Made a good decision

[skyhightree1]

I started selling animals to the public few years back and its really been paying off... This past memorial day weekend was the best single holiday ever sold out of chickens quails plenty of goats and pigs left here too. I think if you can market a variety of animals to the public if you can stand dealing with people it can be a good thing.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I started selling animals to the public few years back and its really been paying off... This past memorial day weekend was the best single holiday ever sold out of chickens quails plenty of goats and pigs left here too. I think if you can market a variety of animals to the public if you can stand dealing with people it can be a good thing.

The dealing with people part is what drives me nuts. Offer them a bargain and they want to negotiate. Then you have those who are selling who want you to "make an offer" and I walk away.

 

[skyhightree1]

I started selling animals to the public few years back and its really been paying off... This past memorial day weekend was the best single holiday ever sold out of chickens quails plenty of goats and pigs left here too. I think if you can market a variety of animals to the public if you can stand dealing with people it can be a good thing.

The dealing with people part is what drives me nuts. Offer them a bargain and they want to negotiate. Then you have those who are selling who want you to "make an offer" and I walk away.

Yep, I had those at first but then when they realized I didn't have to sell them to them they learned come correct or ill run you off. I will say for example 300 for this goat they ask will you take 280 or 260 for it my good customers that come regularly I will negotiate sometimes but if someone said 100.00 I tell them get back in there car. It took some adjustments for me to be able to deal with people but its been good.

 

[Brute 23]

If you have the ability to tell some one to take a hike if the hassle factor gets too much its great. If your trying to pay the bank back and your electric bill off selling like that to the public it sucks.

I like buying quail. Buddy of mine got me started on it a couple years back. We would buy hatched birds for like $1 each. He had an old horse stall at his house boarded up from top to bottom. We would raise quail, pheasant, and chucker. Several hundred of each. We would put some out to keep his dogs in practice and some we just butchered. It was a great deal. He moved up north now and I don't have the time to keep up with them. One day I will get some pens and keep some quail around for eating.

The guy we bought from sold eggs for like .25 or .50, barely hatched for $1, and ready to fly or butcher for like $6 or $8. Not a bad business for how quick they multiply if you have the market and time.

 

[Jogeephus]

Sky, you could probably make a lot more money if you wore a man-bun and told them its all organic, grass-fed and sustainable. Just saying.

 

[Ky hills]

Glad it's going good. I have always felt like that selling direct has good potential. We have been approached about selling beef by several folks. So far they are folks we know and I think would be good to work with, not sure how it would go over for us here on a broader scale. We sell some vegetables at our local farmers market,( haven't this year, just now getting planted), and would like to sell some beef there in the future.

 

[skyhightree1]

If you have the ability to tell some one to take a hike if the hassle factor gets too much its great. If your trying to pay the bank back and your electric bill off selling like that to the public it sucks.

I like buying quail. Buddy of mine got me started on it a couple years back. We would buy hatched birds for like $1 each. He had an old horse stall at his house boarded up from top to bottom. We would raise quail, pheasant, and chucker. Several hundred of each. We would put some out to keep his dogs in practice and some we just butchered. It was a great deal. He moved up north now and I don't have the time to keep up with them. One day I will get some pens and keep some quail around for eating.

The guy we bought from sold eggs for like .25 or .50, barely hatched for $1, and ready to fly or butcher for like $6 or $8. Not a bad business for how quick they multiply if you have the market and time.

true if you have to pay someone back you do have to eat crow some... I like quail i buy through a friend who gets hatched birds for 2.00 each

 

[skyhightree1]

Sky, you could probably make a lot more money if you wore a man-bun and told them its all organic, grass-fed and sustainable. Just saying.

Thats a good idea.. lol I will show them the organic bread I use to feed them.

 

[skyhightree1]

Glad it's going good. I have always felt like that selling direct has good potential. We have been approached about selling beef by several folks. So far they are folks we know and I think would be good to work with, not sure how it would go over for us here on a broader scale. We sell some vegetables at our local farmers market,( haven't this year, just now getting planted), and would like to sell some beef there in the future.

ky yea it does have great potential but my selling beef was disastrous no one had the money once beef was ready i had to buy freezers to store it ETC.. I like selling the animal direct now if they need help cleaning the animal and processing after they have bought it I will help them. Beef is not a option of animals they can buy. I already had the infrastructure to do the smaller livestock with minimal input so I just did that. I hope you do well with all of your sales. I thought about raising sweet potatoes on a large scale but decided to stick with these animals. If fish weren't so labor intensive and such i would raise those.

 

[Ky hills]

Glad it's going good. I have always felt like that selling direct has good potential. We have been approached about selling beef by several folks. So far they are folks we know and I think would be good to work with, not sure how it would go over for us here on a broader scale. We sell some vegetables at our local farmers market,( haven't this year, just now getting planted), and would like to sell some beef there in the future.

ky yea it does have great potential but my selling beef was disastrous no one had the money once beef was ready i had to buy freezers to store it ETC.. I like selling the animal direct now if they need help cleaning the animal and processing after they have bought it I will help them. Beef is not a option of animals they can buy. I already had the infrastructure to do the smaller livestock with minimal input so I just did that. I hope you do well with all of your sales. I thought about raising sweet potatoes on a large scale but decided to stick with these animals. If fish weren't so labor intensive and such i would raise those.

Those are real concerns that I have about offering beef. There have been some meat vendors at the farmers market, and they say that pork is their best seller here. In the bigger markets like Lexington they say beef is easier to sell. Currently I am feeding out a steer and some friends have said they want to go in on half, and then a couple from church has expressed interest in a beef, so I may hold back and feed out 2 or 3 next year and see how it goes. I'm like you I like working with animals more than vegetables but I do enjoy growing some vegetables. Never thought about fish not sure I would like that, some folks here did raise fresh water shrimp and tilapia for a while.
We are trying plasticulture this year, through a program at the extension office. Have around a half acre of plastic laid. Am planting on it now, planted some half runner beans, black eyed peas, and lima beans today.

 

[skyhightree1]

Glad it's going good. I have always felt like that selling direct has good potential. We have been approached about selling beef by several folks. So far they are folks we know and I think would be good to work with, not sure how it would go over for us here on a broader scale. We sell some vegetables at our local farmers market,( haven't this year, just now getting planted), and would like to sell some beef there in the future.

ky yea it does have great potential but my selling beef was disastrous no one had the money once beef was ready i had to buy freezers to store it ETC.. I like selling the animal direct now if they need help cleaning the animal and processing after they have bought it I will help them. Beef is not a option of animals they can buy. I already had the infrastructure to do the smaller livestock with minimal input so I just did that. I hope you do well with all of your sales. I thought about raising sweet potatoes on a large scale but decided to stick with these animals. If fish weren't so labor intensive and such i would raise those.

Those are real concerns that I have about offering beef. There have been some meat vendors at the farmers market, and they say that pork is their best seller here. In the bigger markets like Lexington they say beef is easier to sell. Currently I am feeding out a steer and some friends have said they want to go in on half, and then a couple from church has expressed interest in a beef, so I may hold back and feed out 2 or 3 next year and see how it goes. I'm like you I like working with animals more than vegetables but I do enjoy growing some vegetables. Never thought about fish not sure I would like that, some folks here did raise fresh water shrimp and tilapia for a while.
We are trying plasticulture this year, through a program at the extension office. Have around a half acre of plastic laid. Am planting on it now, planted some half runner beans, black eyed peas, and lima beans today.

Friendly advice to you if you plant to sell to friends plan on losing some friends. I told everyone and had them sign contracts saying this is your deposit and you are required to pick up from the butcher within a week that its been processed at the butcher. If they did not and I had to go pick up the meat there deposit is non-refundable. I did just that they were pizzzzzed off needless to say we do not speak anymore. They wanted to get the meat and pay me later not happening. That is what I learned when selling beef. If I sold beef it would only be on a commercial scale. pork is king here and alot easier to sell I have relatively low input on pork and do well. I have a lil bit more input in buying the goats but still is profitable. Those are my best sellers. I just want to warn you sometimes business and friends don't mix

 

[Ky hills]

ky yea it does have great potential but my selling beef was disastrous no one had the money once beef was ready i had to buy freezers to store it ETC.. I like selling the animal direct now if they need help cleaning the animal and processing after they have bought it I will help them. Beef is not a option of animals they can buy. I already had the infrastructure to do the smaller livestock with minimal input so I just did that. I hope you do well with all of your sales. I thought about raising sweet potatoes on a large scale but decided to stick with these animals. If fish weren't so labor intensive and such i would raise those.

Those are real concerns that I have about offering beef. There have been some meat vendors at the farmers market, and they say that pork is their best seller here. In the bigger markets like Lexington they say beef is easier to sell. Currently I am feeding out a steer and some friends have said they want to go in on half, and then a couple from church has expressed interest in a beef, so I may hold back and feed out 2 or 3 next year and see how it goes. I'm like you I like working with animals more than vegetables but I do enjoy growing some vegetables. Never thought about fish not sure I would like that, some folks here did raise fresh water shrimp and tilapia for a while.
We are trying plasticulture this year, through a program at the extension office. Have around a half acre of plastic laid. Am planting on it now, planted some half runner beans, black eyed peas, and lima beans today.

Friendly advice to you if you plant to sell to friends plan on losing some friends. I told everyone and had them sign contracts saying this is your deposit and you are required to pick up from the butcher within a week that its been processed at the butcher. If they did not and I had to go pick up the meat there deposit is non-refundable. I did just that they were pizzzzzed off needless to say we do not speak anymore. They wanted to get the meat and pay me later not happening. That is what I learned when selling beef. If I sold beef it would only be on a commercial scale. pork is king here and alot easier to sell I have relatively low input on pork and do well. I have a lil bit more input in buying the goats but still is profitable. Those are my best sellers. I just want to warn you sometimes business and friends don't mix

Thanks for the warning and advice, I appreciate it very much. If I sell any I think I will have a contract agreement to sign. That does figure out to be a pretty good amount of money to come up with and sure don't want to get left with a lot more meat than we can use.

 

[kickinbull]

Sky, you could probably make a lot more money if you wore a man-bun and told them its all organic, grass-fed and sustainable. Just saying.

Yep!