Micro 'livestock' , homestead , garden type things you can farm and sell?

DaveTheGeordie

I used to work with this chap. He was a bit rough but I enjoyed our conversations and his mindset in this regard. He did the allotment gig and kept birds: pigeons, birds of prey. He used to tell me random out of the box thinking stuff like he'd collected aquatic snails, farmed them in a tank and sold them in the past, and insects. I can't remember which ones though. Think he'd done aquarium fish as well. Basically like micro-'livestock'. I got into the gardening/food growing meme last year. I made my back yard basically a garden allotment. Grew a couple of buckets of potatoes, some beans, and other stuff. I sold a few plants too like tomatoes, apple saplings too. Didn't make a lot but it was a cool experience playing 'homesteader' - that's the dream. Was thinking about Quail, possibly chickens. What are some good niche/small creatures / animals I could 'farm'?

MovingForwards

Quite probably nothing without licences etc.
@Davesnave might be able to shed a few pointers.

Davesnave

MovingForwards said:

Quite probably nothing without licences etc.
@Davesnave might be able to shed a few pointers.

Dave has chickens, but he's kind and they are not at all profitable when all the capital costs are considered. Dave also has sheep, at intervals, but they're not his and not profitable for him either. They are damn tasty though!

Sheep are monitored  closely by the powers that be and have to be tagged, movements logged etc. No one bothers about people who have less than 50 chickens, except foxes and badgers, who'll kill them off if owners aren't able to protect them correctly.

Dave and his missus grew plants and flogged them from about 1985, starting with boot sales and ending at a professional level, but always constrained by lack of space. We were lucky to live in a posh area with enough profitable events. Where we live now isn't like that. Any plants we sell nowadays are via a self-service area at the gate. Like animals, plants are a tie. Neglect them for 2 days in summer and they're toast. Misunderstand their needs and they'll punish you. Nursery people do it for love, not money, so the competition is fierce at that level. Car boots are the way to go first, justto see how you cope!

unicorndeva

Crickets are a good earner if you get in with the reptile keepers etc but I don't know how to go about it.

Mojisola

DaveTheGeordie said:

I sold a few plants too like tomatoes, apple saplings too.

Were these grown from a seed or scions grafted onto a good rootstock?

jimjames

Depending on your space available rearing chicks might be an option too. I've bought them at day old before, rear to 16 weeks and sell them as Point of lay. There seemed good demand last year but not sure if that will continue

Raspberry_Queen

Growing oyster mushrooms indoors is apparently easy and profitable. 

Sapindus

Bees? A lot of investment in equipment and learning skills etc but local honey is always popular.