How to… start keeping livestock

So, you've got your veggie patch organised and your bantams are laying well. You're looking forward to a glut of tomatoes, beans and carrots and wouldn't be without your daily fresh egg. But real smallholdings have animals, right? Like pigs, sheep and goats. But can you manage a menagerie?

  Photo: Visit BritainBefore choosing a breed, ask yourself whether you want to rear animals to feed the village, or just want your garden to be a bit more like a farmyard. Be realistic about how much time you have. If you work nine to five, anything that needs shutting in before dark is a no-go in winter. Your first step beyond the chicken run should probably be another type of bird rather than pigs or sheep. Put bluntly: killing a bird for its meat will be easier than saying goodbye to your saddleback.

 

Ducks Ducklings can be bought at a few days old in early spring and kept under a brooding hen for five to six weeks, at which time they will be ready to eat. The best breed to have is white Pekin ducks, as they grow rapidly, give a good egg yield and are easy to care for.

 

Geese Buy a gosling in March and it will happily feed on your grass, keeping it impeccably short throughout the year. From November, feed it on barley meal to fatten it for Christmas.

 

Quails These are often kept purely for their interest value and eggs, which are tasty, unusual looking and abundant: quails lay their body weight in eggs more quickly than any other bird.

 

Pigs and sheep If you are taking the plunge into animal rearing, be emotionally prepared: pigs are loyal and friendly, like dogs, so first-timers often find it difficult to raise them for their pork. They also produce a lot of meat, as do sheep, which, unless you have a number of freezers, is usually too much to cope with. However, these animals have other uses. A pig is a great dustbin as it will eat almost anything, and a sheep is a useful lawnmower. Keeping one of each will give you good experience of looking after livestock.

Top tips

Visit an agricultural show, find a breed you like and ask the breeder for advice. Avoid buying animals from the market.

Go on a course: Matthew Rice runs introductory courses on keeping livestock at various venues (01392 442634; www.matthewrice.net).

Agricultural colleges, such as Holme Lacy in Herefordshire (01432 870316; www.pershore.ac.uk), run smallholding courses for beginners.

Read DEFRA guidelines on the rules and regulations for keeping livestock (08459 335577; www.defra.gov.uk).

To find your nearest smallholders' association, contact the NFU (0870 845 8458; www.nfu.co.uk).

 

 

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