Author Topic: Dreams of a farm (Read 3921 times)

Farmboy · « **on:** April 04, 2010, 07:44:19 am »

Hi everyone I have a dream of becoming a smallholder, and have joined the forum this morning after reading a few posts as a guest.
I in Milton Keynes with a slightly larger garden than average on acorner plot.
I started out with an alottment some years ago and have progressed to marriage 2 children (boys) 2 cats and 8 chickens of which we have 2 silkies, 2 ambers, 2 blues, and 2 RIR.

I made a coop out of the kids old playhouse (miniture shed type) I used an old curtain pole for the purch cut hole in the side and fitted a nest box which I made out of scrap wood this is inside a run of aprox 4m by 4m on soil covered in a thick layer of bark chips, sourced locally for free.

Out of my 6 chickens which are housed as above 1 of my RIR is quite a bit thinner than the others with a defined breast bone am I right in thinking that she may be at the bottom of the pecking order or should I check for other causes?

I check regularly for lise and mite and dust the coop accordingly.

I also keep bees 3 hives located at a local allotment site but its been a bad winter for them lost all 3 colonies so am waiting for a new starter colonie to come.

My wife and I (sound like the queen) would like to move on to pigs as we make our own sausages but this will require more ground that we just can't seem to find around here so the dream has got bigger and now means moving to a rural location with plenty of ground .

Anyone looking to sell or exchange? LOL

Wizard · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2010, 07:53:39 am »

Hello Farmboy Welcome You sound to be a chap of my own heart Don't spend oat if you can mek do wi sumatz else especially if its there doin note

chickenfeed · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2010, 08:07:12 am »

hi from me too

it used to be said a good layer has no meat so it could just mean she lays well.

i hope you progress to getting your land and pigs they are well worth the work.
we started with 2 last year had 20 slaughtered and finishe the year with 11 so they are also addictive.
this years new venture is goats for meat and lambs for the freezer.

i am lucky my parents have a small holding they used to keep 100 pigs on they now only keep chikens a herd of dairy goats and a few head of cattle so they have given us some space for our pigs, lambs & goats the chickens i keep at home.
just got to talk them into a couple of steers for the freezer and i wont have to buy any meat in at all.

good luck

Farmboy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2010, 08:10:36 am »

Hi chickenfeed thanks for that it makes sense actualy as I have heard that before.

HappyHippy · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2010, 08:26:01 am »

Hello and welcome from me in South Lanarkshire

Having only had my 2 chickens for a couple of weeks I'm not experienced enough to give advice about your skinny one - but if she's eating, drinking, pooing normally and seems happy enough in herself I'd just keep an eye on her.
Good luck with your search for a property, there are posts in the 'coffee lounge' with farms/smallholdings for sale - some food for thought perhaps ?
Pigs are great fun, very rewarding to keep and incredibly addictive, I'm sure everyone will say the same

Farmboy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2010, 08:29:09 am »

Thanks for that I'll have a look in the lounge and see whats what

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2010, 10:01:12 am »

Pigs are very addictive and time consuming. Be warned once you have eaten your own pork you will never go back to the intensive stuff. And welcome

Daisys Mum · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2010, 10:47:32 am »

Hi and welcome from me too

I have about 34 chooks and some of them are a bit thin, I am just about to worm them, they have loads of food and seem quite happy. Out of the 34 I am getting about 20-24 eggs a day.
Good luck in your search for land it took us many years, in the end we bought a house and managed to persuade a couple of farms adjoing us to sell us some land. So we are now in the middle of a village with 6 acres, 34 hens 14 sheep and 17 ducks, last pigs are gone and just waiting on better weather to get some more. My neighbours think I am mad but they buy my eggs, pork and at christmas turkeys.

Farmboy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2010, 11:13:31 am »

Thanks Mum's

Rosemary · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2010, 11:18:18 am »

Hi, Farmboy and welcome from sunny Alloa!

If you haven't wormed, do that. If the hen is otherwise healthy, don't worry about it. She's probably putting it into eggs rather than on herself.

Good luck with your plans.

doganjo · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2010, 12:11:10 pm »

Quote from: Farmboy on April 04, 2010, 08:29:09 am

Thanks for that I'll have a look in the lounge and see whats what

Welcome to the forum. If you are thinking of moving ensure you have a buyer for your own place first. My daughter is presently in a difficult situation, having bought first.

Anke · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2010, 09:36:49 pm »

Hi, we bought a building plot with the adjoining field added on as an extra. The farmer who sold it thought it funny that we wanted to live the "good life", but he sold us the plot. If you manage to sell your house you would be in a good position to buy quickly, but depends where you want to go... The further north (and west) the cheaper.... our neighbours are selling up (Scottish Borders) and their wee farmhouse comes with about 6 - 7 acres of fields, but no outbuildings.

Good luck!