[drdrichards]

Hi All,

I live in an old farmhouse/cottage and recently purchased the surrounding original Victorian farm buildings together with an orchard and small meadow, from the farmer up the road who used the money to build a huge new barn to keep his dairy herd inside all the time. I now have a large brick stable with several stalls, four substantial brick pig pens adjoining it with what seem like large water troughs in them and a covered area at the back of them, a barn for cows, with about 8 stalls in it with feeding troughs and water, in which some of the farmers heifers used to be kept over winter as I remember prior to buying it, and a further small brick barn previously used for keeping machinery. The orchard and meadow together amount to around 3/4 of an acre in size. I am interested in keeping livestock but have absolutely no experience. I am thinking in terms of either pigs, sheep, goats, geese, hens, perhaps one cow or a combination. I would welcome advice from experienced smallholders as to what may be suitable.

[shetlandpaul]

pigs and geese. would be the beat option. you could try turkeys and chickens. sheep and cows mm you really need more land.

[TheCaptain]

we have the opposite - 10 acres but only a small stable yard which we use for housing ours pigs and chickens in (life of luxury).  I concur with ShetlandPaul - speak to the local farmers near you and see if you can rent some fields to keep sheep on.  I can't remember the stocking levels off the top of my head but I think cattle are 1/acre and sheep about 4/acre.

[OhLaLa]

See also replies under your (same) post in 'pigs' for stocking level info.

[shrekfeet]

firstly if you want to keep livestock, get some experience. Ask around locally, someone will be gald of your help. Get some ewes in lamb or preferably with lambs at foot. You should be able to support 3 ewes and their offspring in your orchard, they will love it in there. YOu can keep pigs and chickens in the buildings. Sounds like you have a nice set up. Just need to save up and convince the farmer to sell you a couple of acres

[goosepimple]

You may as well make use of your buildings for over-wintering so pigs and geese would be a good option - both of these (and sheep for that matter) would happily eat the bark and sapplings in your orchard so you would have to protect them - especially well if you let the pigs in.  Our geese nibbled all our sapplings and they seem to enjoy eating the window cill on their goose house.