6 Most Profitable Livestocks for Small Farms

Starting a home business, in order to keep it sustainable, it must be profitable, so you might begin by asking which are the most profitable livestocks for small farms. The choices vary, depending on your preferences and the amount of time and dedication to be invested, whether the goal is the animal itself or its by-products.

Good market research is one of the most important starting points because a farmer is entirely dependant on market demands. In the beginning, for example, you might ask local restaurants what kind of meat they prefer, so you can make long-term agreements with them. The price of your livestock and products will be much higher if they are considered organic. Organic livestock is the one that spends most of the time outside, feeding on non-chemically treated food, which means no artificial pesticide and fertilizers can be used, only natural manure, which can be obtained from the livestock you keep. Since keeping livestock usually implies producing you own livestock food, and it also leaves some space for plant cultivation, you might check out some suggestions for 11 Most Profitable Horticulture Businesses to Start.

Having a self-sustainable farm means having enough space for keeping animals and growing food for them (optional but preferable). Depending on livestock, starting investment includes building or buying huts or barns or another kind of housing for animals. And, last but not least important is the knowledge about the animals you are keeping. That includes knowledge about diseases, behavior, environmental and food preferences and much more. Having met the requirements and risks, you can start building your small farm business.

We’ve gone through advice and suggestions on best profitable livestock for small farms from UC Small Farm Program (University of California Cooperative Extension), Morning Chores, FarmersCreed and HobbyFarms. FarmsCreed, for example, gives us the comparison of food invested and the final product (meat in this case) between certain animals, while Morning Chores and HobbyFarms give us experiences from farmers. Out of those suggestions, we have then balanced profitability, capital investment, and skills needed to maintain a certain farm. So, go have a look at what livestocks are most profitable livestocks for small farms.

6. Fish

Maybe sounds unusual, but fish is also considered to belong to livestock. We put fish farming at the last place on our list of most profitable livestocks for small farms, not because it is least profitable (being very profitable on the contrary), but because of the specific conditions, it requires. That includes the type of land area you have available. The best place would be near or next to the natural water course. Fish farming, of course, requires building a cage, pond or another enclosure that has a constant flow of fresh water. Establishing this basic point, fish farming pays off because you get a huge amount of fish that you can place on the market. Market demands should dictate your fish species choice, some of them being carp, salmon, trout, tilapia cod, etc.

5. Rabbits

Keeping rabbits is easy and inexpensive and does not require much space. They demand hutches which can be purchased or made cheaply, and can also wander outside, but be careful, because they feed on many vegetables and plants. They also produce very rich manure that can be excellent as organic fertilizer. They can be kept for both meat and fur, but the tricky part is finding a suitable market, so unless you find a confident purchaser, keeping rabbits should not be a single livestock you keep on your farm.

4. Sheep

Sheep are very grateful animals to keep, and there are many breeds you can choose from among around 1,000 sheep breeds, depending what is your primary product, that being wool or meat. The choice also depends not only on the farmer, but primarily on the market demands, so a good market research is first needed. It is also important not to mix several breeds, because only pure breeds are top priced. Starting a sheep business requires patience, because they are hard to handle in the beginning because of their shy character. For keeping sheep healthy, they should have enough space to move, so they require an outside enclosed area with a lot of edible weeds, like hayfield for example.  They would also need a barn, where they spend nights, rainy and cold days and winters, where good ventilation and accessible amounts of food and fresh water must always be present. That makes sheep keeping maybe a bit tough at the beginning, but if handled well, sheep can be excellent profit makers.

3. Angora goats

We are continuing our list of most profitable livestocks for small farms with goats, that are very economical animals to keep. They do not require much care and can maintain on literally any growing plant they stumble upon, bushes, trees, and grasses. They are kept for the meet and other products like milk and cheese, but perhaps a more profitable solution is their fleece. For that reason we have put angora goats on our list, for they are one of the most efficient fiber producers. They are ready for shearing twice a year, when the fur is up to 6 inches long.

2. Honeybees

With just a bit of knowledge of bees, their demands and diseases, a little bit of time and very small space you can manage to keep bees and enjoy the products of their work. The products you will have apart from honey are also raw bee wax and royal jelly that are widely demanded on the market. You will need a suitable place to put the hives, and be able to move them for pastures in spring if necessary. For only $150 you can start out with 3 pounds of bees which you can harvest the same year.

1. Chicken

Chickens are perhaps the easiest livestock to keep which puts them on the top of the 6 most profitable livestocks for small farms. According to a calculation, the monthly net value you get from 4 chickens by selling the eggs is $41-56, with all the investing in food and other needs.