[Helencus]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new smallholder living in North West Leicestershire. I have 4 acres and grow my own fruit and veg. (much to my councils disgust..long story) I have 16 rescued ex bat hens and await the delivery of 2 saddleback weaners on Saturday. I plan to get a few sheep also so any suggestions on an easy breed to start with that preferably don't need shearing welcome.

All advice on smallholding matters gratefully received. 

[JulieS]

Hello and welcome 

[ukag0972]

Hi from a wet Argyll

[Wizard]

Hello Helencus Welcome.Just to amuse your self have you read my post in Food processing under The countrymans way of keeping a pig.What to do with the offal when you have killed it in recipes?.I suppose its not allowed now it will break all the health rules all the safety rules and many more rules as well but I've never heard of any one dying from my method and hundreds and thousands were kept like this during the WW2 and many town people joined pig clubs For food only they were the real pig days LOL

[HappyHippy]

Hello from me in South Lanarkshire 
Go on, tell us the story about your fruit and veg and it upsetting the council, I LOVE a bit of gossip 
Good luck with your piggies 
Look forward to hearing more from you,
Karen x

[Helencus]

Thank you all for the warm welcome 

Thanks Wizard I will certainly read the countrymans way of keeping a pig.. so many rules now..

As you've asked Happy Hippy I will....We bought our cottage 18 months ago with 4 acres of agricultural land offered by the developer who happened to be the farmer who owned the field behind. I moved my horse and pony there shortly after and applied for planning permission for stables and change of use for some of the land to keep the horses there..After much and I do mean much toing and froing with the council, EA and Natural England we were finally granted permission just before xmas..hurrah we cried and thought our days of hassle from the planning enforcers were over (they got involved as the horses were there prior to permission). Whilst said toing and froing was going on the planning enforcer noticed I had put up post and netting fencing to a small area and had planted veg.. heinous crime that this is... she also noticed I had a chicken coop and a run.. again heinous crime in the eyes of planners. So they have threatened me with enforcement action if I do not cease and desist in growing the veg and remove all fences and structures forthwith.

Regardless of the fact I have a CPH and am about to get pigs etc. apparently I am not a farmer and what I am doing is an unauthorised extension to my domestic curtlige. I of course am fighting this..I am a farmer ..albeit small scale and part time but never the less that's what a small holder is.... I am waiting to see if they do serve an enforcement notice..to keep them quiet I am going to erect a post and rail fence between the house and field despite the fact there wasn't one there before..hopefully this will show a clear boundary and they will then leave me alone. Great to see our council tax gets spent on the important things..

[ukag0972]

Someone in your planning office is majorly bored!!!!

[doganjo]

OMG not ANOTHER little tin god!  They are in every county in every country as far as I can see.  Keep us osted - oh and welcome from wet Clackmannan

[little blue]

hello and welcome from Derbyshire

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome and good luck!

[Rosemary]

Re sheep, everyone has their favourite, but Ryelands are great, especially coloured ones. There are photos on TAS of ours. Can't comment on taste yet, though.

[Roxy]

Hello and welcome from me in Derbyshire!!

I can sympathise re your planning problems.  We are in green belt land here, plus an area of outstanding beauty, which makes anything we want to do exceptionally hard with regard to buildings of any kind.  But funny enough the same planners allowed an agricultrual field not far away to be turned into a Tesco ....aaah.....that was a BROWN field site though.  Well, to me it was a field, same as ours. (not that I want a Tesco of course)

The problem is, that horses are domestic animals, and thats why you need change of use etc.  I have horses, and find it hard to get stables for them on my land.  I do have lots of hen sheds having a lot of ex battery hens.  And yes, fruit and veg growing in a field are wrong it seems - you are extending the curtailage of your garden.  Someone I know did exactly what you did re planting fruit and veg.  He put a post and rail fence up separating the field from his new orchard, and then got in trouble as the planners did not like either the orchard, nor the fence as it was not in keeping.

There is no pleasing some folk is there?  Good luck with your planning issues.

[Hilarysmum]

Bring back Esther Ransone and her Jobsworth hat ....

[rmorris]

Hello and welcome from sunny and snowy Perthshire.

I keep 8 chickens and a few hundred sheep.  We started out just a few months ago and deliberated for a long time on the breed of sheep.  We eventually decided on Lleyn - they do need shearing, but don't have horns.  They are meant to have agood maternal instinct and lamb easily.  Time will tell...

Good luck,

Richard.

[daniellestocks]

Hello from the North York Moors, good luck with everything!!
You will get some great advice on here x
Danielle