Since chickens are probably the most common homestead livestock, I am going to map out all the ways you can use your chickens to make a profit- or at least make them pay for themselves!
Here in NC, we can sell our eggs for about $3.50-$5.00 per dozen- and that is for conventionally fed birds.
If you have a specialized breeding stock and highly sought after breeds you can charge much more even up to $4 per egg.
You can hatch and sell day-old chicks for a couple dollars each if you are going straight run- a little more if you know how to accurately sex the chicks.
Many of these people are willing to pay a much higher price to get already birds that are already feathered or even laying.