Smallholding Tips

Oh For a Good Nights Sleep

2011-07-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

A few years ago we lost some of our hens to the dreaded fox, it was my own fault because I came home from a job very late and forgot to lock them up. The next morning was a horrible sight & it made me feel very guilty. Since then it is a nightly ritual and I have never forgotten since.

Anyway last night just after I got into bed she who must be obeyed said "did you lock the chickens up" I replied "no I dont think I did"

So on with the clothes again and grabbing a torch I wandered down the drive & locked up all the chickens & ducks then back to the house & back into bed, as I then fell asleep little did I know that it would be short lived.

I didnt know how long I had been asleep for but I was sort of awakened by my terrier barking his head off, I tried to ignore it but he just kept on & on. I couldnt stand it any longer and a quick look at my watch showed it was 02.30 am. I thought right Im gonna kill that bloody dog & just as I got out of bed My Rhodesian Ridgeback started going crazy really crazy and letting off a real ferocious bark.

I realised I had not shut the main gates & on looking down the darkened drive I swore there was a sort of vehicle parked in the shadows. My heart stated racing & I thought it might be burgulars, I went downstairs & was allready to unleash my 3 dogs on them.

As I opened the back door I saw my Rhodesian Ridgeback still going mad but not at the gate he looked like he had something penned in the corner as I shone the torch I could hardly believe it, there all rolled up in a ball was not a burgular but a" hedgehog" I got a shovel scooped him up & put him over the fence. What a night, with the dogs now quiet it was back up to bed to have another go at sleeping.

How to Recycle Things To Help Live Green

2011-05-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Recycling is one of the easiest as well as most effective ways that you can help the environment. There are plenty of different projects at home you can separate from your trash for this purpose. It is convenient if you buy plastic trash barrels and label them for individual products. And by learning how to recycle you will be helping reduce your carbon footprint.

You should have one for glass, plastic, and cardboard. If you drink soda from cans then have one for those aluminum cans as well. Find out where you can take each of these full barrels to be recycled when you need to. There should be centers for them locally around town.

You will often find receptacles out there that allow you to place these items into at collection spots. They are just huge containers that will get emptied out on a regular basis. This is perfect when the community doesn’t have any other method for taking in the items to be recycled.

If your community doesn’t offer them you need to see what you can do to get them in place. You can contact your local officials in person or with a letter asking them to consider offering them. Explain your concerns that without such receptacles in place people won’t be encouraged to recycle in your area.

The concept of recycling can extend to your schools and place of employment as well. Do your best to get this important issue recognized everywhere you can. In many instances people just need to be educated and then reminded about the benefits of recycling for our environment.

Your information can motivate them to take part in it. Don’t overlook the importance of letting children know either. They are often very excited by recycling and find it to be thrilling. They can often help encourage their parents to take part in such efforts as well.

Buying products that have been recycled such as paper products is a great way to show your support for these efforts. You will notice some greeting cards are made from them. Even supplies such as napkins used in fast food restaurants can be made from recycled paper.

It is also very simple to carry around a large mesh bag when you are going to shop for a few items. Rather than getting a paper or plastic bag from them you can place your purchased items into your own bag. Look for one that is durable so it you can reuse it over and over again.

I hope you found this short article on how to recycle of some use, so get out there and reduce your carbon footprint.

The Water Voles Are Back Hooray

2011-04-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

I am so excited I can hardly contain my joy. The very rare water voles are back on our pond after a 3 year absense.

When we moved to our smallholding nearly 9 years ago we allready had them on our pond. The pond was very overgrown and the water relitively shallow and in the summer it nearly dried up. But one day I noticed a water vole sitting on the back chewing some reeds it was a great site as they are so rare and I thought how lucky we were.

That year they bred and occaisionally we saw the young voles and they were so cute. i used to spend ages watching them it was great.

But after about 4 years the pond looked such a mess and got so overgrown I decided to tidy it up so I hired a digger & cleared the pond out and made it a bit bigger and deeper. I also got my big Sthil strimmer and set about strimming all the reeds and overgrown vegetation.

Of course what i didnt realise at the time was that I was destroying the water voles habitat. Some time afterwards I said to "she who must be obeyed" that I hadnt seen the voles for for quite a while. Only after seeing a program on TV about them did I realise my mistake.

So for the past 3 years I havnt touched the pond or vegetaion in the hope that one day the voles might return.

Well, imagine my joy tonight when I was walking round the pond and I heard a small splash, looked down and saw what appearded to be a water vole it swam accross the pond then sat on the bank for a few seconds looked at me then dissapeared into the reeds.I was delighted and ran indoors to tell Sharon. So I cant wait till tomorrow so I can see if I can spot it again

How To Start Keeping Chickens

2011-03-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Keeping chicken is a practice that dates as far back as when people started domesticating animals. They are fun to have around, are a good food source, and are low maintenance. If you have an ample backyard the idea of keeping chickens may have occurred to you but needed a little more information before getting started.

Of Hens and Cockerals

You do not need a Cockeral. Keeping a cockeral is a matter of choice but not actually a necessity. While having these handsome, brassy, noisy, aggressive characters to have around your hens is an attractive choice, the hens are quite content not having a rooster that keeps mounting them as they can lay eggs without the help of the rooster. Chickens are sociable birds. They want to hang around each other most times and cuddle around each other on cold days. You may need only one chicken for a pet however, chicken are happier when in the company of chickens. If you want to keep a few have at least two or three.

The Hen House

Where there are hens, there are predators. Chickens will be happy to be strutting around free range-like but sooner, without a place to roost, you’ll end up losing some. In the country, they attract a lot, in the city they attract rats let alone cats. The hen house then is a good area to shelter and raise them. There are fanciful chicken pen designs that are available everywhere if you do not want to go through the trouble of building them. Fancy chicken pens are good and attractive accessory to your backyard. There are however the basic elements to have for a good chicken house. First chicken love having dust baths during the day. They do it all the time so they must have access to dirt where they can scratch and dig and have fun.

The Bigger the Better

While chicken are not territorial, they need also their spaces. Crowding them would result to pecking at each other, sometimes even to death. They do this to protect those that catch their fancy. For example, they’ll start pecking at another chicken if it goes too near a string of water droplets running through a hanging string that caught their interest. To prevent overcrowding, allow at least three square feet of space for every chicken. During colder days when they will be huddling hang grass and vegetables that they eat to keep them occupied.

Settling Down

Other people prefer buying pullets and raising them, others want to start with hens. No matter, they will be brought inside their pens to familiarize them to the chicken house. Once there, do not let them out for a while. The chicken has to know very well where the home is otherwise, they will be roosting on branches, roofs, awnings, anywhere they feel safe.

Getting started with chicken is also knowing that they enjoy people leftovers and would fight over it but these days here in England it is actually illegal to feed chickens any cooked food from the kitchen. Their normal fare though is chicken layers pellets and clean water & maybe a sprinkling of mixed corn late in the afternoon when cold.

These are just some of the very basics to get you started for more info please check out

http://www.ilovekeepingchickens.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ilovekeepingchickens

Living Green Part 1

2011-01-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

With all the information out there in the news and on the internet most people are at least aware of pollution problems. The issue is more serious in some areas but the fact remains that we all contribute to it. The concern is that with more people on Earth now and more pollution we are harming our environment so in my series of posts Living Green we will endeavour to cover some of the aspects to living a greener life and help to maintain a healthy planet.

Since we breath the air that is out there what is in it should be a top concern for each of us. Yet we often go about it without thinking twice about it. There are enough individuals suffering from health concerns due to what they have been breathing in for years.

With all of the pollutants out there right now, imagine what it will be like for future generations. You may don’t care must as you won’t be around. Yet you will have family who will need to deal with the problems. Even y our own children and grandchildren who are the next generations will be affected by it.

Each of us has the power to make some positive changes though. Some people believe that living green is a waste of time because you are only one person. Yet if the educational information out there about it could encourage many individuals to all do their part it would have quite a significant impact overall.

The efforts of only one person over the course of their lifetime will significantly reduce the amount of pollution out there. Teaching children from a young age what they can do and why will allow that process to continue being implemented in our society as well.

We also have the responsibility to let the government and businesses know that we expect them to take action. Buy what you can from companies that due have plenty of living green concepts incorporated for customers to take advantage of. At the same time you need to influence your government to place laws in effect that limit the amount of pollution that can be emitted by a company as well as by individual vehicles on the roads.

If you are ready to start living green and to do your part to reduce the carbon footprints you have placed on this Earth it is time to learn about the various ways you can do so. It is never too late to make some positive changes to your behaviors so that you can live healthier and so can everyone around you.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming shortly

Where Did That Horse Come From

2010-02-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Run Forest Run

She Who Must Be Obeyed Getting Involved

Dave The Horse Whisperer

Come Here Boy

Hi Everyone

A strange thing happened at the weekend. I have always fancied having a horse but I dont really know anything about keeping a horse so it has never been a real goer plus I suspect they cost a fortune to keep, anyway back to the plot.

My daughter Hannah and her boyfriend Dave came to stay for the weekend and we had a few beers Friday night and had a lazy Saturday morning. Dinner time came and Dave & I had a few glasses of wine, we were just chatting when I happened to go into the conservatory and was astonished to see a horse in the back garden quite casually noshing away on my back lawn.

Bloody Hell theres a horse in the garden I shouted, where said Hannah the back garden. We all rushed out and there was this small horse chomping the grass with not a care in the world. "How did it get in here she who must be obeyed asked", "how the hell should I know" was the reply. "You better take it back to Petes" (our nieghbour who breeds these horses) said Sharon.

I rushed round to Petes but he was out so back to plan 1 try and catch it. No chance me & Dave tried every bribe we could think of but the horse wasnt having any of it. I then inspected the fencing to see if I could see where the horse had got through but I really couldnt see anywhere it could have got in.

Plan B then, I got my wire cutters and cut the wire on the fence. Now all that remained was for the duvet sharer and Dave to round the horse up & drive it through the gap back into Petes field, easier said than done, I joined the fray and after about half an hour we finally managed to get it back to its own field.

A quick repair job on the fence and panic over, wait till I see Pete. Life is never dull here at the smallholding me & Dave gracefully retired to the house to finish of the wine, thankfully no horses to interupt proceedings

Chickens For Sale (Sales Are Growing)

2010-02-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

Last October Sharon started a little Chicken Business. This came about because our chicken field borders the main A16 and people kept coming in asking have you got any chickens for sale or do you sell chickens, but we explained that we didnt and our chickens were just for egg laying, we then sell the eggs which pay for the feed (just). We have got a few rare & pure breeds and Sharon breeds these as a hobby during the spring/summer.

Anyhow Sharon had been working down at the local rest home part time for the past 3/4 years but left in September last year after it was taken over by a big national company who made everyones life unbearable so Sharon left.

The downside was she was going to miss her own bit of money. As she is quite knowledgable about keeping chickens and people had been asking for them I suggested she start her own poultry business, she thought it was a good idea so I set about converting some of the old pig pens which had a large outside run. This was the easy bit as finding a supplier was a devils own job and after about 50 phone calls we found a supplier of top quality Hybrid Hens consisting of 12 different sorts and many different colours. The idea was to give people something different from the ordinary ISA Brown type.

The chap turned up with our first batch of 100 chickens at 8-30 pm and it was pouring down with rain. With all the hens safely in their new quarters we settled up and went in to ponder on what we had let ourselves in for.

By the end of the month Pete turned up with another 100 and we were reasonably happy as we only had 17 left from the previous batch. Things quietened down over December & the early part of January and Pete is coming with 60 more birds tomorrow 2/2/2010 the trouble was we still had 36 left from before.

Anyhow luck has smiled on us as a lady who own a local chinese restaurant called and asked if we had any chickens for sale as she wanted 50 to supply eggs to her restaurants, I said we only had 36 but had some more coming. I gave her my best price and she decided she would have 30 today and 20 more later, she asked if I could deliver them so I said I would.

We got our big wire dog cage and a few boxes together and boxed all 30 hens up ready for delivery. When we arrived everything was ready they had converted a big mobile home and fenced off a nice big area around it. Just so you know they have about half an acre at the back of the restaurant. The birds were unloaded and seemed happy in their new surroundings.

We went over to the restaurant to get paid for the hens and as a joke I said "any chance of some fried rice" the lady said no problem and the chef returned 5 mins later with 2 fried rice 2 sweet & sour prawns and 2 "chicken" chown mein, it was very nice and it saved Sharon cooking when we got back.

So all in all a good day long may it continue.

We now have a website if anyone wants anymore information then please take a look it can be found at http://www.chickens-for-sale.com/

Frozen Chicken

2010-01-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

The photos above show the main snow covered chicken area where Sharon keeps her Rare & Pure Breeds

I dont know about you but I've well & truly had enough of this snow, it has been extremly hard work looking after the chickens in this weather, so Sharon & myself decided to have a break and go down to the snow covered chicken field and make our very own Frozen Chicken for a bit of fun.

As you can see from the pictures above it didnt turn out fantastic but I think you can just about make out what its suppose to be and we had a bit of fun doing it, quite a few cars peeped their horn as they went by they must have thought we were mad (which of course we are), but not as mad as the people driving their cars in this weather its no wonder there are so many accidents.

I have made a bit of a resolution to myself this year and that is to post more often on the Smallholding Tips Blog so lets see if I can follow it through, watch this space. I have allready been told off by my Auntie Dot for not posting more often as she said she liked reading the goings on down on the smallholding and as she is a retired school teacher I dont want to run the risk of getting 6 of the best, so I better keep her happy.

Getting back to the snow, it has been a nighmare looking after all the chickens, just simple things like sorting out the frozen drinkers every morning takes over an hour carrying watering cans of warm water back and forwards from the house no easy task as its 100 metres each way. (I really sympathise with farmers with livestock to tend to must be very hard indeed)

Of course the chickens hate the snow and could very well end up as a frozen chicken if they did go out for to long. The trouble is by staying inside creates another problem because they need cleaning out more often all the straw becomes wet & matted and heavy to lift so She who must be obeyed passes that particular job onto yours truly.

Well thats the first post of 2010 done lets hope the weather improves soon and Frozen Chicken becomes just a distant memory.

Smallholding Self Sufficient Meal

2009-06-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Just a short post to let you all know that today we enjoyed our first self sufficient meal of the season.

We know that we are never going to be totally self sufficient here but we do try to grow as much as we can to keep what we have to buy to an absolute minimum.

On todays menu Sharon cooked up our own raised very free range chicken accompanied by cabbage, carrots & new potatoes all from our polytunnel the gravy was made from the vegetable water.

Hopefully there will be many more self sufficient meals to come from our smallholding, I will keep you posted.

Putting The Ducks To Bed

2009-05-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Its been quite a while since my last post, I have been trying in vain to get the house renovations finished but to no avail.
Something always seems to get in the way, I have been very busy with my busioness which has been taking up most of my time and so I could go on.

Anyway I have decided life is to short to go worrying about such things and I am going to aproach things in a more relaxed fashion and not always like a bull at a gate. I am also going to make time in my life to enjoy it & do some of the things I enjoy.

Since I last wrote our duck population has grown and we now have 8 white ducks who live hapily with the 2 geese on our top pond, there is a trio of young adults and 5 of their youngsters.
Initially it was a major task every night trying to get them off the pond and locked up in their shed, but after a lot of persistance we now have it down to a fine art.

Ive made a short video for you showing my nightly exploits

As you can see they know whos boss (sometimes)

How To Get A Mud Bath

2008-10-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Warrior Returns

When you think of a mud bath you might conjure up thoughts of a fantastic weekend away at some health farm.

Well let me strip those thoughts from your mind and let me tell you that you dont need to visit a health farm you can easily get a free mud bath just by trying to lock the Geese up here at Smallholding Tips.

Let me begin. A couple of nights ago I was a little late locking the animals up, it was about 11-15 and I said to Sharon I am just going out to lock up the animals and put the birds to bed, wont be long.

I went down the drive and into the paddock where the Geese are as I got to their shed I thought something isnt right.

As I shone the torch into the shed I started to panic when I noticed the Geese were not in there.

I immediately thought the fox had been as the geese always go in the shed when its dark. As panic set in I started looking everywhere for them, then after about 10 minutes I heard a noice coming from the pond.

The pond edges have been left to grow wild to encourage wildlife so the pond is somewhat hidden. Anyway I shone the torch onto the pond after fighting my way through the rushes and there was the 2 Geese.

I tried to move them with a stick but no joy, and after chasing them round and round the edge, still no luck. I was beginning to lose patience and as I got somewhere near them I tried to jump on a little island but slipped and went straight into the muddy water which was like quicksand.

After a lot of choice words and much huffing & puffing I managed to climb out the pond and headed back to the house.

My wife and son came out to see what was going on and just burst out laughing. I then had to strip off naked in the freezing cold before She Who Must Be Obeyed let me in for a bath.

After a good scrub I then went back out and with the aid of a long pole I managed finally to get the Geese off the pond and into bed.

I then did the rest of the animals & birds then headed up to the house for a much needed beer.

Christmas is Coming

2008-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming but the lead up to it for me is not going to be pleasant.

She Who Must Be Obeyed has laid down the law and said she wants the house renovations completely finished by Christmas. She has only been waiting for 6 years so i thought surely 1 more year wont hurt, but Sharon does not see it that way and says she is fed up of living in a cave.

If Im honest I want to get the house finished as much as Sharon does, but dont tell her that.

When we moved to our Smallholding 6 years ago the house was in need of complete renovation and initially I took all the walls back to the bare brickwork, had all the damproofing done and also had the whole house completely rewired.

On taking down the kitchen and lounge ceilings (of which there was 2 plasterboard ones and a lathe and plaster one) I revealed the original wooden beams which were in great condition. Inside a crevice I found some old newspapers dating back to 1847 so that gave us some indication of how old the house was.

On seeing the beams Sharon said she wanted to see them exposed so I could JUST PLASTERBOARD INBETWEEN THEM.

I have had several plasterers come to give me a quote for this but none of them have wanted to take the job on. Sharon says I am a carpenter I should be able to do it myself. She is right I can do it, so that is part of my Christmas list, which is as follows

Board inbetween beams and skim in lounge & kitchen ceilings
Fit skirting in lounge
finish fitting log burner properly
box in pipes in lounge
repaint lounge
completely refit bathroom including new suite, shower, tiling etc
finish painting upstairs
strip paint off stairwell & wax
fit lounge & bathroom doors
carpet upstairs when work is finished (stone floor downstairs)
finish refitting kitchen including making canopy for extractor
Several other minor jobs and also some Ive forgot.

As you can see Im going to be a busy boy and my life will be a misery if I dont finish all the jobs.

Roll on Christmas

Recipe Onion Bhaji's

2008-09-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

This post is not strictly in the true spirit of smallholding but Im sure some of you might enjoy it.

A short while ago we decided to cull one of our excess Dorking Cockrels and have a nice roast dinner with it. The roast was jolly tasty and as Sharon does not like to waste anything she picked off the remaining meat when it was cold and made a Chicken Curry which was also very nice. As well as the Chicken Curry Sharon made some Onion Bhajis to go with it.

When I tasted them I was very surprised how good they were as Sharon had not made them before ( no offence intended ) so I thought I would share the Recipe with you.

Recipe For Onion Bhaji's

4 ozs Chick pea/Gram Flour Sifted
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 TSP Bicarb of Soda
1/2 TSP Chille Powder
1/2 TSP Tumeric
1/2 TSP Cumin
1/2 TSP Coriander
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Scant 1/4 pt Water
2 Medium Onions
Oil for Frying

Mix all dry ingredients together
Add lemon juice
Add water & mix well but do not make mix too sloppy
Leave to stand
Slice onions & add to batter
Heat about an inch of oil in a pan and heat till hot.
Place a small amount of mix in pan to test temperature

Place a Tablespoon of mix into oil and cook over a medium heat for about 3-4 mins making sure they are cooked inside.
Remove and drain on kitchen paper

You can reheat in oven if required for 10 mins on gas mark 6

May also be frozen make sure to defrost before reheating.

Enjoy

Chickens Smallholding Tip

2008-09-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Recently after the egg production dwindled a bit we inspected the chicken coops only to find a lot of Red Mite infestation. Red Mites are mainly nocturnal little blood sucking parasites that hide in cracks and crevices, they do not live on the birds but come out at night go on to the birds while they are roosting and make life very uncomfortable for them not to mention sucking out a bit of blood here and there.

You can dust the birds with Red Mite Powder and also dust in the cracks and crevices as well to actually kill the mites at source. There are also a number of chemicals that can be diluted and sprayed in the cracks to also kill the Red Mites.

Anyhow as we were treating the birds we noticed they had Mites crawling on them. Not Red Mites but these mites live on the birds all the time and make life even more miserable for them.

Here is a tip that we use to effectivly treat this problem and kill these mites without to much messing about.

In the morning before I let the birds out Sharon will wait outside while I go in and get one of the chickens, take it out to Sharon who will have some vials of DOGS ONE SPOT FLEA TREATMENT.

While I hold the chicken Sharon then pulls back some of the feathers behind its neck and applies a small drop of the One Spot to the bared skin, this quickly kills off the mites and keeps them at bay for 4-6 weeks. It does not do any harm to the birds and we have been doing it for quite a few years now without incident. The process is repeated untill all the birds are done.

If anybody has any views or alternative ways of doing this horrible task then please let me know.

After doing the job a good bath and a change of clothes are most welcome.

The Goats Are A Pain In The A____

2008-09-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Our two Pygmy Goats Milly & Willy are like naughty little school children they are always up to something they shouldnt be and forever causing mayhem in the chicken paddock. I had previously told you about them getting into the main chicken coop and eating the layers pellets, well I managed to stop that by reducing the size of the pophole so that the chickens can only just get in but the Goats now cannot.

We have another chicken house where the Icksworths and Copper Marans live, this is up on stilts and 4 feet off the ground, it is accessed by a ladder which the chickens have learnt to climb.
They all live in there quite happily and do not have any trouble from the Goats.

Not untill last night anyway.

Last night I went to lock up all the Chickens and the Goats and I always check just to make sure they are in their houses.
First I went to do the Goats and was panic stricken momentarily when the Goats were not in their shed, I shone the torch up the paddock and was horrified to see chickens perched everywhere.

I quickly twigged what might have happened and on opening the Icksworths hut door my suspicions were confirmed, there was the 2 goats curled up in the corner. They had climbed up the ladder and dislodged the pophole door clip and it had shut down behind them, therefore the Goats couldnt get out and the Chickens couldnt get in.

I went up to the house and asked Sharon for some help to catch the Chickens and put them back in their hut. First of all we shut the Goats up in their shed and after about 40 minutes and a lot of cursing and swearing all the Chickens were safe and secure in their shed, panic over for another night.

As we walked back up to the house Sharon said we are going to have to do something about those Goats they are becoming a real pain in the A---.

Watch this space.

Do Things Properly First Time

2008-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Side of Ducks New Paddock

Ducks New House

Sharon With Duck Ready For Trip To New Paddock

You may recall a few posts ago I was proudly showing off my new Des-Res for the Ducks and Scaty our rabbit.

I thought they had everything, a new hut, a nice pond and space to roam around in, which duck could ask for more. The trouble was I was making it look all nice & proper without thinking through the practicalities of it all.

The first problem was that I made the house too small I just converted an old chicken house, and although it may just about have done I didnt realise how quickly it would get soiled up with seven ducks pooing in it all night it meant it had too be completely cleaned out every day which was no easy task and it usually fell on Sharon to do it as I was at work.

Also the task of getting them in the said hut of an evening was an even harder task one that yours truely had to undertake every night after a few nights of expletives and cursing I moved the hut to a corner of the duck paddock and by herding them round to the hut I waited patiently while they all stood and looked at the pop hole then as if by magic one of the ducks would go in and that signaled a stampede and the rest quickly followed to my great relief, job done for another night.

I also didnt think about how quickly the ducks would mess up their pond within three days it was just green and horrible, it was a right awkward job to empty it, clean it and refill not to mention costly.

Something had to be done and as if fate had intervened I happened to get hold of a Wendy House for nothing all I had to do was dismantle it and take it away. It was decided that the ducks would be moved to the paddock where all the chickens were so all the birds would be together (now dosnt that make sense). I set about putting up the wendy house and with just a few small repais and alterations it was soon in place.

Most of the fencing was allready in place so I just had to put a small section accross the front edge. Their water And food in place and some straw in the wendy house it was ready for the ducks.

The photos above show Sharon holding one of the ducks ready to be taken to the new Ducks Des Res. They were all duely installed in there new abode and seemed happy with the extra room to roam around in.

All they need is a new pond and I am on the look out for one of those plastic shell type sand pits which make great ponds and are very easy to clean out as you can just tip them over to empty them.

That evening I went down to lock the chickens up and was surprised and quite amazed to find the Ducks all bedded down in their new shed. Fingers crossed long may it continue.

Finally a valuable lesson has been learnt here, always think things through and plan properly before getting stuck into a project.

Rabbit Recipe

2008-08-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here at Smallholding Tips we never turn down the opportunity of a free meal yesterday Sharon called me and said there was a rabbit on the back lawn. I grabbed my .22 air rifle loaded it up and went outside. Unfortunately the rabbit was to far away so I had to get closer, so after crawling along on my belly at the edge of the pond the rabbit was in sight.

I should point out that when shooting a rabbit with an air rifle you should always aim for a head shot as hitting it anywhere else is unlikely to kill it outright and the chances are it will run off and die a long slow death, it will also deprive you of a meal as you probably wont catch it if it runs off.

You are much more likely to kill it or stop it in its tracks with a shot to the head. I have a telescopic sight which is zeroed in and very accurate.

Anyhow after getting in position I took aim, fired and the rabbit fell over and was just twitching a little I ran up and just to be sure I jerked the head back and broke its neck.

I went up to the house and after skinning & gutting it was passed over to Sharon for the next stage, OUR EVENING MEAL.

Here is a Recipe for Rabbit With Sorrel Sauce

1 Rabbit, Milk, Flour, Salt & Pepper, Butter or Oil for frying, 2 Handfuls of Sorrel, 14 gms Butter
1 Tablespoon of Flour, 3dl Milk.

Joint the rabbit and soak in the milk for 30 mins. Drain and pat dry.
Coat the joints in seasoned flour and cook in butter or oil for about 20 mins over a medium heat untill they are tender.
Wash the sorrel and remove any tough stalks. Chop the leaves finely.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sorrel and cook over a low heat for about 3 mins.
Mix in the flour and gradually blend in the milk. Stir continuously over a medium heat until the sauce comes to the boil and is thick and smooth.
Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of mace (optional).

Serve the rabbit with the sorrel sauce poured over it and accompanied by roast wild parsnips and wild green vegetables or leaf salad with chopped nuts. Pickled broom or gorse buds (in season) also go well with this dish.

As usual Sharon surpassed herself and the rabbit was wonderful

Everything Back To Normal

2008-08-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well for the past couple of weeks my son, his girlfriend and my 2 grandchildren Brandon & Brooke have been staying with us, They live on an estate in Southampton so they really love it here. Brandon is 4 and Brooke is 3. Brandon has recently been diagnosed with autism so he can be quite a handful but after 2 weeks here on the Smallholding I think he has been a lot happier, it has also given mum & dad a bit of a break.

Sharon has particularly enjoyed having them here as it meant she had 3 extra helpers at feeding time, their mum Rae helped with some of the heavier work while Brooke took great delight in filling up the chickens drinkers with fresh water.

Our 2 young Pygmy Goats were a bit wary of the kids but sort of accepted them eventually. The children particularly liked the pigs and liked to wander round the paddock trying to stroke them although the pigs were having none of it.

Another reason people like to stay is Sharons home cooking particularly her roast dinners.
We like to cook our own produce and with our own pork & lamb in the freezer plus we grow all our own vegetables it means we all eat a good healthy diet & know where it all comes from.
Im sure my son, Rae & the kids all went back looking better than when they came.

Everything is now back to normal and the whole place seems very quiet.
Sharon has now produced a list of jobs that require my attention so I will have to get stuck in or there will be hell to pay.

More Ramblings and a Tip

2008-08-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ive had a few days off from posting as to be honest nothing very exciting has happened on the Smallholding lately.

Sharon has now sold all of her chicks that she has bread this year, a chap came to pick up the last 2 Silver Grey dorkings yesterday, he was trying to get her to sell some of her Lincolnshire Buff chicks but Sharon was having none of it.

We have so much Veg at the moment that we almost dont know what to do with it all, as there is only so much that 2 people can eat and our freezer can only hold so much, as it happens one of my sons Craig is visiting for a few weeks and he has the appitite of a horse even so we decided to put a sign out front saying Veg For Sale and have been pleasantly surprised at the amount we have sold. Sharon has had several trips up the polytunnel to keep customers happy.

The pigs continue to grow and have very nearly cleared the paddock for me it should make quite a nice winter vegetable garden. I do love all my animals but I think the pigs are my favorites, they are just so full of life and are great characters. We are currently having a rest from breeding pigs as we are resting the ground for 2 years.

The Pygmy Goats Willy & Milly are doing well but I did notice last week that they each had an infected ear around their ear tags. So I held them in turn each day while Sharon bathed the infected area with salt water, afterwards the infected ear was sprayed with iodene. I can happily report that both ears have now virtually healed up.

I am just soting out some permenant evening quarters for the Geese, who are both doing well & will post some pics when Ive finished.

To finish with here is a little tip for you. when you are out on the Smallholding doing some task or other it is very easy to lose track of time, and your lunch or dinner can easily get spoiled so to prevent this we have got an old dinner bell which Sharon rings when a meal or cup of tea is ready, it can clearly be heard and I can down tools and go up to the house for refreshment.

Smallholding Tips with Vegetables

2008-08-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tips on some general aspects of vegetables.

Storing Grains & Beans
To kill any insects or eggs that might be present in stored dried grains or beans, spread the grains or beans in a thin layer on a baking sheet and heat them for 60 mins in a 140-160 degF oven. Or freeze at O degF for for days.

Natural Sweetning for Tomato Sauce
If the tomato Sauce you are making isnt sweet enogh, dont add sugar. Instead, grate in some carrots, they work wonders.

Keeping Lettuce Longer
Moisten a clean kitchen towel, then wrap it round the head of the lettuce. Then place the wrapped lettuce in an open plastic bag and store in the fridge. The lettuce should keep well for up to ten days. (dont seal the bag, allow air to circulate). OR

Remove any bad outer leaves and close the lettuce in a clean plastic bag with a wire twist. The natural moisture in the lettuce will keep it fresh, as long as there are no holes in the bag.

Storing Half an Onion
If you only need half an onion, slice the top or sprout end, and store the root end. The root end will keep much longer in the fridge.

Recycling "The Ducks Are Happy"

2008-08-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

View of the New Des Res for the Ducks and Rabbit

The Ducklings are now Ducks

Here at Smallholding Tips we are firm believers in recycling, we have the normal council recycling bin which gets put to good use,but as part of my day job I get to clear out houses it is quite interesting as you never know what you are going to find and some of the finds get put to good use on our Smallholding and some of the better things get sold and the proceeds go towards our rainy day fund.

A few days ago I was clearing out a house and garden and at the bottom of the garden was an old fibreglass fishpond which had three holes but I thought I might be able to do something with it. I put it in the van with the other bits and pieces and off to the farm.

Today the Ducks were the lucky recipients of our latest bit of recycling. My son who is staying for a few days set about fixing the holes with a fibreglass repair kit and I set about repairing and installing a gate to the little paddock, I also had to put chicken wire around the bottom of the fence to keep Scaty the Rabbit from escaping.

The pond was then installed and a few old stones put round the edge, we then had to build a ramp so the Ducks could get in the pond and up to their hut. Then Scatys hut was put in. The pond was filled up and did not appear to leak so fingers crossed.

The Ducks and Rabbit were then put in and seemed to revel with the new luxury accomodation. We were very pleased and satisfied another piece of recycling had been done.

Im just off to lock them up so Im probably in for a few fun and games

Watch Out Swallows About

2008-08-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

On our Smallholding one of my favorite ways to unwind on a nice summers evening is to sit outside with a beer and a fag and watch all the Swallows flying around the sky.

To night is such a night and I am sat outside with my beer and gazing skywards at all the Swallows darting around catching flys and twisting around in all directions. It is impossible to count them as they just move to fast, but I would guess at around 40-50 it has been a good year for them and so far we have had hatchings in our coal shed, the old pig pens (our smallholding was a commercial pig farm years ago) also hatchings in our big agriculture shed, and our garage.

During the breeding season we leave the doors open for the swallows and you have to be careful when entering the buildings as a swallows swoop in and out just missing you.

I am really fond of the swallows they are great little characters, when not flying around they can be seen perched around our courtyard chattering away to themselves. The swallows are always here first and when they arrive we class it as the official start to summer and when they have gone we say summer is over.

At the Smallholding we also have 4-5 House Martin nests these birds arrive later than the swallows and the young ones are later in leaving the nest, house martins do tend to make a bit of a mess but we just accept it as part of life here and have a good clean up when they have gone.

Wow as Im sat here a Barn Owl has just flown over the field that backs onto our land it is a truly magnificant bird and is a frequent visitor because the grass is always long and a great place for mice and voles which are the owls staple diet.

So far this year on my Bird Table we have had sparrows,blackbirds,thrushes, chaffinches, bullfinches, goldfinches, the usual crows, jackdaws,starlings, also greenfinches, moorhens, pheasants, blue tits,great tits, long tailed tits,yellow hammers, pied wagtail and a few others I dont know the name of.

We have a resident Moorhen popuation on the Smallholding on our 2 ponds during the breeding season there can be up to 25 of them all raiding the chicken feeders the duck food and of course the bird table. To help the Moorhens this year I have let the ponds vegetation and reeds grow unchecked and Im sure this has helped. We use to have Water Voles on one of the ponds and I am trying to encourage the return of them.

Well I must go in now as I feel the need for another beer, Sharons at work till 10 oclock so while the cats away as they say.

One Of Our Chickens Is AWOL

2008-07-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Offending Culprit
The 16 Eggs She Was sat On

All Taken Away

Here at Smallholding tips things never seem to go quite as you plan there is always something happening to put a severe dent in your time management.

You may recall we had a visit from the fox who halved our Geese population overnight, well the other day I noticed that I hadnt seen one of our chickens for a while, I thought perhaps the fox had got her as well as the geese, but yesterday when I went down to let them out in the morning who should come strutting round the corner but our little AWOL bantam hen, she redily tucked into some of the corn I had just scattered then went into the coop and started tucking into the layers pellets, I quickly ran up to the house and got Sharon who I might add was only in her night dress, I told her what had happened so she slipped on her tracksuit bottoms and a jacket and joined me at the coop the bantam by this time was gone so a detailed search of the surrounding area was started.

After about half an hour Sharon shouted "I think shes in here" Iwent over to the compost area, climbed up onto one of the heaps and as I pushed the long grass apart with a stick there she was sat inbetween the compost heaps and the pig run.

The grass and stinging nettles here are about 3 feet high and there she sat right in the middle as good as gold, I proded her with the stick and she got up to reveal 16 eggs that she had been sat on so she had obviously been missing a bit longer than I thought. I managed to catch her and take the eggs away to discourage her from going back, anyhow as I wright she has not done so but has returned to the flock. I have told her any such repititons and she will be spending some time in the naughty cage.

The upshot of all this is that I was now running about an hour late for my day job (good job Im self Employed) but this seems to be the norm when running a Smallholding you never know what is going to happen next.

The Rats are Back

2008-07-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

As you may have read in previous posts I am very happy at the way everything is progressing in my polytunnel.
This morning when I opened it up I looked around to see how the crops were doing and to my horror I noticed some of the courgettes had been half eaten away, also some of the cucumbers. It looked like it could only mean one thing, the rats were back.
Last year we had a similar problem but after putting down bait boxes with rat cubes in we seemed to have got rid of them, I have put the bait boxes back down tonight and will keep you posted on our rat eradication progress.

The Lincolnshire Buff Chicks are enjoying life out in their new run and are having great fun scratching around and pecking at the grass.
Sharon has now sold all her Silver Grey Dorking chicks so the money from them will help with the food bill, every little helps as they say.

Smallholding Tips Ramblings

2008-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Polytunnel Vegetables

Lincolshire Buff Chicks 3 Weeks Old

Willy and Milly Our Pygmy Goat Twins

Sharon and I cleaned out all the birds and livestock on the Smallholding today. It is a long job but one that gives you a great satisfaction when finished, knowing that they all have nice clean quarters again.

The most fun job is cleaning out the 2 saddleback weaners, they are so inquisitive and so playful we usually have a great time with them, when I go in their hut to get the old straw out they inevitably follow to see whats going on which then leads to lots of scratching and they seem to have a great liking for chewing the laces on my boots, all in all they are just having fun and when the new straw bedding is put in they are sraight in there nosing it all up in the air and restructuring it to their liking. Pigs are just great and everyone who comes loves them. However I never loose track of why they are here.

The new Pygmy Goats Willy And Milly continue to cause havoc in the chicken coop and as yet I havn't devised a plan to keep them out but allow the chickens in, Im sure I'll come up with something.

Sharon did a lovely salad for tea with everything coming from the smallholding. New Potatoes from the polytunnel, Sharon had grown some in tubs and I was very surprised at the amount she got from a small tub also some italian rosso lettuce, beetroot, green peppers, cucumber,rocket, ferline tomato's and fresh boiled eggs.

Smallholding Tips Update 1

2008-07-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome. Tonight I thought it might be an idea if I gave you a few brief updates on things that have happened around the smallholding this week.

As you can see, after the foxes visit the remaining Goose and Gosling are settled in their new evening quarters its not ideal but they are safe from the fox. I then let them out in the morning and herd them back to their paddock. The Gosling is growning very quickly and although they are mainly grazers I give them some growers pellets each morning as well.

You will be pleased to know that She Who Must be Obeyed has come on leaps and bounds this week in her Sheep Dog Training I have taught her to 'come by' 'away' and she is responding well to the whistle, Im not sure she is ready for One Man and his Dog yet but I think she shows great potential. (only joking dear)

Between us we can now get the geese from their paddock to their bed in only a few minutes, Sharons nimble dartings and frantic arm waving leave the Geese no option but to go in their pen for the night, plus they are getting use to it.

I wasnt going to phone my Mum till Sunday but I couldnt wait so I called up to see if her new anti-squirrel operation was working. Some of you may recall that a squirrel had been stealing her Sungold Tomatoes everytime one turned red. She had put a kind of Smallholders typical DIY style greenhouse aruond them.
Mum was pleased to report that she & my Dad had been feasting on her tomatoes most of the week she says they are very sweet & juicy and a million miles away from shop bought stuff. As the plant supplier I am very pleased for them.

The 2 Saddleback weaners continue to do well they are 5 months old now so they have about 2 months or so to finish clearing the paddock of weeds a task which they seem to be revelling in. This week they have had all kinds of supplementary goodies stale cakes, bread, lots of small falling apples, carrots, courgettes, potatoes and other things beside.

Willy and Jenny (aka the Woodentops) our 2 Twin Pygmy Goats are also doing well they have become very affectionate and will readily eat out of your hand. Talking about eating I have noticed they seemed to be getting a bit on the fat side, but as we are new to Goatkeeping I wasn't sure if this was natural or not, any how I went down to see them the other day but they were nowhere to be seen, I immediatly started panicking and called for she who must be obeyed to form a search team however just as we were about to start we heard a little Goat crying upon investigation we found both the Goats in the Chicken shed eating the layers pellets, I thought no onder they look a little fat, they had got in through the pop hole.

The laying hens continue to lay well and I must say keeping track of where some of them lay their eggs is becoming a full time operation. You go to all the trouble of providing good comfy nestboxes and we have a hen who lays one each day in the rabbit hutch also another under the rosemary bush in the herb garden, one on top of the skip in the yard and even on top of the feed bins, in fact almost every corner of the smallholding and thats just the ones we know about.

The new Raised Bed Vegetable Garden is coming on, the Runner Bean Plants are covered in beans and so far we have had around 6 pounds the onions are swelling up nicely but sme of the kale is not doing so well. Sharon has sown some carrots & parsnips outside in tubs both are doing fine, its early days for the parsnips but we have had some of the carrots allready.

In the polytunnel with the recent good weather everything is shooting away so far we have beetroot, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, carrots, peas, sweetcorn, broccolli, peppers, chillies tomatoes and my rare experimental tomato patch (more about that next week).

Life at this time of year on the Smallholding is petty good but we are allways ready for the next kick in the teeth.

Organic Gardening and Lawn care

2008-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Taking care of our home inside and out is something most of us do take plenty of
pride in. We want to be able to make it the very best that it can be. The
landscaping outside is what everyone who drives by and who stops to visit us will
see. It is important to use to be able to arrive home and to feel welcomed there
by what we see.

In order to get your garden and your grass to look its very best though, you need
to have the right tools and the right ingredients. Too many people assume this
means you use pesticides and other chemicals to kill weeds and to keep pests
out. Yet you can have a lovely garden and lawn organically so you won’t be
harming the environment in the process.
Fertilizer for your grass has a great deal of chemicals in it. The two main
chemicals found in them that are problematic are nitrates and phosphates. Since
it takes several pounds of fertilizer to complete one yard you will be exposing
your family and pets to unnecessary problems.
You may not realize it but the use of such fertilizers can trigger asthma, be linked
to cancers, and even cause neurological problems for your pets and young
children. These chemicals also get into the soil and then run downstream into
water supplies.
Instead of using this switch to natural compost. You can buy it or you can even
make your own. The process of making your own isn’t very difficult at all. You
simply get a compost container and you place food scraps, the droppings from
your livestock and poultry and even the leaves from your yard into the container.

This will become the compost you get the nutrients from for your lawn and your
garden. You want to save your materials all year long to make enough compost.
This is because the amount you end up with will be significantly compact
compared to the volume of materials that you start out with.
With healthy soil to place your grass seed on, it will be able to grow much
healthier. It will have longer roots which ensures survival. At the same time you
will need to offer it less water to stay green. This is going to help you cut back on
your water bill as well.
With many areas being on water restriction in the summer months, you want to
be able to get as much use out of it as possible. By having the soil properly
prepared you can still have a lovely green lawn even when you are restrained to
only allocating water for certain periods of time on specific days of the week.
To get the most out of the water you put on your grass you need to take care of it
in the early morning hours. This will result in more of it getting into the soil and
less being lost to the process of evaporation. Many individuals believe that they
can get the same results if they water at night. However, a big problem is that
this leaves your grass very susceptible to various types of fungus growing.
To ensure your garden is able to benefit from the water you provide keep the
ground level. You don’t want it to all run off and therefore not offer the items in
your garden the water they need to thrive. A good option to think about is to
place mulch in a nice layer over the top of the soil. This will prevent the water
from evaporating so your plants and flowers will get to retain more of it.
If you plan to spend a great deal of time enjoying the grass you have grown you
want to do so organically. This way your family won’t be at risk of anything. Look
for type of grass that tends to grow well in your area. Not all of them are
universal so selecting the wrong one can result in you being disappointed with
the overall look of your lawn.

You also want a grass that is going to hold up well to people walking on it and
playing on it. You don’t want to have to keep everyone off of your lawn in order
for it to continue looking nice. This can be a sad outlook because it will be
inviting, especially under the shade trees and not being able to go out there isn’t
going to make your family happy.
Some individuals immediately reach for chemicals to kill off weeds that grown in
their garden or their lawn. Yet this isn’t the right solution to turn to. First, find out
what type of weeds you are growing. That will tell you what the problem may be
in that area. Some weeds are actually good for your lawn and you will want to
leave them.
They can serve as a natural fertilizer for your lawn. The rest of them you want to
pull out by hand or to use tools to remove them. Make sure you get them from
the roots up so they can’t regrow as easily.
It is often a thought to just run them over with a mower and be done with them
but avoid doing so. There are seeds in the weeds and when you do this they will
spread all over the place. That will result in your lawn having more weeds than
before and in various locations spread throughout it.

Smallholding Back to Normal

2008-07-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

After recent events with the foxes visit life around the smallholding is getting back to normal, we are being extra careful making sure all the livestock are locked up to prevent any further mishaps.
With the recent warm weather everything in the polytunnel is coming on leaps and bounds, and today Sharon picked a lot of courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce and peppers and very shortly will be picking a host of tomatoes.

Sharon will be making some Cucumber Relish and some Piccalili and I will give you the recipies for them shortly. Our runner beans are also doing very well and it looks like the best crop we have had since we've been here.

I spoke to my Mum today who told me an interesting story. A while back I gave her a couple of Sungold Tomato plants, she has lovingly cared for them and they have been doing very well, however everytime some of them turned red they would vanish into thin air. Mum who was eager to taste the fruits of her labour started a covert survellance operation, after days of watching, the culprit was finally unearthed, a Squirrel no less was seen troting accross the lawn got up on its back legs and swiftly despached a couple of nice red tomatos, Mum could harldly believe her eyes but the plants are now covered up and she is eagerly awaiting the next red tomato.

My Wife is a Dog

2008-07-22T12:46:00.001-07:00

Now before everyone jumps down my throat let me explain the headline.

As you recall from yesterdays post the fox got our Gander & one of our two goslings, so to make sure the fox never came back and got the goose & the other gosling I have been shutting them in one of the old pig pens, its not ideal but at least they are safe.

Now to the point of the headline. To get the goose to the pig pens they have to be moved about 40 yards accross the drive accross some concrete hard standing and negotiate various obsticles in between.

I asked Sharon for some help to herd them over and it soon became evident that she had some Sheep Dog blood in her, busily scurrying one way then the other keeping the geese on a steady bearing to the pig pens. after negotiating all the obsticles the geese were hovering over the entrance to the pen, I whistled the wife who came in from the flank the geese shot in the pen, and I quickly shut the door, job done for another night, the things we do for our livestock

The Fox Has Been

2008-07-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

It is with some sadness that I have to tell you that last night we had a visit from the dreaded fox. We have had a pair of farmyard geese for about 5 years, they were the oldest residents on the smallholding we got them just after we moved here from a chap called Terry Jacks he was the one who sung a song called seasons in the sun, anyway he was off to live in spain and needed a good home for them so we took them in.They were very placid and soon became part of the family.

All the chickens are locked away every night but the geese spent the nights on an island in the middle of the pond so we never locked them up. This year they had 2 goslings and last night the fox had been, when I went to feed them this morning I could only see the female goose and one of the goslings, after looking all round the pond I found a trail of feathers and found what was left of the gander, the other gosling was nowhere to be seen.

It has been very sad and the goose spent all day calling for her mate. A lesson learnt here is never be off guard when keeping poultry & wildfowl the fox is an opportunist and will strike when you least expect it. We have shut the goose & gosling in the old pigpens tonight where they will be safe

Grass Cutting and Composting

2008-07-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit chuffed today it actually stopped raining. I took the opportunity to get the grass cutand as you can see there is a lot of it, the good thing about this is it generates a lot of grass clippings, these are very useful around the small holding.

TIP

It is well known that grass cuttings can be of great benifit when added to the compost heap but do not add too many at one time or it just goes to a horrible slimy mess but if you layer it with dry & fibrous material ie shredded newspaper, cardboard or straw this will help with ventilation.

We add all our animals bedding straw and shavings which contain droppings, pig, chicken & goat poo are very good activators that get your compost heap going,do not put any cooked food or meat as this will atact rodents and rats.

If Sharon or myself are working outside and nature calls then we have a bucket for No 1's this is also put on the compost heap to activate it also kitchen peelings & tea bags spent flowers are also added. To do well the heap should be damp,dark & warm also the more heat your compost heap can generate the better this will speed the process and kill any weed seeds. Every now and again the heap needs to be turned, this adds air to the compost, helps mix it, lets you check on its progress and generally helps produce a good end product over time.

Grass cuttings are also very good as a mulch around plants and vegetables, I put a lot of todays cuttings around my swift potatoes this will create a little heat but also hold in the moisture, the runner beans also had the same treatment. They are very good at supressing weeds, at the top of the garden area we have a hedge that use to have a lot of stinging nettles and thistles growing from the base, over time I have put lots of grass cuttings along the hedge base and now there is not a nettle, thistle or weed in site.

The Smallholding Residents

2008-07-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

I thought I would introduce you to some of the residents that reside on our smallholding. I cannot imagine life here without the animals they and the chickens, geese & ducks are an integral part of the smallholding and although they can be hard work and at the moment a bit expensive to feed I wouldnt be without any of them.

Ducklings and Scaty

Scaty The Rabbit

Pygmy Goat Twins 14 weeks old No Names Yet

Rare Breed Young Ixworth Chickens

Some of our Chickens

Our 2 Geese and their Goslings

I will introduce you to some more of the animals in the coming posts and tell you a bit more about them.

Pig Food For Thought

2008-07-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well she who must be obeyed came back from work last night with her usual Goody Bag for the pigs. Sharon works part time 3 evenings a week at the rest home in the local village, she has got a bit of a deal going on where by the other girls who she works with all bring in their vegetable peelings and other waste veg that might have gone over the top, also stale bread & other goodies and in return we give them a small joint or sausages when the pigs are butchered. The cook also donates stale bread and cakes.

With the cost of feed at the moment everything helps to spread the cost of the feed. However you should still make sure your pigs get their staple pig food as this contains all the vitamins nutrients and other things to maintain a steady healthy growth.

We try and feed our pigs a varied diet and they get fed twice a day, they are creatures of habit and god help it if Im 10 mins late with their food they certainly let me know with a chorus of high pitched squealing.

For breakfast today at 7am they had a selection of stale bread & cakes,buiscuits & assorted vegetables also a few courgettes from my poly tunnel, after a bit of fighting over the cakes things settled down into quite a civilized manor and after watching for 5minutes I left them to it.

I was on a day off from PAID work today so the afternoon feeding chores were passed on to me by she who must be obeyed and who am I to argue so off I went, its pouring down with rain so with my 2 trusty mutts at heal we go and see to all the chickens & our 2 new twin Pygmy Goats, then its over to the geese closly followed by Scaty the rabbit who lives with our 7 ducklings.

After this it is up to see to the pigs. At the moment we have 2 Saddleback weaners whose prime job is to clear the paddock they are in of all the weeds as we have it earmarked for a future vegetable patch. Anyhow this afternoons treat for the pigs is 2 kilos of sow weaner nuts and some more vegetable peelings. You would think they had never been fed and once again after a bit of argy bargy they settle down.

She who must be obeyed is ringing the bell to let me know my tea is ready so I better get up to the house or I will be in the doghouse for letting it get cold.

Welcome to our Smallholding

2008-07-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Smallholding Tips Blog. We are Mark & Sharon Burrows and we live on a Smallholding just outside Boston in Lincolnshire, We have been here just over 5 years and use to live on an estate in Southampton, in a future post I shall tell you how we came to be here.

The purpose of our Blog is to pass on Hints & Tips about most aspects of running a Smallholding a lot of the information is things that we have learnt by trial & tribulation and other things that other people have passed on to us.

Topics will include looking after livestock, growing vegetables, recipies, land management, poultry, green issues, renewable energy & other general things around the smallholding.

I shall also be keeping you informed of the daily goings on here.

I really hope you will find our Blog interesting & helpful, we would also welcome your feedback & comments and any tips of your own that you may want to share with us & other readers, so please come back regularly