[xxmillyxx]

Hi I am a newbie to this site and a newbie on the road to smallholding !
I have just purchased a 5 1/2 acre site (with little bungalow), quarry - wood - & SSSI and I am starting from scratch.  Just starting to plan the venture now, building shed, polytunnel & chicken shed & run.  Already starting to enjoy myself - even with the weather.  I thought I could share my new venture with you all and pick your brains (and learn from your experiences) if that is ok with you.

[garden cottage]

hi and welcome milly, lots of scope with 5 1/2 acres best of luck.......neil

[lordlonk]

Hi Millie

Good luck with the new venture. Ian here . I am very much a newbie. I have very little knowledge of running a smallholding but you will see me popping up a lot. I have a ex partner that is incredibly knowlegable in all aspects of chickens and cows -thats her specialised areas and i can ask her anything that you may experience that  you are uncertain of . Ive learned a great amount of the past 4 years from here and i hope this year  to buy some land and the big the shed thats so important hehe as i always mention the shed in every message pretty much i write - ( i think its a mans thing having a big shed ) and then it will be down  to growing my own and raising my own  food for the plate that the only tracing of its origin will be the visual one  that you will have seen it grow every dayon my own land - I wish you well.

[xxmillyxx]

Thanks for the reply -
hey it is a man thing (the shed).  The large shed that is just going up at our place was built to be my summer house originally with lovely glass dorrs and windows, but he figures if he changed the doors and put it in a different place it makes a good large - well built SHED 
Mind you I do see his point (reluctantly of course)
Anyway thanks for the replies
A very happy
Millie

[Rosemary]

Hi, Millie, wlcome to TAS forums - you'll get lots of advice and support here. We're all still learning!

[carole h]

Hi Milly
I'm another newbie.... so welcome from one to another!
We live just the other side of the Humber Bridge so could be quite useful support to each other. We don't have as much land as you (1 1/2 acres) but keep chickens and are venturing into turkeys and ducks this year. We grow lots of veg and fruit and have a poly and a greenhouse. Keeps us busy!
Carole

[lordlonk]

hi carole - im down in gainsborough - have you started on the turkeys    no idea this year. Geese will be fun -How many turkeys will you start off with?

[carole h]

lordlonk

We will try half a dozen turkeys (for the table) this year and see how they go. I gather you shouldn't keep turkeys where chickens have been, but the farmers locally don't think it'll be a problem as we are not intending to keep a breeding flock. We are going to start some eggs next month - but will resort to poults in May/June if necessary. Exciting stuff! You are welcome to come up and have a look when we get going!
Carole

[lordlonk]

Thanks- That would be excellent. Im quite scared of them when they get to a good size. I wasnt aware of the chicken and turkey thing . My ex breeds a rare breed ixworth chicken and is quite well known on a few forums and we have had ixworth on the table last christmas and it was a very  lovely bird.This year we I hope shes able to continue to sucsessfully hatch out a whole bunch - When the hens lay again i will ask her if i can send you a few  eggs to try and incubate. She runs a ixworths website too. The breed comes originally  from a norfolk / suffolk village ixworth -(it was just on breakfast bbc this morning for some reason - ahh the snow - again )

[Hilarysmum]

large shed that is just going up at our place was built to be my summer house

Dont fret you wont have time to remember you once had a summer house

Welcome looking forward to reading your posts  HM