[loosey]

Hello all!

Just a quick introduction ... I've been lurking and reading all your wonderful advice so thought it would be more than beneficial to get registered up!

I'm Loosey ... myself and my partner are due to move to our new home in 3 weeks and we will have 12 acres to play with!

I have horses which will take a lot of our space ( 3 of my own, 1 livery and potentially another 3 pony boxes to let out). We also have ferrets, 2 cats and 3 dogs so the move will be stressful no doubt!

Our plan is to be semi self sufficient and hopefully within the next 2 years for our animals to pay for themselves maybe with a little profit if we are very lucky!

We aim to keep a few ex battery hens for eggs, aswell as seperate chicken and ducks for meat (I have just bought my all singing, all dancing incubator!). We are also looking into dorset sheep and Cornish Black pigs once all of our fencing is up to scratch!

I'm sure I'll have hundreds of questions to bombard you all with and I look forward to getting to know you all!

Loosey 

[Daisys Mum]

Hi Loosey and welcome, you sound as if you are going to be busy but you seem to be going into it with your eyes open, ie; you know that you can't live off a smallholding ( someone correct me if I am wrong). IMHO you just get a much better quality of life, I have horses here too and I am always being told that as long as they are here eating all the best grazing then I am going to struggle to break even with the sheep, pigs and hens, but what the hell I eat the best pork, lamb and eggs around, just have to get to grips with the veg.

[loosey]

Hi Anne!

Yes we're not expecting to make anything out of it but would hope to be able to provide our friend and family with anything they may like! In fact setting the place up will pretty much bankrupt us once I've got my OH to put up some new stables for me!!

The onyl thing I'm not sure on is our veg plot - I'm terrible with plants, they just don't seem to like me!

[Teresa]

Hi Loosey have you been on the pig paradise course? Its in Wiltshire run by Tony York and he shows how you can make a profit from pigs and have pork to eat. He does have a book that accompanies the course which is cheaper and has all the info in it. I went last saturday which i was i cant stop talking about it. Best of luck T

[loosey]

Hi Teresa. no I haven't and it's not something that sounds likely anytime soon unfortunately! With moving and building and fencing etc funds are tight and with 4 horses and 3 dogs to be looked after, getting away is nigh on impossible!

Glad you found it useful and hope you can become rich with bellys full of pork very soon!!

[little blue]

hello and welcome from Derbyshire.
wherebouts are you?   (dont feel obliged to say if you don't want to !)

[JulieS]

Hello and welcome from Devon 

[loosey]

I'm in Cornwall Little Blue! And Julie, I lived in Devon all my life until 2 years ago!

[Hilarysmum]

Welcome.  I have never heard of Cornish Black pigs, can you tell me all about them?  Are they related to the large black, do you have a picture.  I am fascinated by rare breeds. 

[loosey]

Hi Hilarysmum!

From what I can work out they are much the same. I believe they were a cross traditionally with the large black and that they are also sometimes called a devon black? They became unpopular as the meat is dark and the skin black but the pork is wonderful! They have lovely lop ears and are very laid back!

We went to see some piggies near to us of the same breed, they didn't make a sound when we picked them up for cuddles!!! I did get some pictures but they are on my camera at home, whilst I'm unfortunately at work! I'll see if I can post some later over the weekend for you!

[Hilarysmum]

Pictures would be wonderful thanks.  Its lovely the way some of these old breeds are being revived.