[Lesley Silvester]

[quote author=penninehillbilly link=topic=58503.msg499756#msg499756 date=1432126318
('Kids' can be sometimes be amusing if people don't realise your'e talking about goat kids), but I often wonder which was called 'kids' first  .



My friend, who suffers from mental health problems was on a regular visit to her GP and said she felt great as she had helped deliver her friend's kid. She noticed he was giving her a strange look and hastily added, "it was a goat giving birth." 

[Backinwellies]

  and welcome.

Having just scanned this tread a few points from me....
1) you cant train a dog not to chase sheep (before someone contradicts me ) no dog is totally reliable even my old dog who happily totally ignores sheep normally, gets excited when another dog starts chasing ... so keep on lead anywhere where there are sheep.

2) Cattle need to be in at least a group of 2 adults ... which means at least 2 acres of very good grazing and winter housing (or more acres for outwintering) .?  It is far too easy to underestimate the amount of land needed for cattle ... Remember you will have 2 years worth of calves/growers at anyone time so at least 5 cattle at any one time (min 5+ acres?)

3) 2 weaners for meat  and a couple of goats for milk would be a good way to start.

4) whilst you are fencing you need to think about type of fence ...  pony owners wont go near barb, cattle owners almost always use a barb strand to stop cows knocking fence down, sheep need stock fencing, poultry need predator 'proof' fencing and pigs needs very strong or electric fencing.... a mine field in its self!

After all that ............. enjoy!  such exciting things to think about 

[ricardodba]

As it stands plan is: Chickens first, then 2 weaners to grow on for meat and then a couple of goats for milk/meat...but will need to build a shelter/winter housing for the goats 1st...anyone got any spares!?!?!

Id also like to try a couple of rare breed sheep too.

[Herdygirl]

Hi Richard.
Welcome to TAS
 
I am just over the hill at Mount Tabor.  Glad you are settling in and getting the power sorted sounds interesting. 
There is a chap in Todmorden (I think he is there) who has some really nice POL's, my friend bought some a little while ago, I can find out for you if you like?  Just PM me.
 

Where us MountTabor?...i still dont know way around here!!!...Do you also have a smallholding/farm?

Thanks for the info about the POLs...but have sourced some other local POLs...but if no good, will comeback to you...thanks 

Sorry  Mount Tabor is North East Halifax. And yes we do, 14 acres at MT and another 18 at another holding which is mostly summer grazing. We keep Herdwick sheep and Embden geese.

[ricardodba]

Do any of you who live west yorkshire way/ pennine know of any livestock auctions/shows coming up in near future?

[devonlady]

Look up local livestock auctioneers and ask them to keep you informed of any sales

[Kimbo]

Clitheroe Auction Mart isn't too far from you. Google it.
This Saturday is the plant and machinery sale; we will be there 
Fur And Feather every Wednesday evening.
The next pure breed poultry day is August .... we will be there if my older chicks shape up well.

[Penninehillbilly]

Skipton Mart - (google called Craven Auction)
By show do you mean agricultural show or auction show+sale?
Great Yorkshire is the big Aricultural/day out show to go to, Halifax in August has quite a lot on (esp goats  ), and Bingley 25th July.
 
Kimbo-Thanks for that about Clitheroe this Saturday, might get over there, needing some stuff
 

[ricardodba]

Hi guys,

hope you're all well...we're finally getting our first pol hens tomorrow...coop all up and ready :-) ...its been a long time coming...i see what you all mean by 'hard work' 

What do you all feed your hens and use in your nest boxes...im thinking of sticking with the conventional method of straw for the nest box, a few treats such as dried mealworm and maybe some vitamin enriched feed?

Cheers

[Penninehillbilly]

HI Richard
Been wondering how you were getting on.
so what breed are you going for?
I feed mine layers pellets in the morning, let them out of their run mid morning, or they wander off and lay away. wheat in the evening, soaked because I noticed some came through whole.
There will be lots of different ideas on feeding :-)
straw and shavings or similar in the nest box, I now use a type of bedding, i think it's dried chopped oil seed rape stems, or there is a miscanthus based one, better than sawdust or shaving in my opinion.
 
been to any auctions or shows locally?
 

[ricardodba]

Hi,

we're getting 2 white stars, 1 light sussex, 1 bluebelle and 1 blue egg laying hybrid (similar look to a white splash aracuna)...all chosen by the kids!

Not been to any shows...but i hope to...but might be next year now...in process of central heating install with rayburn cooker as boiler...laying copper pipes in a 170 yr old house is fun!!! 

[ricardodba]

Hi,

we're getting 2 white stars, 1 light sussex, 1 bluebelle and 1 blue egg laying hybrid (similar look to a white splash aracuna)...all chosen by the kids!

Not been to any shows...but i hope to...but might be next year now...in process of central heating install with rayburn cooker as boiler...laying copper pipes in a 170 yr old house is fun!!! 

which layer pellets are you using?

[Penninehillbilly]

Halifax was a nice show, lovely day as well :-)
 
I use layers pellets from a local supplier who mill their own, previously I've used BOCM.
My cockerel is half aurucana, I was told the blue egg gene will still be there but I haven't hatched anything this year.
 I love my rayburn, we run on joiners off-cuts, cooks the tea, warms the kitchen and gives hot water - free. not big enough for central heating though, there is a separate wood boiler for that.
*If you are on spring water just check, - round here spring water eats through copper pipe and cylinders, in our case usually about Christmas time!
most of our house is on Hep20 pipe and the tank is stainless steel.
 

[ricardodba]

Halifax was a nice show, lovely day as well :-)
 
I use layers pellets from a local supplier who mill their own, previously I've used BOCM.
My cockerel is half aurucana, I was told the blue egg gene will still be there but I haven't hatched anything this year.
 I love my rayburn, we run on joiners off-cuts, cooks the tea, warms the kitchen and gives hot water - free. not big enough for central heating though, there is a separate wood boiler for that.
*If you are on spring water just check, - round here spring water eats through copper pipe and cylinders, in our case usually about Christmas time!
most of our house is on Hep20 pipe and the tank is stainless steel.

Yeah we're spring fed...we're a stuck between a rock and a hard place with regards to the central heating/hot water - the plumber contacted the manufacturer and they do NOT recomend using plastic pipe on Rayburn systems...on the other hand we have acidic water which isnt good for copper pipes...so far we've used copper pipes for central heating and will put a ittle more inhibitor in the system once complete...the hot water system as it stands will also be copper....what to do?!?!...may look at putting some kind of filter on the main in pipe to house.

Anyone any ideas??

Cheers.

[Penninehillbilly]

sorry, I was thinking of the tap supply, one Christmas we had to pull all the kithen units out and all the copper pipe behind them, another year it was the cylinder, being Christmas/new year of course we couldn't get the parts, spent about 2 weeks wriggling round units in the kitchen (OH is heating engineer, he was too busy mending other peoples heating  )
Ours is only the Royale, heats the S/S cylinder immediatly above upstairs rather than straight to the taps, so that's a sealed system with inhibitor in.
 
The central heating is seperate and as you say, inhibitor should work.
We also installed a year or so ago, a filter system, with UV? light, supposed to sort any bacteria and deals with the Ph. really wierd going into the garage in the dark, this strange green glow in the corner.