The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Jas on June 14, 2016, 09:47:09 pm
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Been on the forum for a couple of weeks now doing lots and lots of reading of old posts and there is so much info :thumbsup:
It all seems a daunting prospect owning your own small holding
As we mainly want to keep livestock I've been reading lots on livestock Maybe I'm reading too much . Is it as difficult/ complicated as it reads? For example animal movement,registration,vaccinations etc,etc. It seems
I'm hoping it's things that after they are done a few times that come naturally and are easy
Still Lots of research to do but we aren't rushing into it
Spending a weekend in July with 'back in wellies' to get a taste which we are really looking forward to( not so sure Linda is with all the questions we will have :roflanim:)
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The thing to remember is that people often post when they have a problem that they need help with. They aren't likely to post to say everything is going swimmingly. Don't be put off. The only advice I would give is to start slowly. Don't jump in with lots of different livestock at once.
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The thing to remember is that people often post when they have a problem that they need help with. They aren't likely to post to say everything is going swimmingly. Don't be put off. The only advice I would give is to start slowly. Don't jump in with lots of different livestock at once.
I was thinking that.
cant seem to find a guide from day one to slaughter. As in the what and when's to do and what is needed but I guess there are so many variants
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Welcome to the forum :thumbsup: and very wise words from clydesdaleclopper - nobody knows everything and that's why this forum is great, when you have a wobble or need advice, there are people here that can help :) It can all seem overwhelming to start but once you get going it all becomes easier.
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I echo the start small and sloe. Get less animals than you can support to get to grips with the handling.
If you can visit other smallholdings that's great. It gives you insight, experience and ideas. I wish I had gone on some courses before getting the holding.
I spent a few years on here reading before we got a holding and asked for subscriptions to country smallholding and smallholder as presents.
As CC has said we often post when things are going wrong so you see the worst of it. I found that helpful as a lot of problems we have come up against rang a bell with something I'd read here or in a magazine. We don't learn from the trouble free days but they do occur!
Buying from a good breeder helps as well. I'm sure Fieldfare is sick to the back teeth with all my sheepy questions but he's still answering! A good breeder will help you with all the paperwork to start with and it isn't as daunting as it seems. A good local club is very helpful too!
Despite all that I am still full of questions. I think it's a never ending learning process!
Dans
Oh and Hi :wave:
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Been operating a smallholding for 15 years now. At the start we read all we could but didn't really have a clue what we were doing. Some days I still haven't a clue but found you can go a long long way on ignorance. I don't think you can read too much on any subject but you will learn a lot more actually doing it. The only regret I have ever had about taking on a smallholding was that I didn't do it 10 years earlier.
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We don't intend to go mad on livestock but slowly grow starting with young so we can 'grow' with them
There is a small holding club around here but over an hours drive and we couldn't afford anything in this area( West Sussex/Surrey). Looking at Wales most probably
It's something I've wanted to do for years but kids ruined those plans haha. In a few years it should fingers crossed be possible. Plenty of time to research
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Tim & Dot Tyne's Book "Viable self sufficiency" will give you loads of info from someone who has done it and still wears the t-shirt.
One kind of animal per year was our aim, and we kept to it... chickens, then (fattening) pigs, then sheep and then goats, now have geese as well...
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Just finished year 1. ( anniversary was on 12.06.16) What a year. So far we have had a small flock of hens, grown vegetables and maintained a small orchard, learned just how fast hedges, trees, grass, thistles and nettles grow ( decided we are not ready for sheep) started a holiday business from home ( a single unit on site and two cottages 40 mins away) and got to know our neighbours - and our limitations???? We would echo the advice not to do too much too quickly.
Not regretting it - but 2 stone lighter and fitter ???????????????? ( and we eat sooo many eggs) :wave:
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Oh and renovated the main house, learned that building/ electrical surveys are of limited use, and that water ingress is a persistent problem with old stone properties. Guess that is pretty much what others have found!
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The most important thing to remember is why you are doing it in the first place. There will probably be times when you ask yourselves that question, so make sure you know what the answer is. (Healthier lifestyle, fresh food, whatever. Most vital point is that it's fun.
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Just finished year 1. ( anniversary was on 12.06.16) What a year. So far we have had a small flock of hens, grown vegetables and maintained a small orchard, learned just how fast hedges, trees, grass, thistles and nettles grow ( decided we are not ready for sheep) started a holiday business from home ( a single unit on site and two cottages 40 mins away) and got to know our neighbours - and our limitations???? We would echo the advice not to do too much too quickly.
Not regretting it - but 2 stone lighter and fitter ???????????????? ( and we eat sooo many eggs) :wave:
Happy anniversary ;D
Weight loss and fitter must be an added bonus
Interesting to hear how others got on in their first year . Will start a new post on it
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Thanks for the replies
Can't wait to get cracking but going to have to!
Still , plenty of time for research research research
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We started with the species that were already here, horses, ducks, chickens, goats. Once we had got to grips with that, about 10 years (well I was working full time as well!), pigs and now sheep. Yes it can be very complicated to start with and if you can cope with reading government docs it is worth looking at defra site but this forum is great for getting to the abc of how to do something.
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I reckon the "no more than one new animal a year" rule is a good one. It stopped us from biting off too much early on. Feeling daunted is good though. That will also stop you from rushing into too much at once.
One of the most important things we learned is that it's much harder to start something new than it is to carry on with it. For example, starting with chooks requires outlay on housing, runs, feeders, stock etc. Then there's the time spent learning how they behave, and what is 'normal'. This means that every problem you encounter will be the first time you've seen it, all of which causes worry and sucks time. However now we pretty much ignore our hens save for keeping them watered, fed and occasionally :innocent: cleaned out.
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Nice and steady seems to be the way to go but I'm sure temptation must be there if you've got the land and want the livestock
There must be some horror stories of people going and getting everything and once and not coping!
Already have ducks as my daughter is severely allergic( anaphylactic) to chicken egg but ok with duck eggs and my parents always have had chickens so have knowledge with poultry. Plus a menagerie of dogs reptiles amphibians invertebrates and 6 kids so have a little experience with animal husbandry and my daughter is starting agricultural college so she will be teaching me :innocent:
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However now we pretty much ignore our hens save for keeping them watered, fed and occasionally :innocent: cleaned out.
Oh womble - how could you. Hens make my day, every day :chook: :love: (I know you really mean for care.)
We had a couple of panics in our first two years with lambing, but you have to make mistakes to learn. We also learnt to be selective about whose advice you take - not all folk with years of farming/smallholding under their belts will do things in a way you would want to.
Also, don't be afraid to admit when you need to take a step backwards. We had always been desperate for pigs, breeding pigs (I grew up on a pig and turkey farm, with a couple of hundred sows). Eventually we thought we were ready and bought our first two Tamworth piglets. They grew quickly and were such fun - they love to race and play. However, they soon reached the age at which they needed to breed, and we knew we couldn't cope, with inadequate housing, as well as with sending such intelligent animals off to slaughter. So we sold our gilts on to an organic breeder and all was hunky dory. They lived in woodland and had a lovely life of sex, babies and food :eyelashes:
We knew that if we changed our minds and felt we were able to keep pigs later on then we could start again.
It's the same with the breeds you choose. You might have your heart set on a particular breed, but once you have them you realise they are not suitable to your land, or your system. Nearly all animals are edible, so fill the freezer and try again.
Most importantly, once you get over those first couple of years, and your confidence grows, you will know what to do routinely so the pressure is off and you can really enjoy what you are doing.
For what to do when, it is always a good idea to meet your vet and get their advice on working out a plan of vaccinations, worm testing and treatments when you start. It helps them to know you before you have an emergency, and for you to know them. Work out a husbandry calendar as a guideline, to be modified as you go along.
I also found it useful to work out a day to day routine of what work had to be done each day and when, such as letting the poultry out and shutting them in at night, watering the veg garden :garden: and so on, so you know the things which have to be done no matter what else crops up.
We also named each of our fields to avoid confusion, and we still have those names such as the Soay paddock, even though we don't keep Soay any more ::)
And you really don't have to know it all before you start. We are so lucky to have TAS now - when we started up we didn't even have a computer let alone TAS :o
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Lesson One: admit you have a lot to learn - the folks who know a great deal will warm to you and be happy to help with advice or in a more practical way.
Lesson Two: spend lots of time observing your stock to start with - the more time you spend looking at healthy stock the quicker you'll spot those in trouble.
Lesson Three: make your new mantra "The Stock Comes First", for it's on your holding because you decided it should be and you have total responsibility for its welfare.
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Oh womble - how could you. Hens make my day, every day :chook: :love: (I know you really mean for care.)
Yes of course. But once you're used to having them they really do look after themselves to a greater or lesser extent. Sheep, I've discovered, less so!
You might have your heart set on a particular breed, but once you have them you realise they are not suitable to your land, or your system. Nearly all animals are edible, so fill the freezer and try again.
Yup. Been there, done that! (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=48385)
We also named each of our fields to avoid confusion, and we still have those names such as the Soay paddock, even though we don't keep Soay any more ::)
We have a Polo Field. Not that we play a lot of polo, more that there used to be a rusting Volkswagen in one corner ;D
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We also named each of our fields to avoid confusion, and we still have those names such as the Soay paddock, even though we don't keep Soay any more ::)
We have a Polo Field. Not that we play a lot of polo, more that there used to be a rusting Volkswagen in one corner ;D
In the farm here, there's the Tank Field - because in the war, a tank was left in there! And fields named after people who used to rent them, 30 years before I came to this farm :/
When I moved to the moorland farm, there were no field names, so we had lots of fun coming up with them. The one in front of he farmhouse, where the cess pit was, we named Sink Pits ;). And the one below that, Sink Pits Bottom. :roflanim: