# What animal is best for me to start with? Please post!!!!



## theawesomefowl (Dec 8, 2010)

I need a money-making animal project. I understand you have to have a large capital outlay to start with animals, and I don't mind raising for meat...what do you all think? How are sheep? (lambs and wool)

I really, really, love minature cows , but think I should maybe start with something smaller first. I don't only want pets, but I want something I can at least make back my costs with, if not extra money. I don't want to lose (much) money, at any rate.

Meat animals are probably a good bet. ???
Notes:

I don't have a large pasture. Very small. Do have barns I could build stalls in though, lots of barn room.

Animal has to be manageable, not hard to take care of daily.

Not extrodinarily expensive; I am will to pay for quality, but am trying to save towards the miniature cattle.

I don't like rabbits; am allergic to them. 

Pigs: possibly; how hard is it to breed and birth them?

Sheep: I do like sheep, and goats alot, which makes the most money? 

How expensive are sheep to feed?




I have been worrying about this for a while. 

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## ksalvagno (Dec 8, 2010)

It is hard to make money on any livestock. If you are looking at it from strictly selling something and getting money in return. then none of it is profitable. If you add in things like manure for fertilizer, using milk to feed yourself or other animals or meat to put on your table, then you may see a break even point.

If you have a lot of ethnic population in your area, meat goats may work out. Some people are making a good living with meat goats but you have work around the ethnic holidays and when they would want the goat and what age/size they want.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 8, 2010)

I don't really want to meat goats, but will look into it. I do like goats.
Yes, I understand its not an easy way to make money....and that you can't just sell them and get money back easily. 

 thanks.


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## patandchickens (Dec 8, 2010)

Seriously, it's not that it "is hard to" make money on livestock (in the sense of "so you would have to work extra hard at it to succeed")... it is that there is an extremely good chance that you would end up LOSING money no matter hard you work on it.

If making money is the object, livestock are not generally a good way of doing it.

If you wanted to raise livestock with the best possibility of not losing any more money than necessary, it will not help to ask us what's the best kind because it varies DRAMATICALLY with your area and circumstances. You would have to research what the situation is in your particular area, and your circumstances. If you have only a "very small" pasture and are thinking in terms of stalls in barns then honestly the only kind of livestock I'd really feel in good conscience recommending for that situation would be rabbits or poultry. Any larger livestock is really a lot better off as outdoor animals (not to say you *can't* raise a pig or goats indoors with little or no outdoors area, but it is harder health-wise and not usually kind to the animals IMHO)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 8, 2010)

okay!
I live in upstate NY, cold winters, rocky soil.


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## jodief100 (Dec 8, 2010)

I recommend investigating your market.  Who are you going to sell your animals to?  Is there a venue for selling them?  What are the current prices?  How far will you have to transport your animals to market?  
I sell meat goats and make money at it.  There are three places within 2 hours from me that all pay good prices and I sell a lot to people who come to my farm.  Unless there is a graded goat and sheep auction nearby or a large population of immigrants, small rural communities tend to not be good markets for goats and to a lesser extent sheep.  If you are near one of the larger cities or a University town then there may be a market. 
The first thing you to consider is will you be able to sell what you are producing at prices that reflect your costs + profit?  

Research, research and more research.  Livestock is just like any other business.  How much will it cost to produce and how much can you sell it for.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 8, 2010)

How can i locate a market for potential products?


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## glenolam (Dec 8, 2010)

I'd say talk to other farmers in your surrounding area.  Ask them all sorts of questions related to how they operate, their successes, their downfalls and what they'd do differently.  You could also contact your local department of agriculture or search on the web for agencies that help promote small farmers.


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## Beekissed (Dec 8, 2010)

You can peruse your local ads for the livestock section and see what is selling and for how much.  Go to your local livestock auction house and see what the old farmers are buying and selling.

Goats are clearly, from reading all the hoohaw on here, not about to make anyone money and you will surely be in the hole with all the medicines and dewormers you will have to buy just to keep them alive.  They appear to have enormous birthing problems, high kid fatality rate and require specialized feeds to keep them in condition...from everything I read on this forum.  

As for making back your original investment and possibly clearing a tiny profit each year?  Small amount of pasture means small livestock and not many....you might go with poultry?  Hair sheep? 

Hair sheep are great for a small place and only require grass and then hay for winter....they don't do so well on grain anyway.  Easiest livestock I've ever raised and have fun, quirky personalities.
Don't have to shear them, so easy for a woman to handle...require once a year hoof trimming but maybe not in your rocky area.   

They are also very desired by the ethnic market and buyers from other places will come to your local auction house to snatch up any good looking hair sheep.  

They are more desired because you don't have to castrate or dock them if you don't wish(ethnic buyers want unblemished lambs), they don't have the strong flavor of wool breeds and you can see their general condition at a glance....no thick wool to hide their lines.  

You can make back your original price and can turn a profit each year on lambs....it won't make you rich but at least you won't be in the hole at the end of the year.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 9, 2010)

I am thinking, hair sheep and "pastured" broilers. I will have to cultivate a market for the lambs, but broilers should be slightly eaiser.

What is a good breed of hair sheep that:

* Lambs EASILY generally
*Has multiple births (The more the merrier! Maybe Finnsheep? But they have wool..)
*Is cute  has nice markings, I don't want one that looks angular or "ugly" lol!
*Can't be too expensive or large, but large enough to produce many babies 
*Has to do well in cold winters, I am willing to stall it up in winter.

I looked up some what what do you like? Why do you like them? 


Beekissed, I love your signature!


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## patandchickens (Dec 9, 2010)

theawesomefowl said:
			
		

> I am thinking, hair sheep and "pastured" broilers. I will have to cultivate a market for the lambs


Probably good to see if there IS a market, first before getting attached to the idea or even getting sheep. There isn't a market for that kind of lamb everywhere.

Be aware that sheep classically do not do well indoors unless it is not "really" indoors but more like a 2- or 3-sided shelter with the remaining side/s totally open. They need DRY FRESH air, not stale humid indoor air. So how well this would work for you depends what your barn is like.



> but broilers should be slightly eaiser.


You could also look at what the local market is for turkeys. Either heritage, or free-range-humanely-raised commercial BBW/BBB.

Pat


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## aggieterpkatie (Dec 9, 2010)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> Goats are clearly, from reading all the hoohaw on here, not about to make anyone money and you will surely be in the hole with all the medicines and dewormers you will have to buy just to keep them alive.  They appear to have enormous birthing problems, high kid fatality rate and require specialized feeds to keep them in condition...from everything I read on this forum.


This is just my opinion of course, but goats are not that hard to raise.  I do believe that some people tend to freak about every little thing that could possibly ever go wrong. Plus, this forum has many many brand new goat owners who have never owned livestock and have no clue about how to raise them, so you tend to see more threads about "I NEED HELP WITH _____" than you may see in a forum based more on production and not just pets.  This may not exactly be the best forum to get a good basis of raising goats for production (be it meat or dairy).


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 9, 2010)

What is a good breed of hair sheep? Now I'm all interested in them.

Here is my plan: During the last year I have done much research on many species and breeds of animals. I think I will try raising some different species until I find one that makes money, I enjoy, and that works for me.


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## freemotion (Dec 9, 2010)

You said you don't have much pasture.  That means you'll have to purchase most/all food for your livestock.  Yikes.

However, there may be a good market for pastured broilers and pastured eggs, especially if you are willing to cull your laying flock.  I could sell pastured eggs here for $4 a dozen to a small but growing market if I wanted to...I have sold my excess in the spring to a long waiting list of people.  You do have to do some searching and some educating to find those people, though.  Do some research on any local (maybe a two hour radius) chapters of the Weston A. Price Foundation.  The members are very educated as to what really good food is and are willing to drive for it in many cases.  Educate yourself as to exactly what they are looking for, too.

Read all you can by/about Joel Salatin, as he uses many methods of sustainable farming that work nicely on a small acreage.  I am amazed at the improvement in my little two acres of pasture by implementing only a few of his ideas.  I use no chemicals on my land and it is new pasture (forested only a few short years ago, so not much topsoil) but improves by leaps and bounds each year.  The pastured chickens made a huge improvement in my soil.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 9, 2010)

Thanks for replying. I am doing some research, and will def. do pastured broilers.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 10, 2010)

I inter-library loaned Pastured Poultry Profits!!!! Can't wait till it comes!!!!

I may do them with sheep and eventually COWS. I loooooooove cows!!!!
 :bun


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## jodief100 (Dec 10, 2010)

You biggest hurdle with pastured poulty is processing.  Research the laws in your state.  There are restrictions about selling processed animals.  Some state require all need to be processed by an approved facility. Other states have excemptions to allow home processing for small numbers.


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 10, 2010)

Maybe i can home process, or we have friends who have the equipment at a farm.


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## jodief100 (Dec 10, 2010)

Check to see if it is legal to sell home processed chicken.  Here in KY it is not.  Some states allow it up to a certain number, usually 100 or 500 per year.  

KY requires it be processed by a federally inspected and licensed facility in order to sell it.  

All of this varies by state so check your local laws.


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## mully (Dec 10, 2010)

What ever you choose investigate all your options and remember you do this out of love because unless you raise the goose that laid the golden egg it is difficult at best to break even.  Good luck !!


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## Thundrr-Chicken (Dec 10, 2010)

what about rabbits?


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## Royd Wood (Dec 10, 2010)

Hi theawesomefowl 

You got some thinking to do after all these posts and while you get your plan of action together get yourself 8 free range laying hens which will supply you with very tasty eggs. Thats how we started 4 years ago when we landed in Canada. Anything is possible  and check out my website to see where we ended up  
I come from a farming background so it was a sidestep but who knows if we will survive, its tough out there in the market place and it depends on where your located for potential customers. I could go on for ever but will finish here by wishing you the best of luck with whatever you do

GOOD LUCK


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## theawesomefowl (Dec 10, 2010)

I happen to hate rabbits (okay, they're cute!) and they make me sneeze. But thanks anyway!  

I do have chickens, lets see now...

2 barred rocks
2 SLWyandottes
1 Black Sexlink
2 Seramas who live in our kitchen
1 goofy, dumb as a rock Polish
1 paranoid Leghorn pullet
3 fluffy Silkies

Only the first 5 birds and one of the a Silkies are laying but their eggs are so good! Jane the Serama went broody.

I got hooked on chickens. They are SO addicting!!!!  Now I would like to try pastured broilers. I really'd like to make some money with them.

I am going to make a plan, try to find a market for lambs. If I can get a market for them I will raise them.
Can I have some information about them? (raising hair sheep lambs for meat)
I'd have to do a lot of marketing.....or how about selling the lambs live to an auction?


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