Animals-and-Pets

The Country Smallholder
What can happen if a goat's brain or nervous system develops a fault?
Goat Vet, David Harwood BVetMed, FRCVS, looks at what can go wrong and considers prevention
8 min |
August 2023

The Country Smallholder
Getting Started with Longhorns
Wade Muggleton took the big step of keeping their own cattle and he hasn't looked back!
5 min |
August 2023

The Country Smallholder
Building a better fruit cage
Fiona and Hugh Osborne extensively use fruit and vegetable cages to protect valuable crops.
7 min |
August 2023

The Country Smallholder
Excitement builds for 2023 Blacknose Beauties National Show & Sale
The immensely popular Blacknose Beauties National Show & Sale returns once again to H&H Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th August.
2 min |
August 2023

The Country Smallholder
Transporting livestock thoughts on trailers
John Sones gives top towing tips and looks at the legalities
2 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
Beat the heat!
Andrew Fothergill, National Poultry Advisor at Farmgate Feeds gives his advice on keeping your hens comfortable in the warmer months.
3 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
Cost of Living Crisis: How we can grow back
Andrew Oldham shows how to take back some control of your food
4 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
From Fleece to Floor
Jack Smellie explains the process of turning newly shorn fleece into fibre for rug making
5 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
Can My Goat Dairy Be Eco-Friendly?
Tamsin Cooper finds greener ways to manage productive goats
6 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
Alpacas-Identification and Record keeping
Joy Whitehead explores what you must do, what you might do and what you should do!
5 min |
July 2023

The Country Smallholder
Happiness in herbs Top Ten to grow
Kim Stoddart outlines her pick of the most flavour some, resilient best for your smallholding biodiversity-boosting, vegetable garden....
4 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Everything's Coming Up Rhubarb
Andrew Oldham praises a very British practical crop, easy to grow but so diverse in uses and recipes
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Time to talk turkey again
Liz Fairbrother says with summer upon us we need now to think of the festive season and plan for turkeys
2 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Get cracking with eggs.
Paul Donovan investigates the biology of an egg which is a marvel of nature
8 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Keeping the flag flying for pure breeds of poultry
Grant Brereton gets breeders and owners together and considers eBay for hatching eggs
9 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
The birds are out but Avian Flu is still here - how to help your hens be safe
3 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Growing Up & Independence
Fiona & Hugh Osborne steer you through how broody hens raise chicks for you until they become independent young birds
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Runner ducks are all the rage - but they aren't the ideal garden duck
Chris Ashton looks into their needs and natural behaviour
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Coastline and castles in Wales's Pembrokeshire National Park
Welcome to our regular column all about the best places to buy a country smallholding
2 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Preserving food through dehydration
Fiona and Hugh Osborne preserve fruit, vegetables, spices and even meat by drying, an ancient technique with increasing modern relevance
7 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Why you should consider abortion vaccination for your sheep
Kath Dun, Galedin Vets (Kelso) explains how planning now prevents problems later
2 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
RBST Watchlist 2023: Concern Deepens For UK's Native Pig Breeds
But rare poultry breeds also impacted by recent events
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
On Guard The dilemmas of grazing in Orchards
Having your own orchard is wonderful, the beautiful blossom, tending to your trees and then fresh home grown fruit, What could be better? But as someone who advises on orchards many owners or prospective planters of orchards are surprised when one of my first questions I ask is “What are you going to do with the grass?”
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Starting with alpacasA Beginner's guide to purchasing
Roger Clarke of Amberly Alpacas explains what to expect
2 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Prepare your pigs for the warmer weather
Supporting Farmgate Feeds as Pig Technical & Commercial Advisor, Sam Bradley shares her tips and advice on how to reduce heat stress with pigs and the signs to look out for this summer.
3 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Caring for Elderly Goats
Tamsin Cooper highlights the changes needed to housing and healthcare
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
The sustainable Shetland cow that combines beauty and usefulness
Helen Babbs meets the small Scottish cow that's perfect for smallholders
5 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
Finding our Homestead in the Highlands
Rachel Alvey-Anderson and her family make their dream come true
8 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
First locations for The Wildlife Trusts' Atlantic rainforest recovery programme announced
Isle of Man and North Wales are first to benefit from £38million Aviva fund
1 min |
June 2023

The Country Smallholder
South West farmers banned from owning animals following two successful APHA prosecutions
Two separate investigations by APHA into animal welfare cases concluded in the sentencing of two farmers in Cornwall and Devon.
1 min |