What is the most useful animal you raise?

[FarmerChick]

I had 2 great money makers

hogs (the sausage profit was huge)

goats (meat profits if all fell right were good but usually )
then I got into goat milk soap and make a small fortune off that.

Third for me was chickens. Made good money on eggs cause we could sell for $4 per doz. And that gave great profit.


______________
but so glad the hogs and chickens are gone!

goats are thinned down to pets in the herd and I buy milk from a young couple wanting to 'try' to get into goat dairy.

 

[animalfarm]

Milk cows= milk, cheese, butter, meat. Add chickens and you get eggs, and more meat. If the cow became to hard to feed I would change out for goats if possible.

 

[Wifezilla]

I am hoping my sons will become useful someday

Hee hee hee

 

[Wannabefree]

I think I have to say my chickens win this one by a country mile. They keep the mice and snakes and bugs eaten around here, and turn that into eggs and fertilizer. Plus they are good for meat, and being that DD is allergic to additives in storebought broths, precooked chicken, etc. they save me a bundle of money. THEN they aren't done, because I make a decent ammount selling hatching eggs from my pure heritage birds too. They keep the grass in the back trimmed down with all their scratching around too. Then there are all the feathers that are improving my yucky clay soil structure around here as well. If you could milk a chicken, who'd need a goat I love my goats, but my chickens rule the farmyard around here as my number one animal for sure. I get their feed for free now too I give the neighbors across the street 2 dozen eggs per week in exchange for a couple bags of feed per month and they aren't even hardly touching it right now so I have a current surplus

 

[Wifezilla]

My ducks pay for themselves for a year from spring duckling sales. Edible extra drakes and all those nummy eggs for eating are just a bonus

 

[Wannabefree]

My ducks pay for themselves for a year from spring duckling sales. Edible extra drakes and all those nummy eggs for eating are just a bonus

My duckies usually do, but these I have right now are some dang freeloadin hussies They aren't even laying me any eggs :/ They're about to be on the table.

 

[savingdogs]

My ducks are laying well but only one was broody and she abandoned the nest as soon as we had a nice sunshiny day. I didn't really blame her, but...............

 

[Denim Deb]

Geese. My 3 geese are awesome... and evil. I haven't lost any animals to predators since I got them. They're fenced at night, and protected from large predators (dogs, foxes etc.) but as far as things that can climb, hawks, weasels etc., the geese are the best watch dogs. Plus they run off solicitors and mothers in law.

Are you going to come over now and clean off my computer screen?

 

[justusnak]

I have to say...the chickens win the vote here as well...second are my Khaki Kambel ducks. They are laying little machines!! The ducks free range and gobble up the crawdads that come up in the yard. The chickens eat the snakes and other little bugs.......and of course, we get the benefits of thier poo as well. Yup...chickens...absolutely!!

 

[Our7Wonders]

I'm with freemotion - I can get pature raised eggs from locals or can buy them in the store if necessary. But I don't have access to affordable raw milk. I can get raw jersey milk 2 hours south of me for $10/gallon or I can pay $6/qt for raw goat milk from the local health food store. We opted for our own goats. And I enjoy my goats. They frustrate me to no end at times, but me loves 'em.

My clucking ladies are a close second.