The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Mrs O on January 16, 2011, 06:25:34 pm
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Hello to you all from Solihull.
I have lurking on your forum for about six months but have only just joined. I have enjoyed reading your posts and it has been a great source of information for me during this time.
We have a reasonably large garden and my husband has shared ownership of about three and a half acres of land which is about 2 miles away from where we live.
The long term plan is to get a smallholding with about six acres for ourselves, but that a few years off still.
For the past couple of years we been concentrating on growing plants from seeds (mainly for ourselves and friends and family), last year we started growing vegetables and fruit as well and this year I would like to start keeping chickens for eggs/meat. (I would like to try my hand at turkeys but have been told they can be very noisy). We want more animals but they will need to come as space/our situation allows. About two years ago we also started making wine and last year making jam. I suppose we have the same aim as many of you here to be as self sufficient as possible.
I realise the hard work required for a smallholding so this is really a long term experiment to see if we enjoy and can suceed at this.
When we are not working in the garden/greenhouse or making wine we both work in IT.
I am really trying to find out over the next year or so what sort of smallholder I would like to be. I know that I really enjoy the planting and growing side of things and now need to see if I enjoy the animal husbandry side of things as well.
The three and a half acres of land my husband co-owns are not very secure at the moment and we are not sure of what its long term future will be (planning permission may be an option, or re-establising it as working farm) so for the moment we need to consider carefully how we might be able to use it (if at all).
My father in law ran it as a pig farm until about twenty years ago. Now the buildings are quite run down and the land needs a lot of tidying. I hope we can try to use some of this land whilst we are deciding on its longer term future as it seems such a shame just leaving it there uncared for.
Thats us.
Looking forward to hearing more about you all.
Sarah
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Hello Sarah, welcome to TAS :wave:
I'm in worcestershire so not so far from you!
Lisa
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hello and welcome ... and good luck with your plans!
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Hi and welcome from Carnoustie :wave:
You should find lots of help here.
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Hello Sarah. Welcome to TAS. We're in Erdington so not a million miles away from you.
Good luck with your plans and please give the chicken keeping a go. They are great and so addictive. I'm working on my good lady letting me have some pigs but at the moment it's like pushing water up hill :D
All the best,
Ian
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Welcome to the Forum from West Susex, good luck with your plans, as somone said to me when I started my business in 1994 (Motor Trade not smallholding) "Never let your fears overcome your dreams" not long had my 64th birthday and still got my dream
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Hello Sarah. Welcome to TAS. We're in Erdington so not a million miles away from you.
Good luck with your plans and please give the chicken keeping a go. They are great and so addictive. I'm working on my good lady letting me have some pigs but at the moment it's like pushing water up hill :D
All the best,
Ian
Thanks Ian
My husband grew up on his Dad's Pig Farm until he was thirteen and spent most of his spare time helping out on the farm. We hope to have some pigs but we can't put them on the land at the moment as they would only get stolen. That's why we are going to start with chickens as I can keep them in our garden.
My husband say's if you freeze the water first its easier to push your good lady up hill :) or was that the pigs you meant? :)
Sarah
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Hello Sarah, welcome to TAS :wave:
I'm in worcestershire so not so far from you!
Lisa
Thanks Lisa
I have enjoyed reading all about your business. The soaps all look great.
Sarah
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Thanks everybody for your kind welcomes.
Sarah
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Hi there from Sue in Worcestershire. :wave: Your plans sound really interesting, and also your potential set up seems as though it has lots of possibilities. :farmer:
Hope everything works out as you would like
All the best
Sue
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Welcome to the Forum from West Susex, good luck with your plans, as somone said to me when I started my business in 1994 (Motor Trade not smallholding) "Never let your fears overcome your dreams" not long had my 64th birthday and still got my dream
Thanks
I couldn't agree more. I have had my own business for about eleven years and believe you should take opportunities when they arise. I am more than happy to put in all the hard work for the next few years and am really enjoying all the planning and learning about running a smallholding from this forum and other internet sources.
I have learned so much from clicking on links posted on members posts over the last few months.
Sarah
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Hi there from Sue in Worcestershire. :wave: Your plans sound really interesting, and also your potential set up seems as though it has lots of possibilities. :farmer:
Hope everything works out as you would like
All the best
Sue
Hi Sue
Thanks for your welcome. There could be lots of potential if we can get past the security issues. In the meantime we are going to practise as much as we can at home and start the task of clearing/securing the land.
Then we can see what we can keep/grow there without the risk of theft.
Do you sell day old chicks as well as eggs? I am not sure how confident I feel about the hatching process yet, although I am going to have a chat with my next door neighbour who breeds Birds of Prey. I am hoping he may have an incubator etc I may be able to borrow. I assme they would be the same for chickens.
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Hello welcome to TAS I grew up in north Solihull and now live in Leicestershire. Chickens and piggies are my joy can't recommend keeping them enough. Good luck with your endeavours and welcome.
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Hello and welcome from central Scotland.
Good luck with your plans, and I hope you get the small holding you want. Chickens are great, and really are the easiest step into animals on your smallholding. Once you get some, there'll be no stopping you.
We have mostly goats, but chickens/ducks as well, and sometimes rear lambs and pigs too.
Beth
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Hi Sarah - best of luck and yes agreed with all above, animals are addictive and also soooo entertaining - I find when it's a good day it's just great and then there are the bad days, but pretty much the good outweighs the bad and there is so much I watch and smile/laugh at that I am so privileged to see and it makes me feel really lucky - sermon over :) :) :)
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Another vote for chickens here.
They're easy to keep and a lot of fun, plus you get really delicious eggs from them.
If you're planning on keeping them in your garden it's worth checking first that there aren't any daft local bylaws or planning reg's that will stop you. This is usually only a problem if you live in a built-up area.
We only have 6 hens at the moment but they provide more eggs than we as a family can consume so the surplus gets sold to friends or bartered for fish, venison, or whatever.
We also have three pigs.
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Hi and welcome from the Scottish Borders :wave:
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Hi Sarah! Sorry I'm a bit late - Welcome to the site from north Wales - sounds like some good opportunities have presented themselves. Make the most of them. :wave:
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Thanks again All.
I am in the process of composing all my many questions for you all :D
Regards Sarah
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:D :wave: Hello from Clackmannan, I have a B&B, dogs, some chickens a pair of ducks and now a new husband!!" Been so busy but welcome, chickens are fun, I have sat watching them many Friday nights with a glass of Glasgow pop!!
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Welcome. Chickens will provide hours of entertainment, especially if you like to eat outdoors. Worth considering growing a couple of larger birds for meat.
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Hi welcome. We started of with five hybrids in a run in the garden, I now have about 35 (at the latest count). We now have an incubtaor and (cross)breed or own birds (eat the males), but I would recommend to start with birds at point of lay (POL's). That way you can learn all about them from an age where they are much more robust, start to lay eggs for you soon. When you hatch out with at least 50% males usually immediately you have to make decisions about them etc etc.
We also rear meatbirds, that we buy in as day-olds, and we have had good success with them.
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Welcome. Chickens will provide hours of entertainment, especially if you like to eat outdoors. Worth considering growing a couple of larger birds for meat.
especially if you like to eat outdoors (is that eat the chickens outdoors? ;D) Thanks. Yes I am thinking about some larger birds for meat as well.
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Hi welcome. We started of with five hybrids in a run in the garden, I now have about 35 (at the latest count). We now have an incubtaor and (cross)breed or own birds (eat the males), but I would recommend to start with birds at point of lay (POL's). That way you can learn all about them from an age where they are much more robust, start to lay eggs for you soon. When you hatch out with at least 50% males usually immediately you have to make decisions about them etc etc.
We also rear meatbirds, that we buy in as day-olds, and we have had good success with them.
Thanks - this is all really good advice.
Sarah