[DIGGER]

Good morning,

Can anyone recommend any books or DVD's that deal with smallholding information/advice that are worth investing in. Things I hope to do are veg produce and keeping chickens,ducks,geese,goats,and pigs.

Digger.

[oaklandspigs]

Digger,

We do a book on pig Keeping "Perfect Pigs" 135 A4 pages of everything we have learn't in the last 15 years - lots of photos and explanations of all you need to know including:

• Creating the environment – fencing, water, food, wallows, shade, arks
• Buying weaners – pedigree or crossbred; buying for meat or breeding
• Feed – what you can feed, how much and when, artificial feed vs natural
• Regulations – a comprehensive guide to complying with the rules !
• When will your pigs be ready–  estimating weight, time of year and impact on pig.
• Slaughter – planning ahead, transporting, who does what between abattoir & butcher
• Finding an abattoir, what to ask and what to do when you go there
• Finding a good butcher – and what they and you need to talk about
• What you get from a pig – examples and photos of what cuts you get and how much
• Breeding – creating your breeding herd, how many, which breeds
• What about a boar : Boar Hire or buying boars or AI; pedigree stock
• The birth process – what happens and what do you need to do
• Weaning piglets – when to wean, and how
• Selling weaners – advertising, what to do when people visit.
• Pig Health – looking after your pigs, and knowing when and when not to call the vet
• Pedigree pigs – registering and marking 

Visit our website to buy !

www.oaklandspigs.co.uk

We also do one day pig keeping courses - details on the website
 

[pottsie]

Try John Seymours books on self sufficiency they are excellent and cover most aspects of small holding. You may however need specific books for specific animals when you get new ones.

Rob. 

[Womble]

I just got a copy of The Smallholders Manual by Katie Thear



Far more actual practical use than any of JS's books IMHO, and one that I'm sure will repay its cost many times over.

HTH!

[Raine]

 
We did loads of research before getting our smallholding.  Some good, cheap books are the "Starting with ..." from Broad Leys Publishing Ltd.  We go the one's on Pigs, Bees, Chickens, Incubating and Quail.  We have two Haynes manuals, Pigs and Smallholding.  John Seymours book is great, but slightly dated (it was the first!).  The Self Sufficiency Handbook, The Smallholders Manual and Fruit and Veg for Dummies are good reads too!


But one of the best thing to do is go and find some local smallholders to talk to (including on here).  Join a smallholders association, ring round some breeders of animals you would like to have in the future, go to agricultural shows and ask questions before you jump in.

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

If it helps I currently have and regularly dip into the following reference sources depending on the subject matter I need to look up...:

John Seymour - The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency
A good source for just about everything relating to smallholding

Liz Shankland - Haynes Smallholding Manual
A great introduction to all the main topics and unlike many other books is base don UK information

Dick/James Strawbridge - Practical Self Sufficiency
An interesting range of topics but I use it more for the DIY topics than for smallholding.

[Dan]

We've got a categorised book section here:

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/books/

Most of these are books we've either read and found useful ourselves, or had recommended to us.

[Tudful Tamworths]

Thank you for the recommendations. Very flattered to have a mention!
If anyone has bought the Haynes Smallholding Manual or the Haynes Pig Manual and still has unanswered questions, please feel free to message me.