It has become difficult to do anything small in agriculture and make a "living".
I believe the successful ones find a niche and a way to differentiate their product from everyone else.
The reasonably successful plans I have heard of are:
-live near a large semi-urban area where many municipalities allow chickens, supply small qtys of ready-to-lay pullets to trendy people who want a backyard coop
-live near a large urban market with people who want and can afford $5-$6/dz organic eggs
-Salatin model for broilers, but you need a larger and knowledgable market.
You would have to be very marketing oriented about it and have good luck too. It will be a full-time job, don't expect it to require less than 40 hours a week (more likely more). Agriculture is more of a lifestyle than a job, as you have to work hardest when their is work to do: planting, harvesting, bad weather, etc. Agriculture does not give weekends off.
Most chicken fanciers I know hope to at best offset some of the feed costs.
i actually have an aquaintence who is a single mom, hatches eggs etc, and also makes money at the flea malls. honestly though, i don't know HOW in the world she survives! even though i'm partially jealous, i wouldn't want to worry about money like that!
