[goosepimple]

Hi Sophie, we're just half an hour down the road from Edinburgh, about 4 miles from Lauder if you fancy a cup of tea - we keep 3 different breeds of primitives, pygmy goats, geese, hens, ducks and domestic pets and it's always good for a laugh here! You can contact me by personal message here on TAS if you fancy a visit, most welcome. 

[Mammyshaz]

Hello Sophie  and welcome from Durham where there are no vets who can help with  poultry matters  left that knowledge at vet school I guess.  ( good job I am in this line of employment, may see you when you see practice if you come to Newcastle ) know many a vet student from Edinburgh 

[SallyintNorth]

Welcome Sophie  from north Cumbria

We are commercial but very traditional, low input, hill beef and sheep farmers, who 'smallhold on the side' - house cows, a few pigs, rare breed / fleece sheep, ponies, choox.

I think of our local vets as having a small animal practise on the side of an agricultural practise.  They are very modern and up-to-date, and very hot on training and supporting farmers in ways beyond just veterinary care.  For instance, they are very pro-active in helping us access grant funding, especially where targeted at animal welfare.  They often have students with them, usually I think from Edinburgh (many of the vets, including the senior partner, are Scottish.)

The practise is perhaps a little light on practical expertise in pigs, especially free-range pigs.  As the last vet I had to my pig said, it's hard to be current when there aren't very many around in the practise area - so I'm not sure what could be done about that. 

Our vets strike an excellent balance between allowing farmers to make commercial decisions without being made to feel guilty and recognising that even hardened weather-beaten Cumbrian farmers may often make decisions based on criteria other than financial.  (Check my tagline. )

[Lync]

  Hi Sophie,  Main problem I am finding is a vet with knowledge of chickens/ducks - get most of my information of the interenet/forums as our local vets do not have a clue - we are rural based as well suppose they are geared for larger farm animals and pets!  Best poultry vet I have found is in Devon area!!  Bit far from Wales!
 
 

[deepinthewoods]

hello from cornwall!

[Ina]

And hi from Aberdeenshire...

[jaykay]

Hi from Cumbria 

[sophie_aj]

Hi Sophie, we're just half an hour down the road from Edinburgh, about 4 miles from Lauder if you fancy a cup of tea - we keep 3 different breeds of primitives, pygmy goats, geese, hens, ducks and domestic pets and it's always good for a laugh here! You can contact me by personal message here on TAS if you fancy a visit, most welcome. 

Might just take you up on that!

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi and welcome Sophie
Agree with Sally about the lack of vets who know about non-commercial pigs, the original practice i was with had very little interest in livestock and when they sent me a vet who squealed as much as the piglets she was jabbing it was the final straw , we changed to a practice further away but more experienced in large animals, sadly their pig man had buggered off to NZ so back to square one.
I have a young lady who comes to help out once a week with my small herd of pigs she's doing her A'levels at the mo hoping to get into vet school, i've advised her that she should emphasise she wants to work in large animal practice as it might help her get in as i think there will be a shortage of good large animal vets in the very near future, it is what she wants to do and she says i have fired her enthusiasm for specialising in porcine medicine which is virtually non existent (most of my older stock if they fall ill have to have horse meds as theres nothing piggy available!)
Smallholders keep a wide variety of stock and i guess you have to be a jack of all breeds
All the best
mandy   (North Yorkshire)

[colliewoman]

 
Hello from Somerset!
 
My wish?
I wish I was allowed to vaccinate my own rabbits the same as I can my goats and sheep. I could help far more and improve welfare if I could vaccinate everything upon entering my holding. instead I have to book an appointment, stress the rabbit by subjecting it to another car journey etc etc
Poor things have to go through so much

[sophie_aj]

Thanks guys to all who have said hello. It's really interesting to hear your views. You might be pleased to hear that I get very excited about all farm species especially outdoor reared eg. piggies

There is certainly an emphasis in learning intensive systems in vet school - but I am really keen to gain knowledge of extensive systems too.

[goosepimple]

The nice thing for many 'hobby' farmers is that you don't have the pressure to be intensive, you can do what feels right each year and work accordingly. Hope you are enjoying your studies, I have known a few vet students over the years and a few who left because they didn't like it - much the same as any occupation I expect.

[ballingall]

Hello again Sophie 

[ballingall]

Welcome Sophie  from north Cumbria

We are commercial but very traditional, low input, hill beef and sheep farmers, who 'smallhold on the side' - house cows, a few pigs, rare breed / fleece sheep, ponies, choox.

I think of our local vets as having a small animal practise on the side of an agricultural practise.  They are very modern and up-to-date, and very hot on training and supporting farmers in ways beyond just veterinary care.  For instance, they are very pro-active in helping us access grant funding, especially where targeted at animal welfare.  They often have students with them, usually I think from Edinburgh (many of the vets, including the senior partner, are Scottish.)

Sorry to be a bit nosey Sally, but can I ask which vet surgery you use?


Beth

[SallyintNorth]

I think of our local vets as having a small animal practise on the side of an agricultural practise.  They are very modern and up-to-date, and very hot on training and supporting farmers in ways beyond just veterinary care.  For instance, they are very pro-active in helping us access grant funding, especially where targeted at animal welfare.  They often have students with them, usually I think from Edinburgh (many of the vets, including the senior partner, are Scottish.)

Sorry to be a bit nosey Sally, but can I ask which vet surgery you use?
Beth

Capontree