[rosie]

Hi all from sunny North Yorkshire!

I’m Rosie and I have a smallholding with my husband and 3 children.  We have 11 acre and keep horses, pygmy goats, Kuna Kuna pigs, sheep, ducks, chickens, dogs, cats, British giant rabbits, lion head rabbits, ferrets and a cockatoo!
We have been smallholders for the past 6 ½ years but both come from farming backgrounds.

I have found lots of useful info and advice on here and decided to stop lurking and introduce myself!
Up to now all our animals have been kept just for pets but I have decided this year I’m going to breed from almost all of them, I am also keen to take a piece of the land for a garden and put some poly tunnels on so I can grow fruit and veg next year.  I would also like to produce my own pork, lamb and chicken (although don’t know if I’m hard enough to actually go through with the killing bit)!

Anyway, hello again, I look forward to posting again soon. 

[sheila]

 Hello and welcome. (Isn't that David Frost's line?) anyway it sounds lovely at your place.

[Hilarysmum]

Killing is never easy, with larger animals abbatoir makes it so much easier.  The end product is so worth the heartache and worry though.

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome. Look forward to hearing more form you.

[Tullywood Farm]

Hello Rosemary and welcome from a yorkshire lass that now lives in Ireland ye know.

You have quite a zoo going on - I used to keep those lion head rabbits - there mad, great producers - do you sell to pet shops?  We used to, but got out of rabbits two years ago when Joe decided bigger animals were needed!

We are getting pigmy goats soon - they are gorgeous, and some very very lucky and very very spoilt pigmy goats live with our James Lindsay - he really loves his animals and you will find photos of them somewhere.

Bye for now and welcome again
Joe, Julie and Tara (11)

[jameslindsay]

Hi Rosie
 
I have always wanted to breed but have always been to scared - just incase soemthing goes wrong. I do incubate duck eggs but that's been it so far. When we bought Blossom, a Pygmy goat the breeder persuaded us to breed from her using one of his boys once she was old enough. However, when she was old enough he closed his farm to livestock due to Bluetongue etc. So, we didn't get round to it after all. Now we have the Golden Guernsey girls that could also be an option in the years to come but doubt I would find a male anywhere local, we had to go to Cumbria for the girls. Blossom is a dumb blonde, I am sure she is human and been on this planet before and I am sure would make an excellent mum. I started with 2 Pygmy's and it just grew from there, they are brilliant pets and now I have 13 goats in total!

I keep all my animals as pets and couldn't raise any for eating, but that's just me. Good luck if you decide to go for it.

[carole]

Hello and welcome from me in Brittany xx

[bibs]

Hello !

Regarding the killing - this is the bit that I still haven't faced. We keep animals for meat ( poultry, pigs, cattle ). Obviously the pigs and cattle go off to the abattoir which is difficult enough to face - and my husband kills the poultry. I have a goal this year to pluck one of our chickens which will be difficult but I've made a pact with myself to do it. ( I used to have a bird phobia!!!!!!)
What I will say is that there is nothing to beat the lifestyle that animals kept on a smallholding have. We recently sent off one of our steers and my husband said that I should remember that this animal had had just one bad day in his life ..... the day he died. Otherwise he's had the best of everything - including never being separated from his Mum!
The meat is beautiful and we know exactly how it lived and what it ate and how it died.
I would recommend getting going with some home reared food !
Bibs.

[Farmer]

Hi Rosie...welcome to TAS...lots of like minded folk on here and we all wish you the best...if you have a question just ask, there's usually someone that can help...great bunch!

Regards, Farmer