If you live in the suburbs you’re probably not going to make a lucrative career out of raising cattle in your backyard. But there are tons of ways to make money with a backyard farm. From gardening to vermicomposting and everything in between! Use this list of money making farm ideas to get you started!
Ways to make money with a backyard farm:
- Gardening for profit (1-7)
- Raising chickens for profit (8-14)
- Homemade goods (15-19)
- Craft supplies (20-23)
- Raising rabbits for profit (24-28)
- Raising quail for profit (29-33)
- Beekeeping for profit (34)
- Raising other types of poultry for profit (35)
- Flower farming (36)
- Candle making (37)
- Soap making (38)
- Jewelry making (39)
- Making and selling coops and hutches (40)
- Raising goats for profit (41-44)
- Consulting (45)
- Offering in person classes (46)
- Writing and blogging (47)
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of our affiliate links we make a small commission from the sale at no extra cost to our readers.
Ways to Make Money on a Backyard Farm
This huge list of making money on a hobby farm will help you narrow down which ideas are a good fit for your backyard farm, and which ideas simply don’t make sense!
For example, one of my absolute favorite ways to make money on a backyard farm is by writing this blog and by making videos for my YouTube channel #shamelessplug
But you might find that keeping small livestock works out better for you. So whatever ventures you decide on, make sure to take it one step at a time and have some patience! And remember, practice makes perfect!
Gardening for profit
There are so many ways to make money gardening!
And if you’re already a gardener it’s an easy transition. Here are some of my favorites!
1. Selling seedlings
At the start of both the Spring and Fall seasons you’re probably already starting seeds for you garden anyway – at least I know I am!
So it’s not too much extra work to simply start a few extra seedlings.
Now, for me this does two things – it gives me extra seedlings in case I need them in my own garden, and it allows me to sell off the ones I don’t use! And since I’m already taking care of the other ones, it’s really not extra work.
I started doing this a few years back via local Facebook groups and have been pretty successful with it.
Now, you won’t make tons of money with this one unless you’re doing it on a pretty large scale, but I make enough to cover the cost of next seasons seeds and buy a few pest control items. For me, that’s perfect since we don’t spent any money on the garden!
2. Selling produce
The obvious next choice is to sell the actual fruits of your labor. Aka – vegetables, herbs, fruits that you grow.
This is a great idea if you grow tons of extra food – very earth to table and there’s definitely a market for that. But for this one, you’ll probably need a lot of space if you want to grow food for your own family plus enough to actually turn a profit.
3. Microgreens
Microgreens have exploded in popularity lately and restaurants seem to have adopted them as the new “in” thing.
Me, personally – I’ve never really cooked with microgreens. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a great opportunity for making some money with them!
Microgreens are great because the turnaround time is so short, the startup costs are relatively low, and the profit margins are pretty substancial!
4. Dried herbs and spices
Dried herbs are one of my favorite ways to preserve food from the garden! In fact, I basically have herbs hanging in the pantry year round.
Not only is it super easy to preserve herbs, but herbs are pretty expensive at the store. So if you can offer a fresh farm to table product for a reasonable cost, you’ll likely get a good return!
Plus, herbs literally grow like weeds in some places so it shouldn’t be too much of a time investment!
5. Heirloom seeds
Selling heirloom seeds might take a bit more effort than just selling the produce, but it’s so rewarding knowing that your seeds will provide food for a family somewhere else!
In order to get this going correctly, you’ll need to invest in good quality seeds to begin with – and make sure they aren’t patented!
6. Selling homemade compost
Composting is usually the last thing that gardeners get into.
I mean, why would you want to have a pile of dirt and food scraps right next to your house?
I actually love composting, but I know that lots of people don’t. So what better way to turn a profit than by selling some of yours?
7. U-pick garden
If you have enough space, and plan on planting tons of extra crops, opening up to u-pick customers can be lucrative!
Lots of places around my area offer one or two types of fruits or vegetables, and then subsidize with other products. So if you have the space, this is a great way to contribute to the local community and make a profit at the same time!
Raising chickens for profit
I never thought I would say this, but I absolutely adore my chickens!
And while chicken keeping can be a lot of work at times, it’s so easy to make a profit with chickens. They are so in demand, and don’t have too many issues to deal with. Plus, the start up costs are pretty low!
8. Eating eggs
Selling eating eggs is not uncommon in rural areas. But I’ve seen a lot more people in Suburbia lately offering farm fresh eggs.
And why not?!
I mean, I have 15 hens and we get about a dozen eggs a day! That’s a lot of eggs for us to consume. So selling some to others who want that farm fresh taste is an easy way to make some money back!
In Florida where we live, you’ll need an egg license in order to sell eggs for human consumption. So before you set up your egg cart in front of your house, you’ll want to do some research on the laws in your area.
To find out how many chickens you’ll need, check out this post.
And if you have extra eggs, but don’t plan on selling them, I’ve written an entire article on the best things to do with extra eggs!
9. Hatching eggs
Hatching eggs can be a great way to earn money on your homestead!
Hatching eggs are basically the same as eating eggs, except they’re fertilized. Which means you’ll need a good rooster to hen ratio.
I keep my ratio at about 10:1 which gives me a pretty good hatch rate.
You’ll also need to ensure the eggs are clean and free of cracks, including during shipping. I’ve only sold hatching eggs locally, which cuts down on costs and the issues involved with shipping.
Hatching eggs can be a great income source, so if you are interested in making a profit off of them make sure to do your research and find the best breeding stock you can!
10. Baby chicks
Selling baby chicks is not s huge surprise as a way to make money with a backyard farm.
Lots of people keep chickens, even as pets. And those chickens routinely have chicks.
But if you have a good breeding stock and a chicken breed that people are looking for, incubating their eggs and selling the chicks can bring in quite a bit of money!
And considering that you can go from egg to chick in about 21 days, the turnaround time is fairly quick.
To sell your chicks, many people post on Craigslist, local Facebook groups, Instagram, set up a website, or even just take the chicks to auction.
Personally, I want to have the chicks out of my kitchen (where we set up the incubator) ASAP. So if I post them on Craigslist and they don’t sell quickly, I just take them to the weekly auction nearby. At least that way I don’t have to keep feeding them and my costs stay low!
11. Sell full grown birds
Usually it’s not very profitable to grow out those baby chicks and then sell them as adults since the cost per bird won’t outweigh the cost you’ve put into them.
There are a few exceptions to this rule:
- you have a specialty breed that you can charge a lot for
- you find a way to reduce their feed to almost nothing
- you sell your existing flock after the 2 year mark and replace them with new birds
Generally, that last bullet point is where I sell my full grown chickens. You see, after about 2 years or so a chicken’s egg laying capabilities will slow down and they will inevitably lay fewer eggs.
So you will need to replace them with new birds if you don’t want freeloaders in your flock! (They still eat the same amount.)
In this case, I take them to auction where I can make a profit instead of putting them into a pot!
12. Chicken meat
Selling birds to eat is another one that you’ll need to have a license for – more than likely.
But if you’re dedicated to this endeavor, it has the potential to turn a nice profit. Especially if there’s a high demand for free-range, organic in your area.
We raise chickens for meat, but only for our own family. However, I know a few people who love chicken farming and actually make a decent living off of it!
13. Incubating services
I actually heard someone mention this recently and I thought it was such an interesting idea.
So many people do keep chickens, but don’t actually own an incubator. So if you do have an incubator and are willing to provide this service, it has great potential!
Especially considering that your main cost is the cost of electricity for 21 days!
14. Chicken gardening
So if you’re wondering what I mean by chicken gardening, I’m mostly referring to the amazing way that chickens can help prepare land for gardening and clean up the garden at the end of the season.
We are actually in the process of setting up our food forest, and we’ve used our chickens to help clear out the land – they will eat almost anything!
So if you keep chickens, and know people who like to garden, chicken gardening can be something you offer as a service!
Homemade Goods
Selling the goods you make can be a huge time investment, but if it’s something you love to do (and can bring in a bunch of money) then why not go for it?
Of course, like many others on this list there will be some regulations on what you do or do not need a license for. So be sure to check the laws in your state before getting started!
15. Jams and jellies
If you have a lot of fruit trees or berry bushes, making jams and jelly is probably already on your chore list. And there’s nothing people love more than homemade jams!
For this one, make sure you have a good understanding of the canning process, and cut down costs by using what you can actually grow!
16. Breads
I don’t know about you, but I love my bread machine. There’s nothing like a loaf of homemade bread freshly baked.
And I know tons of people who go buy fresh bread at the bakery or farmer’s market, but have no plans on making it themselves.
Plus, artisanal breads are a specialty product and people will pay top dollar!
17. Cookies
Baking and selling cookies can be an entire job on it’s own. I know someone who created an entire business just based on selling cookies for parties – and they’re not cheap!
So if you can specialize in a few types – and make them extra tasty – you’ll have an endless client base forever!
18. Candies
The same is true for candies! Although this might be easier on a seasonal basis.
For example, marzipan and candy caramels will fly off the shelves during holiday time. So if you have a few tried and true recipes, this would be a great way to bring in some extra income!
19. Mini Crème Brulee
My main reason for including crème brulee on this list in anecdotal.
Rewind to a few years ago and we were making our way through the local farmer’s market. They had cheeses, and vegetables, and a whole bunch of other ingredients to take home and cook later (as farmer’s markets usually do.)
But we were getting hungry and there were few options for actually food to eat there. Until we came across the tent selling mini crème brulees in little baking tins.
They had a few different flavors and each tin was like $4! But it was the perfect snack to keep walking around and I couldn’t help but think what a great idea that was!
Plus, making crème brulee is one of the best ways to use extra eggs! So if you have a surplus, might as well make a profit!
Craft supplies
If you live on a homestead, even a tiny homestead, you’ll likely have a few things that can double as craft supplies.
And I know quite a few homesteaders who have turned their extra homesteading by products into entire businesses. You just have to know where to look!
20. Feathers
If you raise any type of poultry, you’re going to have extra feathers.
I remember my first time seeing tons of extra feathers on the floor of the coop – it was molting time. And I was obsessed at saving all of those beautiful feathers!
I will say that Mr. Mini Urban Farm thought I had lost my mind when he saw me cleaning chicken feathers in the bathroom, but it didn’t bother me 😛
Feathers often get used in crafts as decoration, stuffing, jewelry, and pillows. So if you have an abundance, might as well make something out of them!
The type of poultry you have will dictate how much you can charge for your feathers, but hey – if they feathers were free, than it doesn’t take much to turn a profit!
21. Eggshells
Yes, you read that correctly – eggshells.
Normally I wouldn’t give eggshells another look. They either go in compost or get fed back to the chickens for calcium.
However, I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and saw these beautiful painted eggshells in frames that I couldn’t stop staring at!
Apparently, eggshell art is a thing!
22. pinecones
Did you know you could buy pinecones on Amazon? Yep, it’s true.
And I know you’ve seen those bags of pinecones come holiday time at the craft store.
Well, if you have pine trees in your yard, you are basically guaranteed to have pine cones.
So all you have to do is gather them up and take them to market!
23. Homestead artwork
When it comes to homesteading, most of us have a few basic skills that can double as art.
For example, crocheting is a great homestead skill – and crocheted items aren’t cheap!
So if you have a talent that people would pay for, there’s probably a great market for it. Bonus points if it’s inspired by things around the farm!
Raising rabbits for profit
If you’re into homesteading, there’s a pretty good chance that you know at least a few people who raise rabbits.
And it’s no shock they do because rabbits are such a great investment! They provide so many products and have relatively low overhead.
24. Selling bunnies as pets
As a kid I had a pet rabbit. She was jet black and her name was Midnight. For some reason my parents used to let her free-range inside the house, despite not being able to open the front door in fear that she would run out.
But my point is that soooo many families keep rabbits as pets. And considering that rabbits well, reproduce like rabbits, selling the bunnies can be super profitable for your backyard farm!
Rabbits can have up to 12 kits per litter, and have less than a month gestation time – which means that you’ll be swimming in bunnies before you know it!
25. Selling breeder rabbits
If you breed rabbits for meat, then selling breeder rabbits to help other homesteaders get started can be super profitable!
After all, they reach maturity in no time and if you raise rabbits for meat, you likely have some pretty good knowledge about getting started with breeding them.
26. Selling rabbits for meat
Rabbit meat can be a great source of income since it’s not something you can usually buy at the local supermarket.
That being said, there’s probably less of a market for rabbit meat in some areas, but with some decent marketing you’ll be able to make money with this endeavor and even support your own rabbit’s costs!
27. Rabbit droppings
Yes, you read that right. You can sell rabbit poop.
And there’s actually a market for it – just check Ebay or Etsy!
Now if you’re not already familiar with why you would want rabbit droppings, it’s because the droppings actually make amazing fertilizer for the garden!
And because rabbit poop is a cold fertilizer, it doesn’t need to be composted first – you can literally just dump it into your raised beds!
28. Rabbit Pelts
Rabbit pelts are a by product of raising rabbits for meat. With them you can make pillows, gloves, hats, and so many other things!
So if you are able to learn the tanning process and save your pelts, it would be a great way to make some extra cash!
Raising Quail for Profit
Living in the suburbs sometimes comes with several regulations. One of them being that you can’t have chickens in some areas.
So instead of raising chickens, many urban homesteaders are turning to raising quail instead!
Quail is a small bird that lays eggs almost daily, produces a decent amount of meat, has beautiful feathers, and grows quickly! I mean, even the hatch time is pretty quick at only 16-18 days!
29. Quail eating eggs
Did you know that quail eggs are actually more nutrient-dense than chicken eggs? Sure they are tiny, but they are packed with vitamins, protein, and healthy fats!
No wonder they’re expensive!
And many restaurants use quail eggs in their upscale plates, making quail eggs a great business opportunity!
30. Hatching eggs
As someone who has actually bought quail eggs online to hatch, I can tell you there’s definitely a demand for them. And too few suppliers!
Just like with chicken eggs, you’ll want to have a good hen to roo ratio – which for quail means about 4-7 hens for every male. But since they’re a specialty egg, you can charge a decent amount for them.
Plus, the profit margin is pretty good considering how little they eat, and how often they lay eggs!
31. Quail Feathers
Every time I look at my quail I think to myself – those feathers would make great earrings!
And I know I’m not the only one who agrees!
So if you raise quail for meat, selling those feathers is a great way to use the whole bird.
32. Quail breeding stock
Of course, just like with chickens and rabbits, you can’t overlook how lucrative it would be to sell mature quail as breeding stock.
Especially since quail mature so quickly – in just 8 weeks!
33. Quail Meat
If you’ve never had quail meat, it tastes pretty much like dark meat chicken.
It’s super lean and since quails mature in only 8 weeks, it’s a great sustainable source of meat. Plus, quail don’t really eat a lot so the overhead cost of meat production is quite low!
34. Beekeeping
Beekeeping is on my bucket list for now, but I know plenty of people who keep bees and even sell their own honey! #goals
This one definitely has a higher barrier to entry since you have to buy the hives and all the equipment, but if you’re okay with that (or you already keep bees) then selling honey and beeswax products can be a great side business!
I mean, you could even add your honey into bee-inspired products, like honey cakes – or flavored honey!
35. Raising other types of poultry for profit
Of course, chickens and quail are not the only birds out there. And tons of people keep rare species for breeding, meat, eating eggs, hatching eggs, feathers, and even as pets.
Some of my favorites I’ve seen around my area are ducks (particularly for meat and eggs), geese, pigeons, and turkey!
Plus, poultry needs across spices is very similar, with only a few minor differences. So if you’re already into chickens or quail, the jump to other poultry is not that far of a leap!
36. Flower farming
I recently got this book on growing flowers and I can’t put it down!
It was recommended to me by a friend who grows her own flowers and has been super successful with selling them at farmer’s markets.
Hopefully one day I’ll be able to do the same, because I know flowers can bring in some pretty decent side-hustle money. But for now, I’m contenting my self with just being able to grow a few petunias in my garden!
37. Candlemaking
I will be the first to admit that at the start of the pandemic, I got very excited about making my own candles 😛
I experimented with types of wax, different essential oils, and even some herbal add-ins. And I can totally see how you could make an entire business with candles.
I mean, candles are expensive! Have you been to Bath & Body Works lately?!
38. Soapmaking
I have a friend whose entire business is making soaps. All different fragrances, all different shapes, and they smell amazing!
Plus, if you keep goats, goat-milk soap is definitely a thing and has some great benefits for your skin!
39. Jewelry making
Making jewelry has a special place in my heart – especially making earrings. Because I used to use my crochet skills to make earrings and sold them on Etsy for a while!
But since you can make jewelry out of so many different things, this is a great endeavor for homesteaders! And you can literally do this out of your kitchen!
Feather earrings anyone? 🙂
40. Making and selling coops and hutches
Designer chicken coops have become super popular in recent years. And one of my neighbors actually does this as his side hustle.
So if you have any type of woodworking skills, making rabbit hutches, or chicken/quail coops can be a great operation!
I mean, those things are definitely not cheap!
Raising goats for profit
Alright, goats (and possibly sheep) are probably the biggest animals you’re able to keep in Suburbia – and actually make a profit.
Plus, who doesn’t want a cute herd of goats in their backyard?!
41. Selling baby goats
If you decide you do want a goat herd (and you have a pair) then you’ll likely have kids sometime in the not-so-distant future.
And if you do live in the suburbs, there’s probably a limit to the number of goats you’re allowed to have.
So what do you do with the rest? Well, sell them!
Lots of people are looking to start their own goat herds, or even looking for a pet goat!
42. Stud services
Sometimes people only keep female goats.
Why? To prevent having tons of kids. And because male goats smell.
So if you can offer your bucks up for stud services, you can make a profit from just letting nature “do its thing!”
43. Goat cheese
After our first trip to Spain I became obsessed with goat cheese!
So much so that even our friends started buying goat cheese after I served it at literally every.single.dinner.party for almost a year.
Plus, chevre is so easy to make and isn’t cheap at the market. Add in some herbs or fruit preserves and you’ll have a premium product!
44. Goat milk soap
Okay so I kind of already covered this one in the soap making section above, so I’ll be brief.
Dairy goats can produce between 6 to 8 pounds of milk per day, according to the American Dairy Goat Association.
And I don’t know about you, but my family doesn’t drink that much milk (or eat that much goat cheese) – not even close!
So what to do with all that milk? Soap, obviously!
45. Consulting
If you read through this list of ways to make money on a backyard farm and thought “Oh, I already do that!” then you can probably make a profit from some consulting work.
For each of the items on this list, there are tons of people looking to get started and trying to figure out what they’re doing. And many of them would gladly pay for someone to show them how it’s done!
So find what you’re good at, and consider offering it as a service to help other’s get started!
46. Offering In person classes
The same as consulting, but on a larger scale.
And instead of going over to help that one person on their farm, you can offer classes wherever it’s convenient for you (probably your farmstead) and limit the class size to whatever you want!
Plus, you can offer that same class over and over again to new people willing to learn what you are teaching!
I know a few people who do this on weekends and make a pretty decent amount from it!
47. Writing and blogging
Out of all the ways to make money on a backyard farm, this is probably my favorite.
One, because I love to share my experiences with you guys (I mean, you are on my blog after all!)
And two because the earning potential is almost unlimited.
A quick disclaimer though – if you want to write a book, it’s almost always better (or at least easier to sell that book) if you have a pre-established audience.
Take for example, Jessica from Roots and Refuge Farm. She has a YouTube channel and recently came out with a book for beginner gardeners. She’s had tons of success selling that book to her already established audience!
And with blogging you’ll need to establish an audience before you can actually make money off ads, affiliate marketing, or info products. So go like and subscribe to my YouTube channel 😛
Pin ways to make money with a backyard farm
