The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Backinwellies on April 23, 2013, 07:38:02 am
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Over the weekend my OH asked me (in a weak moment :eyelashes: ) what unusual animal could we have on our smallholding.....
..... so over to you all for ideas.......
Linda
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Moles are very popular at the moment ..... :rant:
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Yes they are unusual but they are common. what you want is something like an alligator as they do well in swampy/boggy conditions, we all seem to have that at present.
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I want a giraffe :eyelashes:
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I'd like a lion - with cross eyes, called Clarence ;)
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A mini mule? :thinking:
I saw one at a show. It was a foal and was with it's mini shetland mum and I have to say one of the cutest things ever ;D
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I think Alistair wins this one at the moment with his cockroaches? :-J
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When asked what animals I should have, my grandaughter (5) said zebra .... Ian says wilderbeast .. onk onk!!
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Perhaps he'd like to breed falabella? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falabella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falabella)
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I don't think my sons Saharan Euromastyx lizard, Barred Tiger Salamander and Axolotyl can technically be classed as smallholding animals as they don't actually do anything apart from give him alot of fun in scaring his siblings! You could try you hand at a bit of worm farming.
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Or ladybird farming? Not sure if thats even possible but i'm sure any gardeners with an aphid problem would love to purchase some! Especially as our own native breeds are under threat.
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If it's as wet where you are - Snails, sell them to local gourmet restaurants...
Love the sound of the mini-mule! Or if you like equines, you could get some Icelandic ponies or other near-primitive type. (Might appeal to zebra-loving granddaughter ;))
Kashmir goats and sell the combings to handspinners.... :knit: :excited:
A pair of camels? (Lllamas and alpacas are too common now. ;)) Again, you can sell the fluff. :knit: I hear somewhere is staging camel races...
If you've a pond, exotic birds? Flamingoes? (No idea about conditions they'd need, just flinging out mad ideas now.)
Anything, anything, other than cockroaches. Eeeeiiiuuuwww. (Sorry Alistair - but eeeeiiiuuuwww.)
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There is a farm near Leek in Staffordshire that has a Zebra! I think it is more to get people in to the farm shop, visit etc. So it is actually possible. I think the most exotic, animal that you could farm has got to be ostrich, or Rhea, see quite a few around now to!
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I think Alistair wins this one at the moment with his cockroaches? :-J
Don't forget the snakes & stick insects, and Nelson the duck who uses the cat flap, poos in the kitchen, says "quaaaack" and then leaves
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What about Leach farms? :innocent: , the only thing that seems to be a great success here are slugs so maybe farm them and sell them!
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Places farm maggots for the medical profession...
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...and of course Snails to eat.....that takes up very little room on any small holding. People seem to be going for more exotic things than ever, what about Emu ?
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Places farm maggots for the medical profession...
I had a mate who worked on a maggot farm (for fishing bait mostly). I believe a supply of chicken carcases is handy.
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They keep Emus a few miles from here. They escaped and legged it up the high street one day - all the shoppers were in chaos ;D
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[quoteThey keep Emus a few miles from here. They escaped and legged it up the high street one day - all the shoppers were in chaos (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)] :roflanim: Is Rod Hull around still? There are Llamas or Alpacas near here, love those......I so want to cuddle one!!
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I would still go for dragons. Once you've worked out how to breed them they would sell for a fortune. And in their spare time they could use that hot breath to dry up the swampy bits 8) 8) 8)
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[quoteThey keep Emus a few miles from here. They escaped and legged it up the high street one day - all the shoppers were in chaos (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)] :roflanim: Is Rod Hull around still? There are Llamas or Alpacas near here, love those......I so want to cuddle one!!
Don't they fling green spit though? I might have dreamt that mind you.
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Oh aye - 'spit' from the depths of their alimentary tract. :o Alpacas do, anyhoo.
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I went out with a man who could do that...once.
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I went out with a man who could do that...once.
:roflanim:
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I went out with a man who could do that...once.
He could do it one time only?
You went out with him some time ago? (Once upon a time... ;))
You went out with him one time only?
Or maybe all three! :D
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Like the dragon idea .... easy fire lighting, no petrol needed to go shopping(and no traffic probs either) , burn off rushes, charge forture for rides .... anyone got one spare :eyelashes:
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Its St Georges day today so he may have one going spare when the day is over ;D
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I'd like a giant tortoise. Easy to round up.
Plus we've had a terrible few weeks - 2 hens died, 2 sheep and 1 lamb - I am cried out. But tortoises live forever don't they!???
And if you ever saw QI about Darwin's failed mission to bring back a giant tortoise - the sailors ate them all! Too delicious to resist!
J xxxx
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Not sure an alligator would be the best thing to have around livestock. Not if you wanted to keep the other animals as well. How about an Aardvark? Or a Dodo?
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There was a TASer on here who had a dragon egg which hatched. I remember seeing the piccies and my boys wanted one, they were so amazed at them being real :innocent:
Now who was it ???
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we have a friend in Co Durham that have a Zebra , I would love some Capybara
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My son has (bearded) dragons - two of them. No fire though but probably economic potential - growing popularity as pets (and very friendly/docile). Not really smallholding but you could 'farm' any of the live food that the reptile and bird market needs. We have to get live crickets for the lizards and I quite often get some live meal worms for the chickens at the same time. Lots of other buggy things you can buy. Husband was keen on snails until we saw them at a smallholding exhibition and I said he could get a started pack - seemed to put him right off and he wouldn't even hold one. Very odd, given the numbers round here, you'd have thought he'd know what to expect by now.
How about skunks? Make great pets, I believe - although, again, from the smallholding perspective, you can't really eat them - unless you're on 'I'm a celebrity...' and they don't do a lot else. Maybe you could harvest their scent as a fox deterrent....
H
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What about worms? For composting & fishing