Animals-pets
The Country Smallholder
Perfectly prehistoric
With their sleek bodies, long legs, and inquisitive nature, Modern Game bantams look like tiny raptors roaming the backyard. But behind their striking appearance lies a confident, friendly breed full of personality. Cara Wheeldon finds out why these fascinating birds make such a captivating addition to the flock
3 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Spring clean your hen house
Plus get ready for next year's London Marathon to support rescued hens
4 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
End of life care - the final act of love
Matt Huggins considers the importance of saying a compassionate goodbye to your goat
2 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
The Marans are famous for their dark brown and often speckled eggs
But Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS says that's only part of the story of these striking birds
2 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Why chickens love the sunshine
Paul Donovan uncovers the surprising facts behind sunbathing in chickens
8 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Make the most of your alpaca's precious fleece
Joy Whitehead of Bozedown Alpacas says you need to start long before shearing day
4 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Planting trees for a sustainable future
Landowners Phil and Chelsea had been looking for the perfect woodland to buy – but the MOREwoods scheme by the Woodland Trust enabled them to plant their own instead.
8 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Want to turn your fleeces into something special?
If you are undecided what to do with your shorn fleece from this year's clip, The Natural Fibre Company offers a range of fibre processing services to transform it into premium quality yarns.
3 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Inside the world of a busy alpaca stud
Alexandra Verhoef of Alpaca Evolution brings us up to date with what's happening on their alpaca farm
2 min |
May 2025
The Country Smallholder
Suffering April showers, because we want flowers in May
Agricultural journalist, smallholder and editor of Ford & Fordson Tractors Magazine Jane Brooks, joins us for her regular look at the world.
4 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
What Mob Grazing is and how it can work even on a smallholding
Well known to Archers fans on BBC radio 4, this system is gaining momentum. Wade Muggleton finds out why
5 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Grow-your-own ornamental edibles
Lee Senior says its surprising how so many plants can be both delicious and dramatic!
6 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Dry cured farmhouse bacon, cut thickly, is food that puts top restaurants to shame & it's easy for smallholders to make at home
Hugh and Fiona have been curing & smoking their own bacon for years. It’s something to try with great caution, because after tasting it, they couldn’t go back to shop bought bacon!
7 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Best beginner breeds
Ready to start your flock this year? From personality to practicality, here's a list of the best bantam breeds for beginners researched by Cara Wheeldon
3 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
How to look after your bees
Claire Waring's step by step guide to a colony inspection which depends on the weather, this time of year
6 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Let the hen do the work of rearing chicks
As the breeding season approaches, Grant Brereton makes a case for hatching the natural way with broody hens...
8 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Heading for the hills: City girl who became a proud farmer ...
Talking to Cora Cooper, the latest person to be interviewed for Farmstrong’s podcast Blether Together, is the gift that keeps giving.
5 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Impaction Colic - what, why and how to avoid
Anna Harrison BScHons BVScHons CertWel MscIAWEL MRCVS and Honorary Vet to Donkey Breed Society, explains
5 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
How to help keep your livestock free from infectious diseases
Catriona Benson says there are many ways to help protect your animals
3 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Flocking together brings benefits
This month, regular columnist Paul Donovan looks at the benefits of keeping chickens with other animals.
8 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Which is best for you, an incubator or a broody hen?
Breeding and hatching chickens is very rewarding. You could use an incubator and brooder plate, or go down the route of using a broody hen, but which is best for you? Fiona & Hugh Osborne guide you through the choices.
6 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Birthday to celebrate
How the humble hen rose to being the UK'S fourth most popular pet
5 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Poultry Genetics - is it for me?
Like many people, I always wondered how the genes in poultry were inherited.
2 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Sheep Dairying-when sheep are triple purpose livestock
Helen Babbs visits a farm to find out how it's done
5 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Why the study of deer poo in North Wales could shed light on the future of woodland conservation
A team from Bangor University conducted a study amid a growing concern that increasing deer populations are negatively impacting the health and regeneration of UK woodlands.
2 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Chicken secrets
Owning chickens comes with more surprises than you might expect. From daring escapes to bedtime demands, these feathered friends are full of quirks. Cara Wheeldon shares the lessons learned from years of poultry keeping
2 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
The ever versatile native breed pig can also help your land
Rare Breeds Survival Trust Chief Executive Christopher Price looks at how native pig breeds can act as 'ecosystem engineers' on a farm or holding without becoming 'architects of destruction'
4 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Alpaca know how at a glance
Doug Steen of Teesdale Alpacas explains why he devised the Alpaca Infographic and how
3 min |
April 2025
The Country Smallholder
Share in the therapy sheep experience
The chance to win one of ten books in a series designed to empower young minds where 'Merlin finds his magic'
2 min |
Spring 2025
The Country Smallholder
What uses are their for cockerels?
In this issue we want to touch on a subject that may ruffle a few feathers, but as a national charity helping 60,000 hens year in and year out we believe the topic merits some hard facts and an appeal for your support as readers of a popular poultry magazine.
5 min |