[McLunt]

Hi. My husband and I moved to a 2 acre smallholding a year ago. We've got chickens, 2 colonies of honeybees, an orchard and an unused veggie patch.

Our work this first year was getting prepared for the arrival of 2 cows. This included building a winter shed/storage facilities and stock fencing.

I am happy to say the 2 Shetland coos have been with us for a week and we are all alive and well, though it's a huge learning curve - my muscles are fine but my brain hurts! I can only imagine how the cows must be feeling.

Looking forward to learning more from this site and its people.

[Rosemary]

Welcome - and delighted that you have Shetland kye. We also breed them - we currently have three in calf heifers and an in calf cow (aged 12), all due in the spring, and a young bull, Hartons Grey.
The three heifers are homebred; our big cow is from Shetland and is called Beadies Blizzard.We bought her and her sister in 2010 as weaned calves. The three heifers are all descended form her - one daughter, one granddaughter and one great grand daughter. I plan to milk them once they have calved - Blizzard has been milkedin previous years.
They've just come in for the winter onSunday so we're all settling into our new routine.
Where are yours from and what's their breeding?

[Penninehillbilly]

Welcome McLunt, I envy you getting Shetlands, if I hadn't got back into the goat world that's what I would have had, I love them too much to part with now. We've just had a field fenced, dreading the bill, but it was too much for us to do
Get that veg patch started now, good winter exercise  . I'm trying to get mine back to full production, may need it the way things are going.
I'd love bees, but at least 2 people locally have them, and say there isn't the forage for any more (+ I'm a wimp, scared of being stung , I swell up with insect bites!)
Look forward to hearing your progress.

[Fleecewife]

Welcome McLunt, I envy you getting Shetlands, if I hadn't got back into the goat world that's what I would have had, I love them too much to part with now. We've just had a field fenced, dreading the bill, but it was too much for us to do
Get that veg patch started now, good winter exercise  . I'm trying to get mine back to full production, may need it the way things are going.
I'd love bees, but at least 2 people locally have them, and say there isn't the forage for any more (+ I'm a wimp, scared of being stung , I swell up with insect bites!)
Look forward to hearing your progress.

But I think you do your bit for our much more important Native bees, @Penninehillbilly   

[Penninehillbilly]

Thank You Fleecewife,  , I try and think of them when planting.
Planning on levelling another area and got lots of open single flowers to sow, or maybe into veg patch in one of the beds I don't get veg into, need more for early spring / autumn though.