The basic concept of our ecosystem is that everyone is interdependent on each other in different ways. No one can survive for long without depending on others. Humans who form the uppermost order of the food chain of any kind are highly dependent on animals, livestock and crops for their daily living. Almost all humans are dependent on animals from one way or the other. People living near the coastal areas are dependent on sea creatures for their livings. They survive on sea foods for eating purpose and selling purpose. The people living in the mountains depend on sheep, goat, cattle and other such livestock for their living.
Some way or the other humans take the most use of animals for their livings. Animals and sea creatures are not only eaten but they are used for dairy, egg, skin, bones and many more things. The leather business throughout the world constitutes to be around $40 billion while 18 billion square feet of leather is manufactured every year. As of 2009, FAO states that 696, 554 thousand tons of milk was produced all over the world by cattle in which India was the largest producer. 67, 408 thousand tons of egg was produced through the world.
Overall, animals are not only for our survival but are a good source of profit. There are big businesses that have highly invested in this field. Small businesses are also taking shape by raising and utilizing the farm animals. Here are top five farm animals you should raise to make profit.
5 Profitable Farm Animals You Can Raise to Make Profit:
Raising Chicken for profit, the Best Source of Earning:
Bill Gates recently wrote an article on how he feels that raising a chicken can be a profitable business. He said that this can be the best way to lift people from poverty. This requires a very small investment. You can buy 15-20 chickens and fertilize them from a rooster. In three months you will easily have around 100-150 chickens. Now one chicken at least costs $4-8 which can sell. You can also sell eggs which cost less but still are profitable. What you require is a small place to keep these chickens and some decent grains which doesn’t costs much. A $200 investment can easily give you good return just in a year.
If you are poor then it can be much beneficial for you. You can feed old chicken to your family members and if you have a large livestock then you can feed eggs to your children. This overall business is quite easy, costs less and has great ROI. According to Gates, you can earn a minimum of $1000 a year with it even if you have under 100 chickens. In few years’ time only your small livestock will be big enough to give you enough of earnings. Do give it a try as it is one of the most promising business. If you want you can also supply meat directly to the customers. You can also open a chicken restaurant later that can give you double earnings as in common phrase it is said that a dead chicken is more valuable than a live one.
Raising Goats and Rams:
Goats are small dairy and meat animals in comparison to cows and buffaloes therefore they require lesser investment. A goat generally gives birth to two babies. Having a pair of goats can be a profitable business. One can use their milk for feeding family while they can be sold off at good rates for meat. An adult male goat has a huge demand because of its meat. People also use their bones for medical purpose. An adult male goat costs around $150-400 in general. Many people buy the goats in auction and that can be highly profiting.
An investment with two can give you around $1000-2000 a year. Also if you are raising sheep then it is also profitable in three ways. Fur, meat and milk can be drawn from a sheep which can feed on some grasslands and small diets.
Also Read: – Profitable Goat Farming Business Plan – How To Guide
Raise a Pig: Keep Profit above Smell
Pigs though may sound awful but are good source of profit. It doesn’t costs much to raise a pig. They doesn’t require any special care but just some clean space so they do not get dirty and smell. Pigs can eat whatever eatable you give. Edible waste from the home and some other stuff is all that is required and that cost nothing much than few dollars a month. In the return you will get at least 8-10 piglets in every 4 months. If you raise all the piglets for a year then you can easily sell each of them for meat at $55-100. Some of the standard breeds of pigs are sold at more than 100 dollars. This business requires minimal investment and profitable return. Every year you can sell around 15-20 pigs for meat and can earn $1500-2500.
If you want to take a further more step then you can open a small local restaurant for pork meat dishes. You can also process pork, pack it and then sell it in the market. Overall, this method is hugely profitable. Pork meat is consumed all over the world. Latest data shows that 108, 001 thousand metric tons of pork meat is consumed throughout the world. China, European Union and United States are the primary consumers of pork.
Raising Rabbits:
Yes, you can raise rabbits and its quite profiting. Rabbits unlike some big farm animals require less space and require less investment on them. If you have a pair of rabbits of 6 months then in a month you can have 6-10 baby bunnies. You can either sell all the rabbits or you can sell their meat. The business of selling rabbits as pet is quite profiting than the meat. One bunny of a standard breed costs around $20-50. Now if you have 5 pairs of bunnies then within a month you can have around 30-40 babies. You can sell them after four weeks as pet and after 6 months for meat so that they are adult enough to provide maximum meat.
The meat of rabbit is in huge demand these days. It costs around $1-2 for a pound of rabbit meat. There is a lack of supply which you can fill if you start raising bunnies. Within a limited investment you can easily earn good amount. A rabbit can get pregnant within hours of giving birth. Which means that a rabbit can reproduce every 40 days which means you can have 30 babies from a pair of bunny every year. Having five pairs and eventually growing can earn you around $3750 if you sell a single bunny at $25. A little care, little investment can give you huge profits.
Also Read:- Profitable Rabbit Farming Business Plan For Beginners
Cow and Buffaloes:
Well the most common animals that are raised by people are cows and buffaloes. Cows and buffaloes are great source of dairy products like milk, cheese, cream, ghee, and many more. Bulls and ox can be used for meat purpose that is also a very profiteering business. Let’s first talk about the dairy business. There are certain breeds of cows that produce more than 45 liters of milk a day. A liter of milk generally costs around half a dollar or one dollar. 45 liters of milk by one cow easily gives you $45 a day. There are certain cows that produce around 17, 000 liters of milk a year. A $ per liter can easily give $17k an year. Apart from milk, butter, cheese, cream and ghee are other such dairy products that also are very profiting.
A kg of butter is sold at $10-15 and if you multiply this with at least 500 kg of butter a year then you can easily earn $5000 an year. The cost of maintaining a cow is generally higher than the other four mentioned but a cow provides variety of profit. One can also sell the cow dung cakes in rural areas. The meat business is also very huge. Countries like Brazil, India, Australia and United States earn a huge amount through beef export. India is the top exporter of beef that is buffalo meat. With some good investment raising a cow can be very beneficial given the return it provides so you can try this as well.
Also Read:- Dairy Farming Business Plan – Very Profitable Idea
Apart from these five profitable farm animals, there are plenty of other animals that one can raise to earn a promising income. Raising rabbits, bees, microorganisms, birds, ducks, fish, and their likes are also very profitable business. Farmers who are in organic farming demand microorganisms like earthworm for making the soil more fertile, they require cow urine, cow dung and other such stuffs for farming that one can provide if one is in these businesses.
In the last, before you choose anyone of the followings, always do a feasibility test on what would be cost of investment, period of growth and return on investment and only then can you have a successful business out of these animal raising.