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Author Topic: What animals do you wish you could keep?  (Read 17982 times)

loosey

  • Joined May 2010
  • Cornwall
What animals do you wish you could keep?
« on: February 15, 2011, 02:09:14 pm »
Can you tell I have some spare time on my hands this afternoon?! :-[

Just wondering what you would like to keep if you were able to or if you don't why not?

I would love to have a House Cow  :cow: :love: not to mention the meat from her offsrping  :yum:. Our land is stopping us ... we have 13 acres but have 5 horses on that already and I like to make sure we get a really good cut of hay each year. We also have our pigs and chickens and are looking to get 4 few sheep this year, so there simply isn't enough room - also with TB testing and everything else that goes with cattle, I just don't think we can look into it.

I would also love to keep Alpaca and am well on my way to convincing the OH that a couple might not be such a bad idea!

On the unusual side my OH really wants to keep Rhea's! Again - maybe when we upsize one day!

OhLaLa

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2011, 02:14:27 pm »
A 'house cow' is about the only animal I would be interested in but don't have. Milk, butter, cheese etc is the only thing I don't produce (and I've got a fab Wheeler Cheese Press with all the molds - never used it!).

Reason I don't keep one is all the work involved re keeping her in milk and milking - but if anyone has done it I'd love to hear about it!!!!!!!!!

 :cow:

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2011, 02:26:48 pm »
pigs sheep more chickens maybe a few turkeys...


reason i don't have them, I currently live in a 3 bed end terrace in warwickshire, but we're working hard to correct that problem :-)


Cinderhills

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • North Yorkshire
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2011, 02:36:16 pm »
Would love pigs, a couple of rescue donkeys, more goats but pygmies.  Alpacas would be nice too.  :)

loosey

  • Joined May 2010
  • Cornwall
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2011, 02:50:56 pm »
Same here OhLaLa ... we can just about manage our own horses, the liveries, the pigs, feeding lambs, walking dogs etc twice a day while both working full time but adding milking into that might push it a bit!

I've told the other half that when babies come, so does a cow!  ;) ;D

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2011, 02:54:13 pm »
Milking goats

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2011, 03:16:50 pm »
I usually get what I want  ;D providing I can make a good case for it  ;)
We're looking into sheep for later this year and contemplating a few hubbards and maybe a turkey or 2 (or 20 !)
Eventually I'd like some milking/meat goats - but it's a long way off and might never happen  ::)
Like everybody else - I want a cow ! Well, no, that's not true I want a herd of cows  ;D :cow: :love: That's what I was brought up with - my dad had a 100 head herd of prime beef cattle  :cow: :cow: :cow: We had calves every year (AI) and it was just brilliant. But until we get rid of some of these trees (which we can't, until they don't come under grant funding anymore) I don't have enough grass for grazing and hay/silage. Not to mention the need for a decent tractor and all the associated gubbin's that go with cows. But who knows ? Maybe in a few years, with a few more pennies in the bank it's something I will be able to do (I hope so !) ;) :wave:

faith0504

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Cairngorms
  • take it easy and chill
    • blaemuir cottage
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2011, 03:18:14 pm »
would love to have, a cow or two, sheep, goats, more ducks, budgie, driving pony, peacock, and a minah bird ( please excuse the spelling)

silver swan

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Scotland
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2011, 03:26:23 pm »
A Harris hawk (for falconry).  :)

ellied

  • Joined Sep 2010
  • Fife
    • Facebook
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2011, 03:48:17 pm »
I have 2 lists - the first is what I'd add immediately if I had moved to where I want to settle permanently and had enough land/buildings and I keep wondering about getting them first but that was before I lost 20 acres of rented ground so I'm now completely overstocked here:

Shetland sheep
6-8 laying chickens

If I had an OH to help out with the work, or could afford staff ;) I have a second list:
Couple of hand milked house cows (Jersey or first cross)
Aberdeen Angus cattle
Highland cattle
more chickens
more sheep breeds
alpacas
a Dales pony to ride and drive
selection of deer

and although I'd still sell the 8-9 ponies I want to sell at the moment, I'd be buying in a couple more breeding mares and have 2 Highland stallions at stud with a full diary of agri shows for all the above, a farm shop, cafe, a display area for customers to see the stock, 2 massive polytunnels at least and a selection of craft workshops and holistic therapy rooms (massage etc) leased out to local artisans and practitioners who would then display in the craft shop and offer courses on site in a yurt or something that would also be used for my firewalks and other workshops ;D

I dream big but I know my physical limits ::)  I'd be a great project manager and centre manager but have "people" to do all the manual labour except what I could manage and enjoy  8)

Barleyfields Smallholding & Kirkcarrion Highland Ponies
https://www.facebook.com/kirkcarrionhighlands/
Ellie Douglas Therapist
https://www.facebook.com/Ellie-Douglas-Therapist-124792904635278/

tuggers1956

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2011, 04:25:34 pm »
When we had our suckler heard we also had a house cow.
It started when we milked three old Friesians and reared calves in batches of twenty five, much cheaper than milk powder.
Our house cow was a lovely old jersey cross that was so docile our daughter, six at the time, used to fetch her in, in the morning.
She used to give us about six gallons of rich milk a day and my wife made butter and cheese and any surplus milk was added to the skimmed milk and also fed to the calves.
All livestock is a tie but having to milk twice a day even more so.
I was listening to a program on the radio yesterday where the benefits of raw, un-pasteurised milk were being championed.
All three of our children grew up on it and I would still have it now if I could get it.
Apprently it is illegal to sell it in Scotland but you can still buy it in England and Wales but only direct from the Farm that produced it.
A chap on the radio was saying that he can’t produce enough and he is selling it for £1.95 a pint!
We are now livestock free, which is quite nice after spending nearly thirty years dealing with every problem animals through at you.
Just the odd thousand or so Pheasants we release, for the shoot, each year to deal with!

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #11 on: February 15, 2011, 05:23:55 pm »
house cow and goats :&>

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2011, 05:39:27 pm »
A pony for my grandchildren, and for me to cuddle as I can't ride any more.  ;D
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

faith0504

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Cairngorms
  • take it easy and chill
    • blaemuir cottage
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2011, 05:42:41 pm »
oh bless that is so sweet  :wave:
A pony for my grandchildren, and for me to cuddle as I can't ride any more.  ;D

Frieslandfilly

  • Joined Apr 2009
Re: What animals do you wish you could keep?
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2011, 06:11:37 pm »
A house cow for sure, we dont have the room but we do have a half share in a beef calf with a fellow smallholder down the road who does have the room  :cow:

 

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