10 replies to this topic

[Darkstar]

Could I keep Geese as a main animal enterprise?  There appears to be a fairly strong market for them in my area.  I was planning on raising for the table and keeping some over winter for egg sales the following year.

[MINSTER ALPACA MAN]

Hi,

have you considered ornamental geese?  Species such as Red Breasted, Ne-ne, Emperor, Brent, Ross's, Lesser white-front to name but a few.  I have years and years of auction data to back up the commercial viability of this financial arena.  The birds are a delight to keep and some are visually quite stunning especially in large flocks.

Pleas look at website yorkwildfowl.co.uk

And get in contact for more info.

[cdill]

i personally say you keep ducks instead of geese

[dillon]

I agree with cdill!  Or you could keep both Maybe some swans as well

[Gizmobgood]

lots of people have asked about allsorts of different animals as their main animal enterprise
do you have 2 state a main enterprise?
when i get 2 the stage when i have my land i will have as many different animals as possible ie we are goin for a couple of cows 5-10 sheep 5 sows or so maybe more 50-100 chicken 10 or so geese 10 or so ducks 20 or so turkeys
now will i have to state one as my main animal enterprise?
we are also going to do crops veg, cereals, and fodder for feed !

[Canning Farm]

Hi
You would need animals that fulfil the functional need test as a main animal enterprise and these need to be in sufficient numbers to satify the planners. Looking at the list of animals you propose your cows would fail as you could not keep enough of them, the sheep fail as they are seasonal breeders, the pigs fail as you arent keeping enough of them and all the birds would fail as you havent enough of them either. The veg etc do not count as they would not require attention 24/7.

[Canning Farm]

Hi Dave

I been browsing for a while and have so many questions to raise but my first question would be on this thread.

Assuming a minimum 15 acres of land was purchased, what numbers would you consider for each animal to meet functional need, which in turn would go towards meeting the financial tests and sustainability.

My gut feeling having read both books and being realistic in the first year then i wouuld break down the holding with the following:

a) Rare breed pigs as the main enterprise. I would estimate 20-50 at any given time, building up or down to meet market and customer needs.

Petting Farm and or Caravan size I consider an absolute must as this offers a good continued income stream throughout the year, although is somewhat prone to peaks and troughs.

My add on income source would be

c) Chickens 10 number to start off with in order to attract customers to the land building up to 50 max.

d) Geece, ducks 10-20 each.

e) Turkeys for the Christmas trade 20-30max first year. This to me is another must have on the farm.

To demonstaste long term commitment then 1 acre would certaintly be put aside for Christmas trees which demonstrates to the planners that you have invested monies in the farm and wish to see a return on that investment within 6-7 years time.

Comments from all readers would be welcome of the enterprises they are planning and the numvers involved would be most welcome, as it is very important setting off on the right foot. It would be a pity to work so hard thinking all is going well only to fall at the last hurdle being told you do not have a justification to live on the land.

Many thanks

Joe

[Amber]

How would it be decided what a sufficient number was? Would it be based on potential profitability or time taken to look after them? Must you have one main animal, or could you get to the sufficient level by a combination of different animals (obivously must individually meet criteria of needing to be near, ie not sheep)?

Thanks