Get Rich Raising Chickens!

Wow! What a great idea! Meat and eggs! And everyone loves to eat chicken and eggs. A chicken will lay about 5 eggs a week, or 250 eggs a year. Do the math! You can become a millionaire raising chickens -- just look at Frank Purdue. What could go wrong? Nothing!

Just look at how this one lone girl raises 15,000 chickens indoors and all by herself while wearing a perfect white apron and high heels. You can do it too!



The top article is about an automated, rotating chicken egg facility in Japan from the April 1960 edition of Popular Mechanics. The ad is from the July 1952 edition of Popular Mechanics, and article at bottom is from the January 1937 edition of Popular Science.

Get Rich Raising Nutria!

Wow! What a great idea! It says in this 1958 Popular Science ad that the price of nutria pelts is already almost equal to mink. And these exotic rodents breed like ... well, rodents! Women will always wear fur. What could go wrong? Nothing! Just look at that cool logo if your confidence is wavering. This is sure to be an exploding market for a bright, energetic young person.
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Men: Kill for Money

From the March 1937 edition of Modern Mechanix comes this little ad which seems to be trolling for get-rich-quick psychopaths.
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FREE Dog in the Mail for Handing Out 20 Coupons

Get this FREE real live miniature dog in the mail for handing out just 20 coupons.

Seems totally legitimate to me!

Keep it in a shoe box.

Sounds easy enough! What's not to love?

NOTE:  I am shocked to find that Mrs. Ruth Long does not actually exist and no dogs (or monkeys as were offered in other ads) were ever sent out.  It turns out that Dean Studios was a partnership of three brothers: Clark H. Geppert, Byron Geppert and Fidelis Geppert. On September 29, 1960, the Geppert brothers were issued a Cease and Desist order by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive promotional practices. 
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Get Rich Growing Silkworms!

Wow! What a great idea! Silk is the textile of kings, and always in demand. Imagine wowing your friends when you show them the silk stockings, silk shirts, and silk parachutes you have woven from the quiet little caterpillars you grow in your very own backyard. Run your business right, and you could become a silk barron in just a few short years. What could possible go wrong? Nothing!
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Get Rich Quick!

Ad from Popular Science, April 1958
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Get Rich Raising Rats and Mice!

Wow! What a great idea! Do you have any idea of how many pet stores have mice and rats, and how many mice and rats are used by scientists every day?

No? Me either, but I' m pretty sure it's a lot. And almost nothing breeds faster than mice and rats. What could go wrong? Nothing!

This little gem of a get-rich-quick idea comes from the April 1946 edition of Popular Science magazine.

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Get Rich Raising Armadillos!

Wow! What a great idea! Armadillos take almost no care, and you can own a 10-acre Texas armadillo ranch for very little money.

Eveyone is going to want an armadillo lamp. In fact, I am told these things are hugely in demand in France. What could go wrong? Nothing!

This article originally appeared in the November 1934 edition of Popular Science magazine.

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Get Rich Raising Rabbits

Wow! What a great idea!

Nothing breeds faster that rabbits, and this fine company in the heart of the rabbit-raising capitol of the world (cough, cough) will pay you "up to" $5.00 each.

What could go wrong? Nothing!

This ad is from the 1937 edition of Popular Science magazine.
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Get Rich Raising Bees!

Wow! What a great idea! Bees pay dividends THREE ways. First, you will be able to rent your hives to farmers who need bees to fertilize their crops, and bee colonies are in fierce demand! Second and Third, you will be able to make a money selling both honey and bee's wax.

More money, more money, more money. What could go wrong? Nothing! This is sure to be a terrific business for a bright, energetic young person.

This ad is from the February 1949 edition of Popular Mechanics magazine.
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Make Millions Milking Mice!

Page 1, page 2, page 3 (click on links to read full article).


Wow! What a great idea! Raise pet mice, milk them, and sell mouse milk for $10,0000 a quart!

Apparently you ranch mice for milk them just like dairy cattle, with a feed bunk and everything (though it seems the milking stool might be a wee smaller than standard).

Mice breed really fast too, so there should be no problem getting enough mice to milk.

Plus think how low your refrigeration costs are going to be.

What could go wrong with the scheme? Nothing!

So what is mouse milk for? Research!

It turns out that milk from white mice causes breast cancer in mice, but milk from black mice does not.

A special offer for readers of this blog: If you start a mouse milk ranch right now, and can guarantee a gallon of mouse milk a week, I think I can hook you up with Heather Mills -- Paul McCartney's ex-wife, who is looking for a steady supplier of rodent milk. I think she may be willing to do product endorsement as well!

Article from the December 1947 issue of Popular Mechanix. .

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Get Rich Raising Hamsters!

Wow! What a great idea! Syrian hamsters have the fastest gestation times on earth -- just 16 days! And they have large litters too! Eight young is the average, but some hamsters have had as many as 20 babies.

Do the math! You could become a millionaire raising hamsters for the pet trade.

What could go wrong? Nothing!

This ad is from a September 1950 edition of Popular Science magazine.
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Get Rich Raising Earthworms!

Wow! What a great idea! Earthworms are quiet and easy to care for, and you can tend them at night while you do your other job. Plus there's not a lot of initial capital outlay.

Fishermen always need worms, and organic gardeners LOVE them! What could go wrong? Nothing! This is sure to be an exploding market for a bright, energetic young person.

Plus, take a look at that address. The Carter Worm Farm in Plains, Georgia. That's got to be President Jimmy Carter's family! You can't go wrong with an American President's family standing behind the operation!

For the record, this is not a current ad, but one from the July 1955 edition of Popular Science magazine.

Look for more exciting cash-generating ideas from the world of wildlife as the weeks progress. Let's make 2008 the year we all get mad-money rich!
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Get Rich With Falconry

Get into the exciting world of falconry for profit! The Marin, California Independent reports that Indigo Redondo (now there's a great name!), who works for Vacaville-based Wingmaster Falconry Inc., has been hired to use his Saker falcon to help keep gulls away from the trash heaps at the Redwood Landfill.

Not to be outdone by California hippies, the Real Madrid soccer team in Madrid, Spain, has hired Guillermo Santalla to fly about a dozen eagles, falcons and owls over the 60-year-old Santiago Bernabeu stadium in order to keep pigeon populations at bay. Madrid's international airport also employs four teams of falcons to scare off pigeons and other birds which threaten the aircraft there.

Then there's the wedding business. Releasing white homing pigeons at weddings is a money-maker for some pigeon fanciers in the right location, but now a white barn owl is being trained to also deliver the rings. What could possibly go wrong here? Nothing!
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Get Rich as a Hired Assassin

Be your own boss!

The above get-rich-quick idea comes to us from the March 1937 edition of Modern Mechanix magazine.

Whatever happened to great ad copy like this, complete with sentence fragments and random capitalization? Ah, the good old days!
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