[pauline]

Hi. My husband and I have just bought a house and 12 acres of land in the Sutherland. We can't move there at the moment due to having to wait until my middle daughter finishes school ( about 1 1/2 to 2 years ) But I suppose that gives us lots of time to decide exactly what we want, where we will put everything and read lots of books! Hopefully we will have chickens, ducks, sheep, a couple of weaners and 2 ponies. we have kept ducks, chickens and I have had horses many years ago but all the rest will be new to us. I think this forum is great and look forward to asking lots of not too daft questions I hope.
regards
pauline

[JD]

Hi Pauline, wow thats a lot of land in a beautiful place. You will get lots of advice and support here. bet you cant wait to get there. Good luck.
JD

[HappyHippy]

Hello & welcome 
Look forward to hearing more about your plans.
You can do a LOT with 12 acres 
Karen

[Fluffywelshsheep]

the daft question is the one unasked

Linz

[Troubled Waters]

Wow, sounds cool. Don't know how you can wait tho, I'm so impatient.
Will you be going weekends and holidays to do bits and bobs?

[pauline]

Hi troubled waters
yes we are up nearly every weekend and spent 18 nights there in august. We can't seem to keep away! We walk the fields and plan, then change our minds, but at least by the time we get there we will be set up - fences repaired or replaced and all ready to go. But 2 years seems a long time but we could not pass up the oppurtunity to get it and in the area we wanted we could have had to wait 10 years to get something like it!!!

[Hilarysmum]

Enjoy this time planning, once you get started never seems to be a minute in the day ...   

[pauline]

Thanks Hilarysmum and i look forard to that day. As i have been reading lots of threads on here I think I may be picking your brains on lots of pig keeping tips. unfortunately we do not have the ideal 'sandy free draining soil' but peaty soil with lots of free running ditches - good for fresh water but not so good for the piggies, but dry bits too at least! but great for ponds - one for domestic ducks and one wildlife pond, hopefully being dug out this winter.

[Farmer]

Hi Pauline...welcome to TAS...what a wonderful opportunity, I hope you enjoy every single moment and wish you all the very best of luck and good fortune...don't be afaid to ask anything...TAS is full of knowledgable, helpful people

Farmer
 

[Hilarysmum]

Hi Pauline, we are situated in the bottom of a small valley, with a stream taking the excess water, for most of the year we have springs running, some of which provide useful wallows.  The pigs love this.  As long as you have a good size dry area they are fine.

[Rosemary]

How exciting! Planning is great fun and it's better to get it wrong on paper - much less expensive!

[pauline]

Thank you all for a very warm welcome - off to the highlands today for the weekend - more planning!!!

[ballingall]

Ooooh sounds exciting. I don't know how you can wait either.

Good Luck- oh and I hope you plan to get some goats!

Beth

[pauline]

Thanks Beth!
But no goats on the cards I'm afraid - I love them but my husband had a friend who kept goats years ago and they nearly drove him to suicide!! He didn't have proper fencing though and they ate everything in sight. hubby drove up to find his friend running around with a large stick with a nail in it chasing the goats and screaming like a banshee - which has put him off goats for life 

[little blue]

Huh, no goats eh??
Get some secondhand pallets, up end them and batten together securely. Then stock wire fence 2 layers, one on top of the other so the wire is 6 ft high.
Dont get enormous goats, we have a sanaan and a toggenburg and touch wood they've never got out, and can stand up on the bars of the pallets without it wobbling!  And so can look down the road and shout at passers by!
Goats milk is the best part of smallholding... after chickens... and (possibly) pigs...