[Sorrel]

We have just made the move from a 3 bed semi in Glasgow to a house in the country with 3 acres. 

We love the space, the quiet and the dark skies and now we are wondering what to do with all the land 

The three acres are a bit rough looking, horses had been grazing on it, but not in the last three years.  We think we want to have sheep, for lawn mowing, wool and meat.   I have been looking at Jacob sheep, they are pretty and all those horns look amazing, but what are they really like to live with? 

I used to keep horses for several years, so I am used to the demands of herbivores and their tendency to get sick on the one evening when you have a night out planned  My OH is allergic to horses, dogs and cats, so no sneaking a couple of ponies onto the smallholding...

We also need chickens!

[Brijjy]

Welcome and enjoy the site  I reckon before putting any livestock on the land, have a look at the fencing, water troughs and what plants you have growing. Are there any nasty ones? There is nothing more dispiriting than putting stock on your land and then having to shuffle them about while you re-fence, ground clear etc. Once you are happy start small and build up. Come on here for good advice and help and always ask lots of questions.

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from overcast and cold Carnoustie 

Veggies, some fruit including fruit trees, hens - you've room for them all

Come to the FIRST  Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival on 30th September at Forfar Market for inspiration 

[blades]

Hello.... We are also in Aberdeenshire. We made the similar last July, it's certainly been an amazing learning curve. I hope you find you move as rewarding as we have. What part of Aberdeenshire are you?

We keep chickens, ducks, guinea fowl and kune kune pigs !! 

[Mays]

  also in Aberdeen  I have chickens (Chocolate Orp Bantams) and garden hens including blue egg layers. Also goats, horses, sheep (beltex x) & anything else u may expect to find on a farm

[lachlanandmarcus]

Hi from near Aboyne!!

Great up here isnt it! Space and no traffic and clean air and water.

We had the same 'hmmm what do we do next' our acres (rather more than 3, 40 seemed like a good idea at the time....) !!! At least 3 is fence-able without a second mortgage - most of ours still hasnt got fenced properly.

We keep Shetland sheep, geese, chickens and horses. The horses are a lot less bad on the ground when you (i) have more land for them than at old place and (ii) have the sheep to rotate with them.

Not only Jacobs are multi coloured, Shetlands are too (not a sales pitch as I have white ones at present as got too fond of the coloured ones as they are all different and individual - bear that factor in mind as you are planning to eat them, its a lot less traumatic if they are all identical), and Ryelands which Rosemary has. Shetlands are smaller and easier to tip up to shear/trim than Jacobs, but Ryelands are less flighty and have teddy bear looks!

Here are some of our Shetlands - the wether at the front is one who escaped the chop due to the factor mentioned above and is now a companion for the (white!) ram.

[rockstar]

hi and welcome to the site and your new adventure. ibought 1.7 acres last september joining my house and im fencing hedgeing general tidy up.im thinking down the same lines as you by getting some sheep to keep grass down and maybe 2 pigs.the one concern i have is getting the correct liability insurance to cover animals , have you any advice

[sabrina]

Hi and welcome, I am near Banff and have ponies, chickens, ducks and Kune-Kune pigs. 

[Brucklay]

I'm Aberdeenshire too, I've loved Jacobs all my life and when the opertunity came I went for it - they are wonderful sheep, great Mum's, wintered well even when we had tons of snow - but after nearly 2 years I was finding the general work too hard for me. My ram was pretty good natured but was still a handful when dealing with feet and they (as a group) were pretty canny to when something was different. I changed to sheltalnds and got lambs who follow me everywhere and some will jump on my lap, the others will follow to a pen fine. If I was a little younger and started all over I would possibly go for Jacob lambs and get them used to me, not the ewe's I bought (I think at the time I was impatient for my own lambs).
It does come down to what you like the look of but also what you can handle and my ram was way heavier than me, age, fitness and strength was on his side. He's at a new home with more Jacob ewes not far from me and seems pretty happy so I have no regrets.
It's very difficult to select the right breed straight off when you have ideas in the back of your head - best of luck with your choice and it's all a big leaning curve.
Actually I still have one Jacob, my bottle fed JoJo she is the best lead sheep I could wish for.

[Pony-n-trap]

Hi! Welcome!  I am in Aberdeenshire too, just outside Aberdeen!!

[melodrama]

Not too far from me in Forfar - hello 

[Miss Piggy]

Hi and Welcome from West wales :wave:We have cattle, pigs, poultry large veggie garden and orchard but no sheep yet. Enjoy your new life.

[Lesley Silvester]

   Hi and welcome from chilly Shropshire.  I envy you your three acres.  I just have a garden but manage to cram in goats, fruit trees and veggies.

lachlanandmarcus, that is an amazing looking sheep.  Beautiful markings.

[pikilily]

welcome to the forum
we are in Parthshire/Angus depending on which filed you stand in LOL!  the rest of my family are in or around aberdeen.... brilliant area. You will be happy there!!

Emma t

[Sorrel]

Thank you to everyone for the friendly welcomes and useful information.  We are in between Insch and Huntly, so quite close to some of the other members.

We are lucky with the fencing in that we are surrounded on three sides by real farms with 100s of sheep, so our perimeter fencing is in good repair and is designed to keep sheep out, but should also work to keep sheep in!  The large paddock approx 2 acres has been split into three smaller sections using 2 rail post and rail, most of the posts are OK, some of the rails need replaced and sheep wire installing.  The other acre is sort of lawn, well shorter grass anyway.  There aren't any flower beds or anything like that, so its a blank canvas.  Exciting and scary at the same time.

Shetland sheep do look nice as well and I take the point about the smaller size, my OH works offshore so I need to be able to handle the livestock on my own.  I found the website of a farm in Lanarkshire where they have gorgeous Hebridean sheep, I want those as well!!!

We are still a wee while away from getting any livestock, in fact I have only just got round to making a list of the herbs I want to grow.   There certainly a lot to learn and a lot of daft questions to be asked!