The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: CarolineJ on December 28, 2015, 07:55:41 pm

Title: Hello from the north coast
Post by: CarolineJ on December 28, 2015, 07:55:41 pm: I am definitely an accidental smallholder - I was living quite happily on my small 3-acre croft with a couple of horses and a load of veggies, when the 5-acre field next door but one that half the village had had its eye on since its owner passed away a couple of years ago had a For Sale sign hung on the gate. Since the other half and I have always fancied building the house of our dreams and there were the remains of two croft houses on it, we rang the agent. Yes, it was for sale, but the executors wouldn't sell it on its own, only with the other croft the deceased owned.

Well, faint heart never won fair building plot, so five months and a lot of paperwork later, I have just concluded missives on five fields, totalling 9.75 acres, and a 3-bedroom house that might kindly be described as 'in need of renovation'. Should get the keys next month after the transfer has been registered with the Crofters Commission and I'm accepted as the new tenant.

I am lucky enough to live just round the corner from the winner of the 2015 Agriscot Sheep Farm of the Year and Joyce is being immensely kind in teaching me all about sheep and letting me come and get some hands-on experience.

I now have three North Country Cheviot ewes (well, they don't actually belong to me at the moment, their owner has moved away, so I'm looking after them until she gets their replacement ear tags ordered up and then we'll do the transfer) and will probably be gimmering for a couple of years to get used to looking after sheep before starting to breed my own. Three of the fields I'm buying are good hay fields, so hopefully I'll get to make my own next summer.

Currently feeling a great sense of satisfaction today after successfully catching one of the ewes for the first time and checking her feet after spotting her limping slightly - I thought it was going to go horribly wrong, as she weighs about 15kg more than I do, but she's pretty tame and allowed me to pen her in one of the shelters, then I found I could keep her still against the wall with a leg and she was most co-operative in letting me pick up her feet like a horse's. She was happy enough to eat ewe nuts from my hand afterwards and when I opened the gate they stayed in the shelter for a while picking through bits of dropped hay, so I don't think anyone was too traumatised by the experience!

So the house building plans are on hold for at least five years while I renovate the old croft house and get it up and running as a holiday let, eradicate the ragwort infestation in the big field, get an agricultural building put up for storing hay and having some lambing pens in, sort all the field drainage out and gradually build my flock up - I have a souming of 50 ewes for the two crofts I'm buying plus 20 ewes for the croft we currently own, so I can go up to 70 on the common grazings. Exciting times ;D

Looking forward to getting to know everyone :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: Lesley Silvester on December 28, 2015, 11:32:42 pm: :wave: and welcome from Shropshire. Sounds like an adventure you are having. :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: devonlady on December 29, 2015, 08:28:19 am: Hello and welcome Caroline.
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: Bionic on December 29, 2015, 08:30:53 am: Sounds fab. Welcome to the forum :wave:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: Rosemary on December 29, 2015, 09:40:07 am: Love your story. Welcome to TAS :wave:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on December 29, 2015, 10:00:09 am: Sounds brilliant. Welcome to the forum from wales :wave: 70 ewes will be quite a challenge, I only have 65 on an 100 something acre holding, plus buffalo, and I find it very challenging at times, but brilliant mostly. Have you decided on a breed or are they going to be commercials? Hope everything goes well and let us know how you get on? :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: kelly58 on December 29, 2015, 10:47:27 am: Welcome from Caithness :wave: Sheep are addictive :sheep: :love: Enjoy your adventure !
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: CarolineJ on December 29, 2015, 04:22:41 pm: Thanks, everyone :wave:
Waterbuffalofarmer - it's going to be North Country Cheviots, which is the predominant breed up here, just makes it easier in terms of finding tups etc.
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: waterbuffalofarmer on December 29, 2015, 06:30:09 pm: Quote from: CarolineJ on December 29, 2015, 04:22:41 pm
Thanks, everyone :wave:
Waterbuffalofarmer - it's going to be North Country Cheviots, which is the predominant breed up here, just makes it easier in terms of finding tups etc.
A fantastic breed and very hardy. A friend of mine had them and I was seriously considering buying some last year. You may also be interested to learn that their carcasses are in high demand by butchers, due to the amount of meat and the length. All the best and keep us updated?
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: CarolineJ on December 29, 2015, 09:23:38 pm: Will do :thumbsup: I found out I was wrong today, the big ewe I'm looking after is more like 40kg heavier than I am, as Joyce reckons she's about 100kg! Fortunately she is *still* happy to speak to me after being sat up (took two of us!) and having some separated hoof wall trimmed away - very lucky with this one's temperament :)
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: Quirkygirl on December 29, 2015, 09:56:17 pm: Amazing news and good luck with everything. :excited: :excited: :farmer:
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: oor wullie on January 07, 2016, 03:49:40 pm: Hello and welcome from a fellow crofter - although I live in the far south, past even Inverness.
Title: Re: Hello from the north coast
Post by: devonlady on January 07, 2016, 07:29:40 pm: hello, welcome and good luck!