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The Country Smallholder Magazine - October 2025

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In this issue

AUTUMN GLORY
It’s time to hunker down, plan ahead, and enjoy the weather while we all can

Prepare for planting your trees and hedges

Make your own Rosehip Syrup and Sloe Gin

How to grow breathtaking garlic!

A new way to assess your alpaca fibre

The hardlearned dos and don’ts of sheep keeping

PRACTICAL POULTRY
● Why many common chicken treats fall fowl of ABP regulations
● Getting started with show-stopping pure bred poultry
● Discover supernatural chickens in time for Halloween

SCOPS and COWS welcome BVA's latest policy

But they highlight the extent of work already done

2 mins

Staying with mum: cow-withcalf dairying

Helen Babbs finds out about the dairy method where cows get to keep their calves at foot

5 mins

How to eliminate a rat problem

In part 1 of this series, Hugh & Fiona Osborne looked at why rats might come on to a smallholding, how to make a smallholding unattractive to rats and how to identify their presence.

7 mins

Get rodent ready for 2026 & get qualified with a fantastic prize!

Win a rodent busting prize pack consisting of a full CRRU approved course in rodent management and bag yourself a trio of premium prevention & control products just in time for rat season.

1 mins

A season of colour and new visitors

Autumn is a time to preserve for winter and it's the same for wildlife says

4 mins

Roots to Riches begins now!

English Woodlands say prepare to plant your trees & hedges, to reap multiple rewards

4 mins

A holistic approach to parasite control

Vets to encourage a targeting approach where possible, for best practice

3 mins

The Dos and Don'ts of sheep

John Sones looks back at hard learned lessons and shares them so you don't have to experience them too

6 mins

The path to parasite control in goats

Over the decades, Buttercups Goat Sanctuary has cared for over a thousand goats, and we have learnt just how critical parasite control

2 mins

Move to the Isle of Coll with a stunning coast line and wildlife in abundance

Our regular column seeking out the best places for smallholder living

1 mins

Explaining the Bluff and the Bite

Paul Donovan delves into the world of Threat Posturing in chickens, why they do it, how it looks and when and how we should take action

8 mins

The Pekin bantam, a favourite True bantam with no large counterpart

Victoria Roberts BVSC MRCVS explores the history, appearance and temperament of this delightful breed

3 mins

The autumn egg drop

As the summer days fade, many chicken keepers notice their hens' egg baskets looking a little emptier. Experienced breeder Kate from Kent shares her wisdom on what to expect during the autumn egg drop, and how to spot when it might be more than just a seasonal lull.

5 mins

Halloween folklore and fowl

This Halloween, step into the shadows of rural folklore with Cara Wheeldon to discover spooky poultry tales, ghostly roosters, banshee-like wails, and sinister headless hens. All from Britain's haunted farmyard past.

3 mins

Keep it Simple!

Grant Brereton says it's the beginning of an exciting journey but make the first steps easy

5 mins

What's that in the nest box?

Andy Hill says you need to read this guide to lash eggs so they never come as a surprise!

2 mins

Animal By-Product Rules and How they Affect Our Flocks

Animal By-Product (ABP) Regulation can catch out many poultry keepers. Fiona and Hugh Osborne explain the rules in simple terms.

7 mins

Smart Feeding Strategies for Ducks and Geese

In this feature, Sarah Day, nutritionist for Small Holder Feed, shares expert guidance to help you make informed feeding choices, from tiny hatchlings through to laying adults.

5 mins

Make your own Rosehip Syrup

Woodlands.co.uk shares not only how to make Rosehip Syrup but also how to turn it into the perfect foraged cocktail

2 mins

Rooting for farming's future

The brilliant bunch of farmers who joined forces to launch British Carrot Day 2025

5 mins

How you can develop your interests even in a more remote community

Introducing u3a: A creative lifeline in Rural Communities

2 mins

Growing Great Garlic

Lee Senior looks at how to grow breathtaking garlic

5 mins

For bee keepers and honey lovers everywhere

Beekeepers put on a spectacular display at County Shows often with a colourful floral display alive with insect visitors, and an observation hive where you can see the activity within the beehive and spot the queen.

3 mins

Getting Ready for Winter

Claire Waring discusses how we can help our bees prepare and give them the best chance of survival

6 mins

Code Red! What is Red Diesel and when is it legal to run your tractor on it?

Agricultural journalist, smallholder and editor of Ford & Fordson Tractors Magazine Jane Brooks, joins us for her regular look at the world.

4 mins

Introducing a machinery company with a heritage

Fleming Agri Products have been established for 165 years

2 mins

Defra's shift to a 'whole breed' approach

Our Experts answer your questions

2 mins

Dispelling the myths about what makes a farm vet

VetPartners is dispelling the myths about what it takes to be a farm vet.

2 mins

Homesteading versus smallholding

I've been preparing for a smallholding since I was a child I think. I used to help with haymaking, visit the local dairy farm, read farming books and took farming magazines.

1 mins

Proud to be a homesteader

You write-sharing your experiences and opinions

1 mins

Hedge-cutting: neglect and renewal

Farming and smallholding practices have altered over the past century or so. Some have been subtle, others less so – and many brought about by technology and legislation. In another of his monthly series, Jeremy Hobson continues to outline just a few of them.

2 mins

Read all Stories from The Country Smallholder

The Country Smallholder Magazine Description:

Publisher: Kelsey-Media

Category: Animals-and-Pets

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

The Country Smallholder is aimed at the ever-increasing UK audience interested in living a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable way of life. From people already living on a smallholding, to allotment owners; from those with a couple of acres of land, to those aspiring to get more out of their garden or even window box. With 73% of UK residents claiming to want to live more sustainably post Covid, The Country Smallholder has something for everyone.

Every issue will carry; free vet advice; helpful practical features on all aspects of smallholding, from keeping chickens to crop rotation; information on poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and alpacas; rural crafts; property; small tractors and machinery, as well as keeping readers up to date with all the latest news and innovations.