Animals-and-Pets
Country Smallholding
Next-Door Nuisance?
Your new neighbours may have some reservations when you mention buying your first pigs. Liz Shankland offers some advice about staying on good terms
5 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Life Under Lockdown
Coronavirus has changed British life, causing heartbreak, isolation and financial ruin for many. It has also shaken up the food chain in a remarkable way and, looking on the brighter side, it may have created new opportunities for smallholders. Charlotte Cooper finds out how smallscale farmers are coping, and where the sector can look for assistance
8 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Udderly nightmarish
Spotting mastitis isn’t easy and swift treatment is essential in order to avoid storing up problems for the future, warns vet Bella Lowis
3 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
My first ever pig
Broadcaster and presenter Paul Heiney has written about his tempestuous relationship with a Large Black pig in his brilliant new book, A Pig called Alice. In this extract, he reveals how the idea of the purchase came about
8 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Timing is everything
Adam Henson laments the demise of the Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig, but welcomes some Hungarian Mangalitzas to his Cotswold Farm Park
2 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Keep calm and carry on
There are many things you can make and do on your holding to ensure that the Covid-19 lockdown is bearable
6 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Go posh with a practical Porsche
Dream of owning a Porsche? Well you probably can, says Kevin Alviti, as this high-end, vintage tractor is practical and has serious kerb appeal, plus a (usually) lower price tag than its car namesake
2 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
Digging for victory (again)
As the battle with the invisible enemy, Covid-19, sweeps across the world, Leslie Bliss looks back into history to see how today's reaction to a global crisis — including a huge shift back to the land — compares to World War II
9 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
All you can eat!
Belching bovines are blamed for being the primary culprit when it comes to greenhouse gases, but Christine Page argues that this is down to what and how you feed your cows
7 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
A walk on the WILD SIDE
Robin Harford tells Lydia Tewkesbury how plant-based foraging changed his life
7 min |
June 2020
Country Smallholding
The Crop That's Flying High
In the first of a new series on crops that suit smallholdings, Sally Morgan explores the pros and cons of the ‘superfood’ quinoa, which will grow in Britain despite rumours to the contrary.
6 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
Has The World Gone Micro Mad?
Forget designer dogs favoured by models, so-called celebrities and fashionistas, for some it’s more about micro pigs, micro cows and miniature livestock
8 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
‘The week between Storms Ciara and Dennis may not have been a good choice, but building work commenced'
It’s taken longer than anticipated, but the builders finally arrive to renovate diarist Corinna Bull's home — and all goes well until they dig through a power cable under the patio
6 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
On the sick list
With Coronavirus dominating the headlines, Helen Babbs asks how smallholdings can be kept going in the face of adversity or the owner’s illness
8 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
Looming large
In the second part of her beginner's guide to using fleece, Marcella Craven explains how to operate the ancient and brilliantly simple peg loom
6 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
Eggspress delivery
Hatching eggs may be cheap to buy, but success depends on careful and speedy transportation, warns Andy Cawthray
4 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
Black beauties
In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton looks at the great number of black varieties available, with a common ancestor probably being the key to their existence.
6 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
A big meaty issue
Are you getting all your meat back following a kill — or did it even belong to your animal in the first place? In the first of a two-part mini-series, Mandie Rickaby investigates whether smallholders are being short-changed by the system
9 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
The perfect package
Tim Tyne explains why he has a soft spot for the attractive Hampshire Down, which is simply ideal for small farmers
7 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
A new direction
Diversifying your holding is a great way to broaden your horizons and potentially boost income, but what are the options and how should you go about it?
9 min |
May 2020
Country Smallholding
Study Finds That Ranging Behaviours Impact On Problem-Solving In Chickens
Chickens have different personalities, a new study has suggested. This finding, which will hardly come as a surprise to most keepers, was published in Biology Letters in what the researchers believe to be the first study of its kind.
2 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
‘We suddenly seem to have a problem with most of our boundaries'
With plenty of escapees, plus some unwanted visitors, poultry diarist Julian Hammer finds that the fencing at Rose Cottage is in need of some TLC
5 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
Western wonders
Queen Elizabeth I was a staunch advocate of Ryeland wool, while the last of the original Portlands to be sold at market 100 years ago were so poor that they barely received a bid. Tim Tyne looks at the fascinating past and present of both breeds
5 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
Turf wars
#PeatFreeApril is a new month-long, industry-wide campaign that has been launched to get smallholders and gardeners to go peat free. Sally Morgan reports
4 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
Trials not tribulations
In the final part of his mini series on training a sheepdog, Dudley Edmunds says why not consider moving on to the next level by taking part in trials with your canine superstar
7 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
The ‘seaweed breed'
Adam Henson divulges why the unique North Ronaldsay sheep is leading the way in terms of methane research
2 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
In the buff
In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton looks at the various buff varieties, one of which has a very special royal connection
4 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
Delightful Dorpers
The British Dorper, a true all-round breed, seems to have everything a smallholder could want, but UK numbers are very low. Charlotte Cooper visits a Derbyshire breeder who has gone to the other side of the world in her bid to create the perfect sheep
5 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
An idiot's guide to lambing
Newish sheep-keeper Mike Fry reveals what the textbooks don’t tell you when it comes to welcoming little woolly bundles into your smallholding life
5 min |
April 2020
Country Smallholding
'Raddling black sheep is not very successful for obvious reasons'
New diarist Paul James is a doctor in a busy NHS hospital, but home is a smallholding in Derbyshire complete with sheep, poultry and a Welsh Mountain pony called Malty
6 min |