Smallholding Courses - The Accidental Smallholder

We run various courses throughout the year at TAS headquarters in the east of Scotland, including poultry keeping, working pony, and an introduction to smallholding.

Course outlines are provided below, please contact us if you may be interested in attending any of the courses and we will send you dates as soon as they are available.

Backyard poultry keeping

Half day course, held on our smallholding in the east of Scotland, covering all the essential aspects of keeping poultry for eggs in your backyard including:

• Buying hens
• Housing and bedding
• Feeding
• Basic health care
• Rules and regulations

If you would like to produce your own fresh eggs from your own hens but just haven't "plucked" up the confidence to get started, then we can help.

Starting at 10am, we'll cover all the essential aspects of successful backyard poultry keeping for eggs.

You'll get the opportunity to handle our hens and see how the theory translates into practice. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion before we finish at 2pm.

Ponies on the smallholding

Have you ever thought that your pony could be contributing more to your smallholding than a grass cutting service? Do you have timber that needs pulled or grass that needs harrowed and have you thought that these would be good jobs for your pony but you don't know how to start training him or what equipment to buy?

Following the success of previous courses and demonstrations, The Accidental Smallholder is delighted to announce that Steve Reid, natural horseman and horse trainer, will be running a further event at Dalmore to help you prepare your pony for work.

This one-day event will cover:

• Choosing a good working pony - or making the best of what you've got
• Choosing and fitting harness for different tasks
• Choosing and sourcing equipment
• Basic education and training for pony and handler

Steve has over twenty years' experience in developing young (and not so young) horses and ponies for riding, driving and as working partners. He also works with "difficult" horses. His methods are natural to the horse, respecting his dignity at all times.

The event is aimed at those with some experience of ponies, although those with a general interest in working ponies are most welcome.

2012 dates

If you're interested in coming to one of our 2012 courses, please contact us: we'll add you to our mailing list and let you know course dates as soon as they are available.