[Buffy the eggs layer]

DC,


   welcome to the forum and to smallholding. I can see from your posts that you are itching to get going which is brilliant


  My lovely fellow forumers are all seasoned smallholders and an incredible resource. I have resisted replying to your previous questions as the guys here have it covered but as Landroveroy and Rosemary have raised the issue of temperament, I thought that I would make a suggestion in terms of making a purchace.....


If you are running a holding for pleasure and profit they type and temperament are everything. If you chose breeds that you like for their calm, tollerant, trusting natures you will never tire of caring for them or begrudge the care they require.


For what you have in mind there are a number of small breeds that could fit the bill but I would suggest that before you choose a breed, choose a breeder. This goes for all your stock. Find someone honest that shares your values. Be prepared to travel and pay the breeder a fair price for the work that has gone into their stock. Dont expect to go amongst their animals as they do. They have built up years of trust but if their animals trust them they will learn to trust you.


Ideally you want to buy once and buy well. I can promise you that once your animals are settled and productive and a pleasure to own you wont be kicking yourself that you didnt bag a job lot of cheap stock at the auction.


Keep your options open just a bit longer and take up the kind offers to visit breeders before you decide. If you are new to livestock them purchasing an experienced animal is a fantastic way to learn. So go handle some and check out breeds that you may not have thought suitable and find the right animals for you and your set up. Because the wrong animal even from the right breed may put you off that type of livestock forever.