Becoming a livestock breeder could be one of the most lucrative and self-reliance boosting prepper side hustles that exist.
a few bantam chickens on ATV and some Peking ducks next to it
The benefits of not only having ample livestock on your survival homestead and honing the skills required to properly tend to them is the primary reason we enlarged our barnyard five years ago.
And perhaps the best part of being a livestock breeder is the fact that it is a side hustle preppers can do anywhere, even if they have just a backyard or a small 10 acre farm to use for keeping the animals.
Livestock breeding as a career or beloved side hustle has been commonplace in rural areas (where all preppers should live) for generations. Raising animals to sell can bring profit regardless of what type of critters you choose to keep, but choosing as wisely as possible can increase your potential earnings exponentially.
The major plus side to this prepper side hustle, beside the obvious cold hard cash aspect of course, is constantly having a supply of meat, milk, and egg producing animals within arms’ reach during a disaster.
But, both the animals you choose to raise, and how sustainable the breeding and husbandry process is on your land, will play a significant impact in how much money you can make with this prepper side hustle and how long you can keep it going during a disaster as a means of barter.
What Is An Animal or Livestock Breeder?
Livestock breeders use their animal husbandry skills along with any knowledge of animal science and genetics to breed animals. Some keepers consider themselves far more of a farmer or a rancher than a breeder, in the most technical sense of the word.
A more formal breeding operation would involve a focused effort on breeding for specific genetic attributes of registered livestock or livestock guardian dogs that would be of show quality.
Livestock Breeding Laws
If you plan on raising any type of herd dog or livestock guardian dog, you may be subjected to state licensing requirements and annual litter maximums. Laws and regulations such as these were created to prevent “puppy mills” and the mistreatment of canine breeding stock.
While there is still no formal education or training background required to become a livestock breeder, the government will still require you to open your wallet and fill out some forms before moving forward with a dog breeding business.
Make sure to adhere to all local and state laws before starting any type of animal breeding business.
Some municipal areas in multiple state may regulate the number, type, and sex of animals that can be kept. For instance, even in some Right to Farm states it might be illegal to keep roosters if you live in an incorporated area.
Thankfully for prepping folks who live in an urban, suburban, and incorporated small towns (again, it is time…