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Wildlife / Re: Swallows '24
« Last post by Penninehillbilly on April 22, 2024, 03:25:04 pm »One was in the barn 2 nights ago. Hope it's partner turns up safe
Recent Posts
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Announcements / New diary post: Petunias / Paths / Supercorgis
« Last post by TAS Bot on April 21, 2024, 03:12:04 pm »A new TAS diary entry has been posted: Petunias / Paths / Supercorgis
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Wildlife / Re: Swallows '24
« Last post by Possum on April 21, 2024, 02:29:04 pm »I think ours has gone north because we didn't see it yesterday or today. Although we did see one over the County Cricket ground on Friday. 
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Other / Re: Rabbits
« Last post by chrismahon on April 21, 2024, 10:29:52 am »Perhaps the most important thing will be your market for them? Sure plenty of people will try it once, but selling the meat over a period of time to re-coup your investment might be a problem?
Something we see infrequently here now. Even our specialist butcher doesn't stock much, so it seems to have gone out of fashion in the last 10 years. Any meat here is now very expensive, except for pork. Chickens are all free-range and command €12/Kg- same price as beef, but you pay for the chicken bones as well, so it works out very expensive and I expect rabbit to be even more?
Something we see infrequently here now. Even our specialist butcher doesn't stock much, so it seems to have gone out of fashion in the last 10 years. Any meat here is now very expensive, except for pork. Chickens are all free-range and command €12/Kg- same price as beef, but you pay for the chicken bones as well, so it works out very expensive and I expect rabbit to be even more?
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Marketplace / Re: Edited.For sale Pedigree Shetland heifers and purebred Shetland steers. D&G
« Last post by SallyintNorth on April 21, 2024, 09:38:41 am »Format needs editing @Rosemary
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Sheep / Re: Rams and Lambs
« Last post by SallyintNorth on April 21, 2024, 09:37:32 am »Too late for this year, but another year you would massively reduce your headaches by banding your ram lambs, then the wether lambs can run in any group and it's just the tup needs to be kept away from sexually mature ewes. And you can avoid even that by not keeping a tup of your own but hiring or borrowing a tup, or sending your ewes to a tup, or buying a tup lamb each year and then eating him.
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Marketplace / More Shetland cattle for sale, Durham / Northumberland
« Last post by Rosemary on April 21, 2024, 08:52:18 am »From Sara-Ann Baxter castlecroft100@gmail.com
[/size][/color][/size]All are black & white apart from Arnetta & Astra who are red & white.[/color][/size]Cows:[/color][/size]Wharncliffe Ida, UK173228500002, born 17/2/12 with calf at foot.[/color][/size]Stairfoot Dee, UK133949200009, born 04/4/16.[/color][/size][/color][/size]Fleecefaulds Arnetta, UK544517400005, born 30/4/12.[/color][/size]Castle Croft Astra, UK116742300001, born 31/5/17.[/color][/size](Arnetta & Astra must go together)[/color][/size][/color][/size]Craigydon Flora, UK700445500019, born 22/3/17.[/color][/size][/color][/size]First Calf Heifer:[/color][/size]Castle Croft Freda, UK116742400023, born 14/5/22.[/color][/size]Heifers/Youngstock:[/color][/size]Castle Croft Florence, UK116742600025, born 16/5/22.[/color][/size]Castle Croft Grace, UK116742700033, born 01/6/23.[/color][/size][/color][/size]Steers/Bullocks:[/color][/size]UK116742200021, born 25/9/21[/color][/size]UK116742300022, born 26/9/21[/color][/size]UK116742500024, born 14/5/22[/color][/size]UK116742400030, born 28/9/22[/color][/size]UK116742500031, born 12/3/23[/color][/size]UK116742600032, born 31/5/23[/color][/size]UK116742100034, born 13/9/23[/color]
[/size][/color][/size]All are black & white apart from Arnetta & Astra who are red & white.[/color][/size]Cows:[/color][/size]Wharncliffe Ida, UK173228500002, born 17/2/12 with calf at foot.[/color][/size]Stairfoot Dee, UK133949200009, born 04/4/16.[/color][/size][/color][/size]Fleecefaulds Arnetta, UK544517400005, born 30/4/12.[/color][/size]Castle Croft Astra, UK116742300001, born 31/5/17.[/color][/size](Arnetta & Astra must go together)[/color][/size][/color][/size]Craigydon Flora, UK700445500019, born 22/3/17.[/color][/size][/color][/size]First Calf Heifer:[/color][/size]Castle Croft Freda, UK116742400023, born 14/5/22.[/color][/size]Heifers/Youngstock:[/color][/size]Castle Croft Florence, UK116742600025, born 16/5/22.[/color][/size]Castle Croft Grace, UK116742700033, born 01/6/23.[/color][/size][/color][/size]Steers/Bullocks:[/color][/size]UK116742200021, born 25/9/21[/color][/size]UK116742300022, born 26/9/21[/color][/size]UK116742500024, born 14/5/22[/color][/size]UK116742400030, born 28/9/22[/color][/size]UK116742500031, born 12/3/23[/color][/size]UK116742600032, born 31/5/23[/color][/size]UK116742100034, born 13/9/23[/color]
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Marketplace / Re: Edited.For sale Pedigree Shetland heifers and purebred Shetland steers. D&G
« Last post by Rosemary on April 21, 2024, 08:23:37 am »Post edited to add two bulls.
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Other / Rabbits
« Last post by Shropshirelass on April 21, 2024, 06:34:23 am »Ok so we're trying to incorporate different types of meat to sell to the public along with our lamb, & have been looking into rabbits & poultry, the poultry side I've found more info on & we know the rules & regs & we've done xmas geese for years.
But we've been considering doing rabbits for a while now for both meat & using things like the fur afterwards & ears for dog treats ect, I've got no problems in dispatching them but wouldn't know where to start, Normally I'd go out shooting wild ones but there don't seem to be many. I've also struggled to find information on legislation on things like slaughtering & meat labelling & what we need to put in place before we start.
Also guidance on what to feed rabbits going into the feed chain - I've had pet rabbits before & know you can give them vegetables & grass & hay & pellets from the pet store but those rabbits have never been intended for human consumption so would pet store pellets contain stuff that could contaminate the meat? & what ratio would be best?
Housing wise as well I've seen a few different set ups - some people free ranging them in pens outdoors with under floor wiring & others I've seen people have wooden sheds for them with different pens. Sorry if this all sounds like a lot of questions but I'd rather try & do things right before we get started.
But we've been considering doing rabbits for a while now for both meat & using things like the fur afterwards & ears for dog treats ect, I've got no problems in dispatching them but wouldn't know where to start, Normally I'd go out shooting wild ones but there don't seem to be many. I've also struggled to find information on legislation on things like slaughtering & meat labelling & what we need to put in place before we start.
Also guidance on what to feed rabbits going into the feed chain - I've had pet rabbits before & know you can give them vegetables & grass & hay & pellets from the pet store but those rabbits have never been intended for human consumption so would pet store pellets contain stuff that could contaminate the meat? & what ratio would be best?
Housing wise as well I've seen a few different set ups - some people free ranging them in pens outdoors with under floor wiring & others I've seen people have wooden sheds for them with different pens. Sorry if this all sounds like a lot of questions but I'd rather try & do things right before we get started.
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Sheep / Re: Rams and Lambs
« Last post by twizzel on April 20, 2024, 10:23:03 pm »Most breeding males are either sold as strong ram lambs in the autumn or shearling rams the following summer. You may find limited interest in them at weaning age, so may be worth having a plan b if you can’t sell them. Maybe fatten them and send them for meat, or run them on to shearlings if you feel they’re good enough for breeding.
I generally have sheep in 3 different grazing groups; rams, lambs (with or without their mothers, depending on time of year) and dry ewes/ewe lambs come shearlings. It seems to work quite well.
I generally have sheep in 3 different grazing groups; rams, lambs (with or without their mothers, depending on time of year) and dry ewes/ewe lambs come shearlings. It seems to work quite well.
