Making an income homesteading.

[Lizard Lady]

Yep, I know this has been talked about, but I'm curious about something. I am unable to kill anything. Okay, I killed a squirrel with my bare hands, but that's a completely different story. I'm wondering if I raise things like meat chickens and turkeys to sell to people who are willing to butcher them? My animals are all raised organically, and I'm planning on growing a majority of their food next spring (the chickens are free range and spoiled rotten!), so I'm just wondering if there's a market for something like that.

Also, for those of you who have ducks and chickens, do you have any luck selling their eggs?

 

[DStewart PDX]

You are likely to have an easier time getting a profit if you send them to a processor and then sell the dressed birds. The kind of folks who will pay top dollar for natural birds are unlikely to be the same folks willing to dress them. For the average person who does not dress chickens often, it is very labor intensive and time-consuming. Professional processors, though, have the skill and equipment to do this very quickly.

 

[Lizard Lady]

You are likely to have an easier time getting a profit if you send them to a processor and then sell the dressed birds. The kind of folks who will pay top dollar for natural birds are unlikely to be the same folks willing to dress them. For the average person who does not dress chickens often, it is very labor intensive and time-consuming. Professional processors, though, have the skill and equipment to do this very quickly.

Thank you so much for your answer. I've been trying to figure out how to supplement our income with my favorite hobby in the world (next to book writing, of course!). I know some people sell eggs and veggies at farmer's markets, but I don't know if there's enough of a demand where I live. I was thinking about contacting restaurants or something when I finally get my ducks and they're laying well!

 

[sepaditty1]

Yes, find a local butcher. They'll usually process for a couple dollars per bird. Cuts into the profit, of course, but then you don't have to do it.