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The Country Smallholder Magazine - March 2026

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In this issue

Spring into life!
Save on your shopping bill, and eat well while you’re at it

How attracting wildlife to your plot will benefit you and your family

Why a good start for lambs is so important

Beekeeping is about to get buzzy

Feeding to keep dairy goats healthy and milky

A celebration of Wool and Alpaca fibre

Donkey Breed Society welcomes New National Chair

Pam Moon has been a member of the Donkey Breed Society for many years, she has served on several of the committees, is on the A Panel of Judges and is also Registrar for the Society.

1 mins

Unlimited fines for dog attacks on farm animals

Tougher police powers as four in five farmers have sheep flock attacked by dogs.

1 mins

British Hen Welfare Trust welcomes government commitment to phase out cages for laying hens

But says delivering the promise now matters

2 mins

2025 has broken historical climate records

Met Office figures show it has been both the warmest and sunniest year on record for the UK

1 mins

Breed societies: not just for celebration dinners!

Helen Babbs finds out what breed societies do, and how smallholders can get involved

5 mins

British Alpaca Society - a great National Show and much more

To see all things alpaca then come to the Staffordshire County Show Ground Saturday 21st to Sunday 22rd March. BAS explain what you can expect to find

2 mins

Planning to Grow Something New Can be Exciting

If you're finalising your garden growing plans for 2026, why not plan to add something new, exciting or even exotic? It could add some spice to your cooking or just add a little fun to your garden. Fiona and Hugh Osborne give you some ideas

7 mins

Starting with Pigs - before you start

Linda Aldous outlines what you need to do before anything porcine arrives on your smallholding

3 mins

Welcoming the very start of the spring season

Henrietta Balcon makes the most of the new crop rhubarb

2 mins

Know all about storing and using colostrum

New research shows that care is needed with supplementary colostrum to avoid 'unintended consequences'

3 mins

More about Colostrum

Liz Wright checks in with her local farm vet to find out more

2 mins

How an 'unexpectedly enchanting small vineyard was created

Meeting a family enterprise that grew into three businesses in one plus honey and apple harvests

9 mins

Making sure you put enough nutrition into your dairy goat to support her milk production

Sarah Day, nutritionist for Small Holder Feed offers feeding advice for your dairy goats to help them be happy, healthy and milky animals.

6 mins

Vivid Vegetables to bring a splash of colour all year round

Lee Senior looks at how to grow the rainbow in your own plot

6 mins

Could your future be Bright?

Sue Field leaves the UK behind in her latest look at properties for smallholders

1 mins

Making choices for your chicks

Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS says Natural and Artifical Incubation are not an either/or choice

5 mins

The secrets behind maximising incubator hatch rates

Buying quality point of lay hens can be an expensive proposition these days (even if you can find a local source of the breed that you want). Incubating fertilised eggs can save a great deal of money and make many more breeds accessible. If you already keep poultry that includes a cockerel, an incubator means that you can hatch their eggs either to increase your flock or to sell. Hugh & Fiona Osborne have been using incubators for many years and have learned that getting a good hatch means attention to detail.

7 mins

Big, beautiful breeds that you could help to survive

Grant Brereton gets nostalgic but is concerned for the future of large black chickens. Could you be willing to help?

5 mins

The hidden world of poultry

This month Paul Donovan concentrates on uncovering the Chicken Gut Microbiome

8 mins

Flock together: is now the right time to add more hens?

Andy Hill explains how to integrate birds into a flock without feathers flying

4 mins

A quick look at what's on the market for our chickens

Liz Wright brings news of some exciting innovations for our feathered friends

2 mins

Eggs are a miracle of design that we should admire

Janice Houghton-Wallace looks at how they are formed and a bird's laying capability

4 mins

It's time to get ready for the season ahead

Claire Waring considers jobs to be done and questions to be asked, as the bees begin to get active

7 mins

Helping wildlife - it's a two- way street!

Helen Moffatt of the RSPB says wildlife will help you too in so many ways

2 mins

How do native and commercial sheep breeds compare when grazing on different types of forage in the Yorkshire Dales?

Tests have been carried out to establish the levels of methane being emitted by sheep living off a natural forage diet

1 mins

The Pygmy Goat Problem

Matt Huggins says small is beautiful but don't under estimate the care needed for these intelligent goats

2 mins

Calico Dress Cymru to star at 20th anniversary of Wonderwool Wales in 2026

Wonderwool Wales covers everything from the start to the end of the creative process. Exhibits of sheep, raw and hand dyed fibres, yarn for knitting and crochet, embellishments, equipment, dyes and books can be found alongside superb examples of finished textile art, craft, clothing and home furnishings.

2 mins

Insurance to protect livestock - and your peace of mind

Looking ahead to a busy 2026 for Pedigree Sales, farmers and breeders will be preparing their livestock for the upcoming markets

2 mins

An appetite for asparagus

Our Experts answer your questions

1 mins

Getting Your Electric Fence Spring-Ready: Expert Q&A

As Spring arrives, it’s the perfect time to give your electric fence some attention. Based on questions we discuss regularly here at www.electricfencing.co.uk, here’s a list of the checks you should be carrying out now, and why they matter.

2 mins

Making the most of student help during lambing

With lambing season approaching, many smallholders look for extra hands. Farm vet Sharminda Lockwood from Westpoint Farm Vets, part of VetPartners, answers common questions about how best to utilise the support of students during this busy time.

3 mins

The importance of small abattoirs to native breeds

Christopher Price, CEO explains why we should be worried and looks at the role of the Rare Breed Survival Trust

5 mins

Check your kit for the busy seasons ahead

Agricultural journalist, and machinery writer Jane Brooks, joins us for her regular look at the world.

4 mins

Getting started with competition ploughing

Sue Frith from the Society of Ploughmen explains how you can get involved

4 mins

The Almanac - a seasonal guide for 2026

GARDENING BY THE MOON The following is a guide to gardening with the phases of the moon, according to traditional practices. For moon gardening cynics it also works as a guide to the month’s gardening if you disregard the exact dates.

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.