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Author Topic: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?  (Read 24687 times)

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #30 on: April 14, 2014, 08:21:21 pm »
Actually a nearish neighbour does that - it's like a franchise, producing eggs for an egg company - the hens need a certain amount of acreage to be legally 'free range' and a big shed to keep them in, she runs everything and is paid by the company.  She said that the hens don't use anything like the acreage they have to have but you couldn't have any other livestock or your own domestic hens or poultry for fear of diseases, has to be exclusively for the hens.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #31 on: April 14, 2014, 08:49:07 pm »
Actually a nearish neighbour does that - it's like a franchise, producing eggs for an egg company - the hens need a certain amount of acreage to be legally 'free range' and a big shed to keep them in, she runs everything and is paid by the company.  She said that the hens don't use anything like the acreage they have to have but you couldn't have any other livestock or your own domestic hens or poultry for fear of diseases, has to be exclusively for the hens.

that's sounds good business. where would you look for a franchise like that? and where would you get the training etc?

firther

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • holmfirth, west yorkshire
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #32 on: April 14, 2014, 09:12:25 pm »
enjoyed reading this thread  :thumbsup: love to rent some more land but it seems to be like gold dust round my area

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #33 on: April 14, 2014, 09:23:04 pm »
hmmm good point shygirl - don't think the lady in question did it before although they have been smallholders for quite a few years and not sure how she went about it - I expect you could enquire to a big egg company (name on an egg box?).  She did mention that she has to employ people to work for her, it is literally thousands of hens she has.  I haven't seen her for ages I'm afraid or I would ask her.  Ask about I'd say!
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

AndynJ

  • Joined Sep 2010
  • uk
  • Says it as it is. don't like it don't look
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #34 on: April 14, 2014, 10:34:58 pm »
John Bowler is the main one for eggs (65,000 min, that's a 1 person operation)
I am aware of other companies that do the same for
Broiler eggs 10,000 a week minimum (1 person operation)
Broilers
Pigs 450 penned is a 1 person operation
Cattle 200 I'm told is a single person

If your interested I know of a 60k bird housing unit for sale, pens, nests, feeders, auto drinks, conveyors, floor mats (it's in Devon)
« Last Edit: April 14, 2014, 10:39:06 pm by AndynJ »

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #35 on: April 15, 2014, 06:10:39 pm »
I'm not sure how a single person could run a 200 cow beef unit? That's a hell of a lot of work for one person if it includes everything- feeding, bedding down in winter, crop production etc etc.

If I had 20 acres I'd probably have a few commercial type sheep on the 10 productive acres and aim to sell lamb butchered to friends/family, maybe run alongside some beef stores- a neighbour does this and buys in spring to kill the autumn next year, then has a winter off which works well. I would go more for pure beef though rather than crossed with dairy cows. You're never going to get rich and you need to think about where hay/straw etc will come from but it might make a small profit and keep your freezer full- I would aim to be more self sufficient than making it a working farm, at 20 acres it's too small to do that.

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #36 on: April 15, 2014, 07:34:57 pm »
I'm not sure how a single person could run a 200 cow beef unit? That's a hell of a lot of work for one person if it includes everything- feeding, bedding down in winter, crop production etc etc. ...


Seems fair if one man can run 3000 sheep on an outdoor system (contractors at shearing etc though).

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #37 on: April 15, 2014, 07:41:17 pm »
2 people run/work on the family dairy unit which is milking 180 cows plus looking after heifers, youngstock plus tractor work, feeding TMR using feeder wagon, taking out the slurry etc

Beef is considerably less time consuming than dairy is so 200 beef is easily run by one person with a JCB and a tractor with maybe 1extra person helping during silage season etc
« Last Edit: April 15, 2014, 08:03:42 pm by Ladygrey »

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #38 on: April 15, 2014, 08:54:56 pm »
Yeah day to day you could probably manage especially if they winter out but tb testing, worming, fluking, calving etc plus silage season, harvest etc would all take more than 1 man. My OH has 30 beef cows and it's normally a 2 man job to do them every day through winter- not because of the amount of work involved but they are not as docile as dairy cows and we don't tend to do anything with them on our own, tb testing you need minimum of 3 people plus vet, difficult calving 2 or 3 people, worming/fluke 3 people etc so whilst 1 man could run the day to day farm you'd always need help with anything else.

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #39 on: April 15, 2014, 09:00:20 pm »
Depends on the handling systems, smaller farms and smallholsers often need more man power than a bigger farm with an eid tag run auto cattle crush that allows 1 person to move and handle all the cattle, closing the crush without actually having to keep running up and down
And it holds thier heads for you so you can worm and fluke etc  :thumbsup:

AndynJ

  • Joined Sep 2010
  • uk
  • Says it as it is. don't like it don't look
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #40 on: April 16, 2014, 07:25:11 am »
Funny isn't it really
If you looked at farming as a business no one would ever do it
Buy land on finance, machinery, stock
You couldn't make enough to even pay for the land

We would love to farm properly a few years back we were applying for tenant farms, that's the only way we could have made it work for us.
We've committed now for the next 15 years so when we finally retire we will then play.
We would support one of our children if they wanted to farm, that would be great.

Going back to the original question how to make money from sheep ?
Become an auctioneer, A butcher, A haulier, best of all a vet  :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:

waterbuffalofarmer

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • Mid Wales
  • Owner of 61 Mediterranean water buffaloes
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #41 on: April 16, 2014, 07:39:35 am »
Hi
I would recommend rearing calves, calves cost a lot more when you sell them. You could buy in some cows in calf, some pedigree cows and possibly rear the calves for the show ring. Sheep require a lot of work and you don't get a very good price for them. Hope this helps.
Thanks
the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, loving concern.

smallflockshearing

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Devon
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #42 on: April 16, 2014, 08:57:47 am »
Four aids to making money from farming sheep:
1.  Single Farm Payment.
2.  Inheriting land / completing your mortgage payments / being wealthy in the first place.
3.  Reduce animal welfare considerations.
4.  Move to a developing country with a good grazing climate and subsistence farming practices, buy lots of land and import good stock, establish a monopoly, employ armed guards, etc etc.  Oh yes, we did that in Africa some time back
Carefully shearing small flocks throughout the South-West.

Ideation

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #43 on: April 16, 2014, 09:44:27 am »
Aye someone once told me the only way that you would get into real profitable farming in this country, is to win the lottery first . . . . . and if you had done that, farming would be a stupid way to lose your money.

midtown

  • Joined Oct 2013
  • English Lake District
Re: farming/making money from sheep, any suggestions?
« Reply #44 on: April 16, 2014, 10:10:44 am »
Where abouts in the country are you.  If it is a horsey area, liveries are the way to bring in a decent income.
Don't even go there a lot of horse people are a pain in the butt and the horses will trash your ground if the weathers bad, believe me i know ::)
Mandy :pig:
ps before all you horsey people rant i said a lot not ALL! :-J

+1 from me! :)

Following the winter's wetness, I've been busy salvaging the paddocks where our own horses have been turned out. If the last winter is a sign of the future, I'm going to need to consider radical change in order to conserve the paddocks from the damage caused this year!

On the subject of livery, while it can be thought of as 'easy money' - especially DIY livery, be warned!
Do not even consider it unless you have a well drafted contract covering everything in minute detail, and be prepared to assert you're authority about who actually owns the land.
We rented out some land on a DIY basis and over time the 'tenants' decided they would gradually 'increase' the size of that rented by conveniently switching off the power unit to the electric fence, and allowing their steeds to wander through onto fresh ground.

We have to take a very stern approach and sometimes inconveniently, visit daily to ensure they abide by the terms and conditions of the contract, together with the 'reminders' regarding poo picking, litter, fence checks, etc, etc.

My neighbour has exactly the same problems - on a larger scale, but has successfully evicted the self elected 'livery yard manager' who it was found ran the roost using bullying tactics to other yard users, together with thieving tack and feed, and raiding a barn for hay which she sold on! :o

So, consider carefully all the options available before considering opening the door to the possibility of offering livery. 
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.  ~Douglas Adams

 

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