[Kealy]

Hi, I've just signed up here as hoping to get some advice and gain some knowledge.

Myself, husband and two small kids recently moved to a house with two acres, my plan involved having a horse instead of having to loan from a yard and to get the kids a pony and to generally just enjoy life.

I have unfortunately had a nasty fracture when I was thrown from my horse a couple of weeks ago and being the wrong side of 30, not bouncing like I used to as well as having a business and family that need me fit and well I've decided to hang up my riding hat.

Now I will shortly have two acres of land and 3 stables sitting idle and no idea where to begin.

I like the idea of doing something that will provide an income, we have a construction company and I work mostly from home doing the admin and finance so can pick and choose my hours to a large degree though it's something I fell into because of my husband so I'd like to set something up now that is mine.

I'm open to any and all suggestions but I do like the idea or rearing animals though I have zero experience (Except for my two chickens the kids named Mary and Poppins) and not sure what route to go down, pigs/sheep/goats/other and was hoping somebody might be able to point me in the right direction.



Thanks

[Duchess]

Welcome 

I'm sorry your hangin up your riding hat, riding is my escape lol

re your question about rearing livestock, rearing is the fun bit (mainly) however you have to at some point 'let them go' this can be difficult if they have become part of the family ? consider sheep for wool ? or growing as kids love that, its the getting dirty part that appeals.
Whatever you decide -  enjoy x

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome

If you are serious about a land based business, try and get hold of a report called "Small is beautiful - making a living off 10 acres". It was commissioned by the Soil Association.

Depending on access to a market, eggs are good. Relatively low capital cost, quick return (you could be selling your first eggs within a few weeks of buying your first point of lay birds). But you need to be quite hard hearted at getting rid of birds at the first moult - commercial guys do this for a sound business reason - or live with the reduced income.

On small acreages, high value horticultural crops seem to be most profitable - but of course, that's not livestock.

On two acres, you might be able to keep 7 ewes, raising 14 lambs, say. If you make £50 per lamb profit, that's £700 a year. I might be underplaying sheep - I'm just going to do some analysis on our sheep enerprise for the last eighteen months, but you're only ever going to have small numbers so the total profit will be small.

You migt want to come atit form a different angle and look at reducing your food bills byproducing as much of your own food aspossible - but if cost saving is important, do keep good records. Rearing livestock to a high standard on a small scale can be expensive - but you will have terrific food.

[Kealy]

Thanks for the replies,

I'm absolutely gutted Duchess, it's been a dream of mine since I was a child, I've spent years looking for the perfect horse and finally thought I'd found him, then for no reason that I can determine he goes berserk while walking round a school, it could have been so much worse. I used to be fearless, I'd get on anything in my teens without thinking twice but my confidence has been knocked as I've got older, for no reason in particular though I do blame the noisy and demanding small people who live in my house and look like me!

Rosemary thanks, to be perfectly honest I'm not a big fan of sheep, a family member kept some when I was a kid and I just remember their dirty back ends, now I know this shouldn't happen and is easily remedied but it's something that has stuck with me and sheep is my least favourite option.

Goats and pigs on the other hand........

I think I want to have a go at a few things, eggs will be a route I want to explore, I'm thinking of starting with 10 hens, five ducks and 3 quail, no idea in the slightest what to do with a quail - but learning will be part of the fun. My two current hens are battery rescues and they lay intermittently, they are part of the family now and will be kept separately, I can divide business and personal and any meat livestock will not be named or kept.