Want to know about cheap sources of meat on-farm? And high-protein non-meat foods? Protein is both the hardest and easiest to source on a self-sufficient small-holding. Obviously some forms of meat is higher protein for smaller footprint, and you’ll need large areas to grow the same amount of non-animal protein. Here’s a few I’ve tried, and some I want to try doing next…
Rabbits
I bred Flemish giant and NZ white rabbits for meat. My friend would butcher them and we shared the meat. I didn’t have to face killing them myself after rearing them for a few months. But this way we still got to have sustaining protein. It tasted like slightly gamier chicken, but you could really only slow-cook it, even though it wasn’t old. It wasn’t as versatile as chicken, or maybe I wasn’t cooking it right!
Rabbits are very cheap converters of feed to meat as they eat grass, weeds, and some pellets and hay. But like chickens, commercial butchers won’t dress them for you as the carcass is too small and inefficient use of their time. The NZ white was the better breed for this purpose, but I will detail this more in another post. If there is demand in your area, this could also bring in a small income- selling breeding stock or selling rabbits for meat.
Chickens
The unfortunate downside of raising chickens is that you’re going to have to deal with roosters. You can’t keep them all, or they will fight, and that is truly inhumane. They are also using expensive chook food and not producing eggs. You can advertise them locally, they will be snapped up fast by people who will eat them. But why do that when you can benefit from it yourself? This is the first year that I will process roosters myself. I have a neighbor who has kindly offered to show me how she processes her chickens.
Other years I have just sold them or given them away, as I was too chicken (excuse the pun) to deal with it! I have however been attacked so frequently and aggressively by a rooster we had, that I had to ask another neighbor to come shoot it. It was too unsafe for the kids when they went to feed the hens or collect eggs. I was terrified of him! We all were. If you’re going to keep a rooster, make sure he has a good temperament, because they do exist. The one I had just wasn’t one of them. We use heritage meat breeds instead of the commercial meat breeds because of their dual-purpose amazingness.
Eggs
Eggs are a great part of a balanced diet. Two eggs will give you about 12g of protein, and most chickens will lay daily during the laying season. This varies between breeds, and you can rear them so you have a winter-laying flock and a summer-laying flock. It is worth mentioning that you don’t need a rooster in order for a hen to lay eggs. I have had this question asked of me by a new homesteader.
Legumes and grains
Quinoa is a very healthy grain that is cooked like a cereal. It has 16.5g of protein per 100g, which is more than egg! Beans, peas and chickpeas are all high in protein also. They are all easy to grow and mature in about 100 days. This would be easy to grow if you had enough space to plant your years’ supply in one season. I found these cool calculators to help you know how much seed to plant.
Cheese
I just love the idea of having a house cow or milking goat or sheep. Nothing feels more self-sufficient to me as we are big consumers of dairy. And cheese is a very tasty source of protein varying between 10-40g per 100g depending on the type of cheese. I am trying to source two Saanen goats now for this master plan! I went to a cheesemaking course last year and discovered how easy it is to make all my favorites: halloumi, brie, camembert, mozzarella and cream cheese. One time I did milk the feral doe we have, and she didn’t mind, but it smelled and tasted a bit… feral.
I did try raising a house cow but, knowing nothing about cows, I got a bit intimidated. Also, she stepped over our five-wire fences like they were nothing. If I were to do it again, I would buy an already-trained house cow, or a smaller breed like the Dexter. I had dairy sheep briefly, but they were a bit skittish, and required more maintenance than goats, like shearing. They also consumed more food and water than a goat but produced less milk. So I settled on goats as the ultimate environment-friendly milk producer.
Hogget
Hogget is a sheep that is over 12 months old. We had two fat lambs sent to the butcher for Christmas one year. It was such a small amount of meat that came back that we regretted it instantly. It wasn’t worth it emotionally or financially. Now we only send hogget who have lived a good life of 3 or so years. The meat is still tender and tasty, but it is easier knowing that they had a good, peaceful life. At this age, they start getting harder to handle because of their size and can get aggressive in the paddock.
I had a ewe that chased my children around even though she had no lamb to defend! I also have friends who kill and butcher their own sheep on farm, which is probably a point I should get to. It would save about $90 per sheep and make the meat essentially “free” since they mostly eat grass year round.
Pig
I have not raised pigs but always wanted to. Mainly because they can eat leftovers and don’t need too much space. You could also use them as gardeners and let them dig up where you wanted them to. I would love to breed heritage pigs as a side hobby, saddlebacks are pretty popular around here for their lower fat, more marbled meat quality. My only concern is that it would be a costly exercise. Certain pig breeds do eat grass, like the Kunekune, but otherwise you’re looking at buying in special pig feed. If you had access to some potato and pumpkin farms where you could pick up cheap rejects, and an orchard, you could get the bulk feed for cheap.
This brings me to the cheapest sources of meat yet. It’s free and doesn’t cost you months of your time, money and labor in raising it…
Hunting wild animals
This will be the cheapest source yet as you haven’t put any money or effort into raising them. If you have inadequate fencing, like me, they even wander onto your land! I found wild sheep came up the river into my unfenced paddock just two months ago. I don’t have a rifle yet, so I tried to herd them up to a “trap paddock” but they weren’t buying it. It would be best to invest in a butchering course or ask around- often a neighbor will be happy to show you how to process a carcass.
If you live rurally, chances are you’ll know someone who hunts. They are some of the most good-hearted people you’ll ever meet, so invite yourself along and see what you end up with! Hunting offers such variety, too. Pigs, deer, sheep, goats, other things that look like goats (Tahr, Chamois), and even wild cattle! You will be doing your part to protect nature as an added bonus. Wild browsers damage native forests and limit the food available for native species. Just check that you can hunt there first- ask the landowner or gain a permit. And also check for any recent poisoning or baiting initiatives in the area. Also check that the ammunition you use does not contain lead as research is telling us that some hunted meat- particularly venison- has lead contamination higher than recommended levels
Fishing and eeling
Potentially a controversial method to source protein, as there are issues with fishery numbers globally. There’s also the issue of micro-plastic pollution. I don’t know how to fish, and we don’t have any decent-sized fish in our river, so it’s not really an option for me. If you live near the ocean or own a boat, this would most likely be on your menu. Make sure you have the appropriate licenses and are in the right area and season if you do give it a go. You’ll also have to keep to the right size of fish and amount of catch that is permitted in your area. I’ve only ever seen ONE eel in our river and was frozen in awe. They creep me out but also are pretty amazing. So unless my river was crawling with them, I won’t be having eel on my menu.
Duck shooting and diving
Diving has a long history in many cultures and is an impressive way to catch seafood. As with fishing, make sure the activity is fully permitted in your area and keep to the legal catch requirements. Also be sure to have safety measures in place like a spotter on a boat. I couldn’t do this myself. I’m afraid of the ocean, but I appreciate the skill and bravery required!
Duck shooting usually has a season, so check before you go hunting. You might also want to borrow a gun dog or train up your pet Labrador, unless you want to go wading to retrieve your prize! Side note, I had a pet Labrador who would target live ducks when swimming at the river. She never reached them (since they could just fly away), but it seemed pretty ingrained in her DNA! People like duck for being a richer taste than chicken and is eaten in high-end restaurants, so you could have yourself an almost-free five star meal! If you want more ready-access ducks, you could breed and raise your own. They are similar to chickens and are easy enough to keep. We raised them for years and the population got a bit out of control!
If you can think of anything else that should be on this list, please comment below, I’d love to know!