[Mrs O]

Hello to you all from Solihull.

I have lurking on your forum for about six months but have only just joined.  I have enjoyed reading your posts and it has been a great source of information for me during this time.

We have a reasonably large garden and my husband has shared ownership of about three and a half acres of land which is about 2 miles away from where we live.

The long term plan is to get a smallholding with about six acres for ourselves, but that a few years off still.

For the past couple of years we been concentrating on growing plants from seeds (mainly for ourselves and friends and family), last year we started growing vegetables and fruit as well and this year I would like to start keeping chickens for eggs/meat. (I would like to try my hand at turkeys but have been told they can be very noisy).  We want more animals but they will need to come as space/our situation allows. About two years ago we also started making wine and last year making jam.  I suppose we have the same aim as many of you here to be as self sufficient as possible.

I realise the hard work required for a smallholding so this is really a long term experiment to see if we enjoy and can suceed at this.

When we are not working in the garden/greenhouse or making wine we both work in IT.

I am really trying to find out over the next year or so what sort of smallholder I would like to be.  I know that I really enjoy the planting and growing side of things and now need to see if I enjoy the animal husbandry side of things as well. 

The three and a half acres of land my husband co-owns are not very secure at the moment and we are not sure of what its long term future will be (planning permission may be an option, or re-establising it as working farm) so for the moment we need to consider carefully how we might be able to use it (if at all).

My father in law ran it as a pig farm until about twenty years ago.  Now the buildings are quite run down and the land needs a lot of tidying.  I hope we can try to use some of this land whilst we are deciding on its longer term future as it seems such a shame just leaving it there uncared for.

Thats us.

Looking forward to hearing more about you all.

Sarah

[plumseverywhere]

Hello Sarah, welcome to TAS 

I'm in worcestershire so not so far from you!

Lisa

[little blue]

hello and welcome ...  and good luck with your plans!

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome from Carnoustie 

You should find lots of help here.

[knightquest]

Hello Sarah. Welcome to TAS. We're in Erdington so not a million miles away from you.

Good luck with your plans and please give the chicken keeping a go. They are great and so addictive. I'm working on my good lady letting me have some pigs but at the moment it's like pushing water up hill 

All the best,

Ian

[The Woodsiders]

Welcome to the Forum from West Susex, good luck with your plans, as somone said to me when I started my business in 1994 (Motor Trade not smallholding)  "Never let your fears overcome your dreams"  not long had my 64th birthday and still got my dream

[Mrs O]

Hello Sarah. Welcome to TAS. We're in Erdington so not a million miles away from you.

Good luck with your plans and please give the chicken keeping a go. They are great and so addictive. I'm working on my good lady letting me have some pigs but at the moment it's like pushing water up hill 

All the best,

Ian

Thanks Ian

My husband grew up on his Dad's Pig Farm until he was thirteen and spent most of his spare time helping out on the farm.  We hope to have some pigs but we can't put them on the land at the moment as they would only get stolen.  That's why we are going to start with chickens as I can keep them in our garden. 

My husband say's if you freeze the water first its easier to push your good lady up hill  or was that the pigs you meant? 

Sarah

[Mrs O]

Hello Sarah, welcome to TAS 

I'm in worcestershire so not so far from you!

Lisa

Thanks Lisa

I have enjoyed reading all about your business.  The soaps all look great.

Sarah

[Mrs O]

Thanks everybody for your kind welcomes.

Sarah

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi there from Sue in Worcestershire.  Your plans sound really interesting, and also your potential set up seems as though it has lots of possibilities.

Hope everything works out as you would like

All the best
Sue

[Mrs O]

Welcome to the Forum from West Susex, good luck with your plans, as somone said to me when I started my business in 1994 (Motor Trade not smallholding)  "Never let your fears overcome your dreams"  not long had my 64th birthday and still got my dream

Thanks

I couldn't agree more.  I have had my own business for about eleven years and believe you should take opportunities when they arise.  I am more than happy to put in all the hard work for the next few years and am really enjoying all the planning and learning about running a smallholding from this forum and other internet sources.  

I have learned so much from clicking on links posted on members posts over the last few months.

Sarah

[Mrs O]

Hi there from Sue in Worcestershire.  Your plans sound really interesting, and also your potential set up seems as though it has lots of possibilities.

Hope everything works out as you would like

All the best
Sue

Hi Sue

Thanks for your welcome.  There could be lots of potential if we can get past the security issues.  In the meantime we are going to practise as much as we can at home and start the task of clearing/securing the land.

Then we can see what we can keep/grow there without the risk of theft.

Do you sell day old chicks as well as eggs?  I am not sure how confident I feel about the hatching process yet, although I am going to have a chat with my next door neighbour who breeds Birds of Prey.  I am hoping he may have an incubator etc I may be able to borrow.  I assme they would be the same for chickens.

[Helencus]

Hello welcome to TAS I grew up in north Solihull and now live in Leicestershire. Chickens and piggies are my joy can't recommend keeping them enough. Good luck with your endeavours and welcome.

[ballingall]

Hello and welcome from central Scotland.

Good luck with your plans, and I hope you get the small holding you want. Chickens are great, and really are the easiest step into animals on your smallholding. Once you get some, there'll be no stopping you.

We have mostly goats, but chickens/ducks as well, and sometimes rear lambs and pigs too.


Beth

[Brucklay]

Hi Sarah - best of luck and yes agreed with all above, animals are addictive and also soooo entertaining - I find when it's a good day it's just great and then there are the bad days, but pretty much the good outweighs the bad and there is so much I watch and smile/laugh at that I am so privileged to see and it makes me feel really lucky - sermon over