Greetings and Salutations.

Smallholder · « **on:** November 22, 2006, 18:22 »

Just found this site and have signed up

I breed and keep a lot of rare breed poultry and earn a crust building and designing gardens and have been for over 30 years.
Interested in chatting about either and any questions on gardening/poultry/smallholding answered.

muntjac · « **Reply #1 on:** November 22, 2006, 19:34 »

welcome smallholder ,pull up a bale

Smallholder · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2006, 17:44 »

Thanks Muntjac..so what breeds do you keep?

muntjac · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2006, 19:21 »

mostly welsummers ,couple the more different meat breeds n buff banties

few other birds

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2006, 21:31 »

Hi Smallholder, welcome to the mad house (sorry I meant hen house!!!!! lol)

You'll find lots of people asking questions and giving answer on here, so you'll soon feel at home!!

At the moment, I only have the dog, the cat, 47 rescued battery hens and the OH, but OH would like to keep a couple of pigs, a few sheep and a couple of bullocks, but isn't easy when you only have half an acre!!!!!

Smallholder · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2006, 21:56 »

Hello Annie.
Iv'e been thinking along the lines of getting a few pigs.I keep Lleyn sheep and a Welsh Cob mare, besides 15 different breeds of poultry and a few ducks..Silver Appleyards.
I don't suppose you have a Gold duckwing Welsommer cockerel there by any chance Muntjac..I have a couple of pullets but no cock bird for next season.
I live not far from the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells and next Monday/Tuesday is the Winter Fair,brilliant day out and great place to buy Christmas presents..My OH said she will get me my Christmas present from there...so I'm gonna get a couple more sheep

John · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2006, 23:43 »

Nice to have you aboard, Smallholder. I used to really fancy a smallholding - about 10 acres, then it fell to 5 and now half would be fine for me. I expect in another few years I'll be happy with the patio the way things are going.

Not sure about sheep - hard enough going to bed with the cats, never mind sheep. Could always get a bigger bed, I suppose (OK - I'm just being silly)

muntjac · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2006, 00:27 »

not my self with the duckwing but have a few pals who may have contacts to sort you out will ask when im back in suffolk

Smallholder · « **Reply #8 on:** November 30, 2006, 22:02 »

Hello Foxy.
I keep..
Exchequer Leghorns.
Cuckoo Marans.Copper Black,Salmon and a very rare Silver Marans.
Australorp.
Welsommer and Gold Duckwing Welsommer.
Brahma..Blue,Black,Buff Columbian,Dark and Light Columbian.
Indian (Cornish) game.
Fresian Fowl.(lemon Pencilled).
Black Sumatra Game.
Silver Spangled Hamburg bantams.
Wyandotte bantams in Silver,Gold laced.Black and Barred.
Silver Appleyard Ducks.
about 160 give or take a few.
Most are kept for the beauty of the breed and for eggs and meat for the house.I sell a large number of hatching eggs by post and surplus birds are sold as breeding birds at rare breed sale/shows.

Give me a few more details about your garden, such as how big an area.
and what your soil is like...dig a hole about a foot deep so you can see the profile..the dug sides..How far down does the 'top soil' go?is it stony or friable or clay.
The test for clay is simple,just rub some together between you fingers,if it can be made into a 'worm' and holds together your on clay.if it crumbles it's sandy.
How much humus..put a small handfull in a jam-jar half-filled with water.Give it a shake-up and leave it stand for a while.The grit will sink to the bottom..the humus will settle near the top.
low humus=more manure/compost needed...anyway get back to me and I'll give you some pointers.

Foxy · « **Reply #9 on:** December 01, 2006, 19:43 »

Hello Smallholder

Thanks for your reply and Wow!! what a lot of chickens! Let me know what shows you are at I'd be very interested in some of your surplus stock.
I am going to dig a big hole this week end - I know its clay as its very sticky soil- but always thought that hummus was something that I had with pitta bread?....anyway will let you know -am off to find a jamjar!

hermon · « **Reply #10 on:** December 04, 2006, 13:24 »

welcome to the site,
i have ex-battery hens and would never be without them! i also have a plot and a half for our veg, me and hubby try to be as self suffient as poss. we plan to move to south wales spring 2008 and take over a guest house as our job! working like mad to pay as much of our mortgage as possible while we still have jobs!
at present we both have office jobs and find it a struggle to be around people who have no idea what they are missing and just think you area hippie!!
rant over sorry to bore you as we've only just met!

John · « **Reply #11 on:** December 04, 2006, 13:44 »

Hermon you tree hugging hippie

You'll be lying on your death bed going "I wish I'd spent more time in the office" ... maybe

Good luck with the move - hope your dreams all come true (especially if you dream of me winning the lottery)

shaun · « **Reply #12 on:** December 04, 2006, 19:23 »

good on yer hermon you go for it.
i often dream of living a simple life (no comments )just packin up everything and doing one, but with kids mortgage credit cards,car loans etc ,the longer you leave it the harder it gets to do it ,someone should of kicked me where the sun dont shine about 10 years ago grrrrrrr

John · « **Reply #13 on:** December 04, 2006, 20:21 »

One day you see the kids go and think the time has come. Then you realise you don't have the energy for it! I enjoy gardening but no longer want a smallholding as such.

shaun · « **Reply #14 on:** December 04, 2006, 20:39 »

like i said john its just a dream i keep having,unless you have half a million quid like that jimmys farm chap,he gets on my nerves sometimes but i do respect him.