The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Faralys on March 27, 2013, 04:43:22 pm
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Hi Everyone, I am considering renting 3.5 acres of pasture land with 2 stables and a store, what would be the best use for this size land? I was considering pigs, lamb, chickens for meat and laying chickens? Any advice greatly appreciated???
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String, length of. :-J
Whereabouts? What sort of ground? (There's pasture and then there's pasture ;)) Water supply? What's the fencing like? What else is around - trees? What types? Overhanging? Useful for shelter? Poisonous?
And those questions for starters! :D
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How much are you paying for it?
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are there any restrictions
a lot of rented land won't allow pigs and sometimes other stuff...
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Hi, I didnt expect a fast response lol.
The guy is happy for us to have pigs, sheep etc on there, water is on a meter, drainage ditches on 3 sides, boundary fencing will need some upgrading. He is after £160.00/calendar month.
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I'm assuming you don't live near the land. What would security be like, against both human and animal predators? Would you be losing stock and produce or is the land beside the owners house? How would you cope at lambing/farrowing time? What is access like for feed deliveries and taking stock off for slaughter?
How would the cost (look at it per year) balance with the value of your produce, or is this not an issue? (if you look at what we pay for our smallholdings, it can rarely be justified financially, but more for its amenity value).
How many animals you can stock it with will partly depend on whether or not you use part of the land to grow fodder, or if you will be buying that in.
By renting you would have the option to leave if you don't like it, but equally the owner would have the right to kick you off if you fall out. What would you do with your livestock in this situation?
It is best to have a legal rental agreement drawn up for the benefit of both sides - if not there will be inevitable problems, no matter how much you like eachother at this stage.
Have a good dig around in the soil at various points to see just what you would be working with. Note also its height above sea level and any local climatic differences.
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My advice would be to do your homework first and start small.
We have 4 and a half acres and we have 3 pigs, 13 sheep and 7 hens. We are downsizing our sheep this year. We used to have more but got carried away.
Ideally you need enough room to split your field up so you can move sheep about ( field rotation) and you may want to move your pigs at some stage.
Also because if the copper content in a pigs diet, you can't just move sheep on to where they have been.
I love our animals but they cost alot and don't make us any money, so we just have an an expensive hobby.
Don't mean to put you off, but you need more room than you think for a few animals. Good luck.
J xxxx
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We have a formal rental agreement in place, for 12 months at a time, should we take it. We live about a mile away from the land, however it adjoins the owners property, so security against humans should be ok. Predator wise unsure, it has sheep fencing around the perimeter. Road access is next to the field for feed, with gateways and hard standing. Thanks for the advice so far
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The max you stand to lose is £1,920 - to some people that's not a lot so I say go for it. You'll gain a certain amount back with your produce anyway but for a year's entertainment, that's good value
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At that money, you'd have to be doing something intensive.
To turn what spandit said on its head, its over £1K a year you have to make before you are in any kind of profit!
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£160 / month ... a horse paddock rent... but I suspect in the Wirral that is exactly what you are competing with.