I have made a lot of progress on my homesteading binder. It contains records for all the poultry we raise; pullets, turkeys, laying hens, and meat chickens It also has a goat, hog, and rabbit record. I'm currently tracking how much feed costs are and how often I'm buying feed. I also am recording how many eggs we are getting every day and how many eggs I sell. This is also a great place to keep track of when/how often you need to worm your animals or clip hooves.
There's also a garden section. Right now I'm recording how much it will cost to have it tilled up with a tractor, how much seeds are, what I'm planning on purchasing, and the dates I plant. I will also record how many vegetables are planted and what the yield is. I am hoping that there might be a surplus so I can sell at our farmer's market.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the hens actually paid for themselves and made a profit in the month of March! One of the goals I had originally was that I would be able to make a small profit on the farm or at least have the animals pay their way. It was a small profit to be sure but it's a profit. It also encourages me to keep plugging away at the farm!
Do you keep records at your farm? Have you found creative ways to make a profit?
1 comment:
When we were raising chickens, we always kept records simply because it was the smart thing to do. I wanted to make sure I was not overspending for feed , etc and that we were getting the correct number of eggs and when it was time to set up the stew pot. But I had so much fun watching my daughter play with the chickens that the records were secondary for me.
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