as they aren't as broody.

Right now I've got 3 banty mix being raised by momma hen int he main pen, and I've hand raised some 'mixed' in a brooder box.. I plan on putting them out inthe next week as soon as I clean up a spare pen.

Scratch grains are the biggest cost.. at 6-7$ per bag.. but it goes along way... oyster shell is super cheap as well. Feen runs about 6$ per bag. Add a few bucks per year in powders and sprays.. etc.

Right now I pretty much eat eggs every day.. and still have a dozen or more surplus per week.. and thats even with a chicken or tow not producing.

Right now friends familly and neighbors are benefitting from the 'extra' egg production. I get empty egg cartons in return.. probaly got a bow of a few hundred of those inthe barn...

in the end.. of all the livestock.. the chix are easiest for me. They don't kick like a horse.. or run you over like a cow.. etc. And they only spur you once /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.. after that a little flour and grease takes care of them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Chickens have ended up being the most economical thing i've found yet. Like I say.. he must be 'trying' to waste money /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Soundguy

_RaT_ · Jul 7, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

 Do not choose a crop before you find the market though. 

Those are very wise words. Folks out here want to grow grapes for wine, figure it's got to be the "thing" to do. Unless they have a buyer lined up, they are unlikely to get the product sold.

Highbeam · Jul 7, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

On the chickens my thoughts are that I can buy a dozen fancy eggs for less than a dollar. That dozen will last a good long time in my household and I suspect most households. I can buy chicken at 29 cents apound. With pulling feathers and gutting their little bodies or washing eggs the chicken doesn't seem to have offer much profit. Maybe I'm missing something.

Compare that to the waste product of a cow, the hamburger, at several dollars per pound, plus the good cuts in the double digits per pound. Lots of meat on a single cow. Buffalos anyone?

Pork is a similar market but smaller cash per pound and less pounds per animal. Plus they stink a lot worse in my opinion. The bright side is that they will eat pretty much anything. Containing them might be challenging.

I seldom see or hear about people eating goats or sheep. I know it's done but the market must be smaller. The animals seem easier to handle and the goats will terrorize the brush.

I don't see growing any crops as a side line. Maybe pumpkins or other specialty crop. Corn farming for instance seems to be a loser on a small scale.

Do folks buy bulk feed in bags or do you all set up those smaller silos?

Soundguy · Jul 8, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

( On the chickens my thoughts are that I can buy a dozen fancy eggs for less than a dollar. That dozen will last a good long time in my household and I suspect most households. I can buy chicken at 29 cents apound. With pulling feathers and gutting their little bodies or washing eggs the chicken doesn't seem to have offer much profit. Maybe I'm missing something.
)

The smaller the operation.. the less return you get.. That said.. my small personal chicken stock easilly pays for the feed and over time.. cost of the pens. I'm way ahead money wise on eggs. even if you only saved 50 cents per carton.. it adds up. However.. that's not factoring in the cost of labor.

In my household.. a dozen eggs per week is consumed approximately.

( I can buy a dozen fancy eggs for less than a dollar )

You are not compairing apples to apples. You are compairing comercialy produced eggs to a free range or semi free range.. 'organic' egg. That is.. probably no growth hormone was used to grow the chicken 6 times as fast..and you aresn't squeezing 2-3 eggs out of the chicken by varrying the light/dark cycles extra times per day.

I can tell the difference of taste and texture of a sore bought white egg vs a brown farm raised egg any day of the week... Also by simply looking at them cracke din different bowls. the farm raised ones ( mine anyway) are way more orange.. store bought ones are a pale yellow.

Also.. I get the benefit and fun of getting some double yolks. i have a couple chickens that constantly produce double yolks. both the farm raised/organic and free range / double yolk eggs are significantly higher priced than the plain old grade A white carton of tasteless watery eggs. Next time you are in the store.. look for the most expensive eggs they have. probably a free range organic.. or a double yolk...

Soundguy

edski · Jul 8, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

Here's a link for goat production.
Goat lessons

Highbeam · Jul 8, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

Agreed, I am comparing the store bought market comparison for the sake of the dollar. Any beef, pig, or chicken that I would be selling at an auction would be competing with the store bought farm factories. Unless I want to try and find some niche market and go through the organic hassles and such. My product will be better but when selling by the pound it is of no concern.

I am also in full agreement that any small farm raised animal will be superior to an antibiotic and hormone pumped animal from the factory. The beef, chicken, pork, and eggs will actually have flavor, texture, and color unlike the fluffed up factory products. That is great for any of my product that I or my direct customers consume, Safeway doesn't care.

I have bought the "Dinosaur" eggs at Albertson's. Nearly every extra large egg had a double yolk. The cost was only slightly higher than single yolk regular eggs. I am sure that there is some science involved with making these eggs come out of chickens. Also, aren't the typical market eggs non-fertilized where the typical farm egg is fertilized?

I think poultry has a place on the farm, eating the slugs and bugs. Providing some eggs and meat. I don't think that my ideal farm will use them as much of a revenue source. My mom had the banty hens growing up and said that they were some mean buggers.

This is a great discussion that I think is staying on topic pretty well.

Soundguy · Jul 8, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

( I am sure that there is some science involved with making these eggs come out of chickens. )

I'm sure the factories are doing something to promote the double yoks.. however they do occour naturally as well.

( Also, aren't the typical market eggs non-fertilized where the typical farm egg is fertilized?
)

The farm eggs will only be fertalized if you leave a rooster in the pen...

Soundguy

40Kchicks · Jul 8, 2005

Re: What\'s the most profitable way make cash, farming

We have a 40 acre poultry and livestock farm. We raise about 6 flocks a year of +- 42,000 chickens. They pay for the mortgage, the tractors, equipment and provide some profit. We have also raised cattle and sheep. In the last year we have sold our cattle at record highs and started converting to sheep farming. There are many reasons for this. The first one is that we have a good friend who is an expert with sheep. She is always willing to help us and is a great resource that we can get about any question about sheep answered. The second is that sheep ewes usually have twins. I can buy a ewe for about $100. The next year she has two feeder lambs that I can sell for about $100 each. I can buy a cow for about $800 and sell her feeder calf next year for about $ 450. So it take almost 2 years to pay for a cow and the ewe will pay for herself and make a profit the first year. Cows have one calf usually. Sheep have more medical problems but are easier to handle. If a sheep or lamb dies your not out as much money. Sheep are easy on fences. These are some of my reasons.

Eric