Animals-and-Pets
The Country Smallholder
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 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
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 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
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 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
Rooting for farming's future
The brilliant bunch of farmers who joined forces to launch British Carrot Day 2025
5 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
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 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
SCOPS and COWS welcome BVA's latest policy
But they highlight the extent of work already done
2 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
A holistic approach to parasite control
Vets to encourage a targeting approach where possible, for best practice
3 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
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 min |
October 2025
The Country Smallholder
From Scrums to Squats
How Peter Eccles Found New Purpose on the Farm
6 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Think it's Haemonchus? Don't panic-test first to be sure
SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) is encouraging farmers and the wider sheep industry to stay alert and informed as Haemonchus contortus - commonly known as Barber’s Pole worm - gains more attention across the UK
2 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Poultry slaughter is an important subject for smallholders
Hugh & Fiona Osborne firmly believe that processing chickens for meat and \"the cockerel question\" are subjects that deserve mature consideration by smallholders
4 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Egg binding- a backlog
Egg binding can be a major concern in layers, Paul Donovan investigates this serious health issue.
8 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Bringing In the Sheaves
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 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Are we seeing the end of male chick culling in the UK?
Technology can now tell the sex of chicks in eggs – a practice known as in-ovo sexing
4 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Leicester Longwool sheep - lovely to look at and laid back!
Helen Babbs finds out about one of the rarest British longwool breeds
5 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Farmers voices wanted in vet-led ewe vaginal prolapse study
TWO experienced sheep vets are launching a new project to find out more about how farmers manage and treat vaginal prolapse when it occurs in their lambing ewes.
1 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Preventing Afterswarms
Claire Waring describes steps to stop casting if you have lost the prime swarm
6 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Look to Lincolnshire to get really good value for your money plus plenty of open space in a rural area
Our regular column about the best places for smallholder living
2 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
The bountiful brassica is versatile and generous
But Andrew Oldham says you need to get sowing now to get the best yield
5 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Bluetongue Movements Checker tool launched
It provides specific answers for movements in the UK
2 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Terrors In The Coop
The Hidden Threats Facing Backyard Chickens and How to Beat Them. Nettex offer some solutions to a perennial problem
3 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
eBay's egg ban ruffles feathers
A sudden shift in eBay's policy has left UK bantam breeders lost, with sellers like Carolann Pirie struggling to navigate the fallout. Cara Wheeldon explores what this means for backyard breeders, rare breeds, and poultry passion projects.
5 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Taking the first steps in smallholding
Don't wait until you are about to make a move, you can start right now!
5 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
New plans from the UK Government to safeguard animal welfare standards welcomed by the RSPCA
Commitment to not lowering food standards in trade deals
2 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
The history of Silver Laced Wyandottes in the UK
And why it’s vital we keep them going... says Grant Brereton
5 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
How to recognise and control internal parasites
Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS says you need to take action to avoid ill health and even fatalities
2 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
The apples of his eye
Richard Bradbury visits Chiltern Heritage Orchards
4 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Cluck and carry on
Sue Cook returns with another side-splitting glimpse into the lives of her bantam brood. Full of wit, whimsy and winged wisdom, this light-hearted follow-up celebrates the joy of chicken keeping in the most delightfully absurd ways.
3 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Playing with tractors - how a work horse became multi-purpose
Liz Wright looks at the changing role of vintage, veteran and classic machinery with even the modern tractor coming out to play
3 min |
August 2025
The Country Smallholder
Preserving Fruit as a leather provides tasty fruit snacks all year round
Hugh & Fiona Osborne grow as much of their own food as possible and to ensure tasty foods all year around, they use lots of preservation techniques. Fruit leather is an easy technique to produce tasty snacks from fruit for many months to come
6 min |