Originally published in Esk Valley News
http://www.eskvalleynews.co.uk/
Have you thought of having a
go at keeping livestock? When I was asked to write these articles they were
intended to share our experience of starting a farm from scratch. Then last
month I had pictures of big machines at work, just a bit off topic!
If you are interested in
producing a small amount of food for the table you will find chickens and/or
pigs can provide a good start. You will be able to taste the difference!
To start with think through
how your stock will fit in to your life. Can you provide adequate time, space
and housing for them? What happens if you go away on business or on holiday?
Chickens can absorb more time than you may imagine, but do not have the
administration associated with bigger beasts (more than 50 birds, the rules
change and you are a chicken farmer).
Fancy keeping pigs? You know
they grow to be big, and noisy? And you know that you would need a County
Parish Holding Number, plus a herd number? Do you have a large enough area and
suitable shelter? The DEFRA website was updated recently and information for
pig keepers is much improved.
We bought three recently
weaned gilts (young females) to start with. The plan was to grow them while
they tackled the weeds in some of our field corners, and eventually kill one
for the freezer. Choosing which to take was easy as Number Nine began to bully
the other two and reached bacon weight first. 12 and 13 (their ear tag numbers)
have thrived since and had their first litters in February this year. Now ten
boars are ready to be sent to Glaves at Brompton to be transformed into tasty
pork pies, while we keep the gilts on and prepare them for the meat boxes we
plan to sell direct to customers.
Choosing a breed of animal
is an important step. All animals respond to how they are treated, but some
will be more prone to be frisky than others. Tamworth pigs certainly have a
reputation, and are perhaps best left until you have more experience and good
fences! I would recommend looking into rare breed stock. Keeping a rare, registered,
animal is a good way to prevent extinction of the less commercial breeds and
you will probably be buying from a fellow smallholder. The Rare Breed Survival
Trust website (www.rbst.org.uk) is a good place to start looking before moving
on to the various breed societies.
So, think, have I got the
room in my life, have I got the physical space, can I manage the documentation
and will I be able to afford it (pigs need feed from BATA etc)?
I would be happy to answer
questions (if I can!) about starting with pigs. Please send an email to:
petermawson@highfarndale.co.uk
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