[sellickbhoy]

i noticed today that the field next to me is again empty - i reckon it only gets used 6 weeks a year to hold some young'ish cattle in - and they are now gone!

it's a 4.5 acre field (paced it out this morning walking the dog!)

I'm wondering if my ever so nice and lovely farmers might consider leasing it to me. it couldn't be more ideally situated - my property is adjacent to it.

what could i put in 4.5 acres?

I'm not a fan of goatsmilk, even though i've been told goat meat is nice in a curry i don't fancy it

some lambs would be good - as would several thousand chickens!!!!

I do fancy pigs, think they could be quite good fun - i had wild boer in italy, so maybe boer is the way to go.

I also wouldn't mind doing some ostrich. i also had some of this in italy and it was gorgeous! I seem to remember their being a bit of an ostrich farming trend a few years back. was it a scam??

I wouldn't need to do cows as the neighbouring farmers have them, and i could barter with them for some meat!

[catomell]

Not sure that if you are leasing the field, the owner would be too happy with you putting pigs on it, as they would snout up the ground in no time at all, leaving it very rutted and a mudbath when it rains!!
However, lambs would be good - not too difficult to look after, and good eating when they are fattened up and in the freezer. Chickens also, but preferably not alongside the lambs.
I like the ostrich idea, but not sure what sort of market you might find for the meat......
Let us know how you get on...
Catherine.

[sellickbhoy]

the market for the ostrich meat would involve 1 customer and no money changing hands!!! 

i'm pretty sure an ostrich would need a lot of space to open it's legs up for a good run

i'm away to google it now though!!

[HappyHippy]

Hi SB,
we had a farmer about 2 miles from us farming ostrich a few years back, during one or two visits to him I discovered the following :-
1) You need REALLY high fences - I think his were 8 ft, maybe even higher
2) They don't like the wind much, so field shelters are essential, he also had lined the fencing with enviromesh type stuff.
3) They can be quite aggresive, he had tonnes of warning signs all over the place urging people to stay back from the fence. If the field in question was on a well used path you might have to adopt the same strategy (and take out some public liability insurance for the numpties  )
Said farmer however, is no longer keeping them. It might be something to do with his rumoured arrest for collecting up all the telegraph poles which had been taken out by BT and left lying at the roadside - he saw superb ostrich fencing, they saw unlawfull theft     
Good luck whatever you decide, keep us posted 

[rustyme]

Last I heard you also needed a dangerous animals licence ,and the insurance is needed by law, as is the expensive fencing. Not something you would want to take on unless you have lots of money to burn ? If you do have lots to burn I have some dwarf ones for sale ...£500 each ..very rare ...they look very much like guinea fowl ....


cheers

Russ

[sellickbhoy]

ok, Ostrich is out, the field has a public right of way through it - so there would be both numpties and innocent walkers attacked by the score!!!

right ok, back to square 1.

so, a few lambs, pigs and chickens - i also quite fancy rabbit and some type of game bird - pheasant perhaps

and loads and loads of polytunnels!!!

no more holiday abroad for me then!