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gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8954
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
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jema
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon
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KingOfPlants
Joined: 17 Dec 2017
Posts: 5
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15997
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Shan
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales
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Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk
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KingOfPlants
Joined: 17 Dec 2017
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Sat May 06, 23 8:21 am Post subject: |
 
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| Shan wrote: |
| Hi and welcome! We used to have a smallholding in Wales but we are currently hopping between Portugal and Bristol. Trying to do some veg amongst our flower beds in Portugal because it would feel like such a wasted year if we didn't. Hopefully, if things pan out as we would like, we will be able to dedicate some proper time to veg growing come the end of the year. |
With the rainy weather expected over the next week hopping to Portugal seems like a good idea!
| Mistress Rose wrote: |
| Welcome. We don't have animals and probably never will, but do grow vegetables and have a woods where we do firewood, charcoal and a few other woodland related crafts. |
That's amazing. Woodlands are such a peaceful and beautiful place. I'm a little envious for sure.
| Nicky cigreen wrote: |
I'm actually a bit envious of you being at the start of the smallholding adventure.
I'm on the other side of it, my life has changed and I have had to change with it, but have kept sheep and pigs, turkeys and ducks, and chickens. Tried stuff, failed at stuff, succeeded at stuff, learnt and enjoyed the experience.
Now I am just growing veg and trying to be self sufficient in firewood and garden water.
But I say if you can, go for it  |
Woah, that's quite a group of animals you had. That's a very similar dream to where I'm hoping to be in a few years. I do have some experience raising animals and miss it a lot. I just need to get more land to make some of the larger animals possible now, I can't have pigs and sheep in the garden |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes
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Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes
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| Posted: Sun May 07, 23 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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moos have a lot of charm, but they are big to handle, they can be difficult or surprised, they can be clumsy or overenthusiastic etc, if they get scared they can be very active or uncooperative
they are not cheap(if they are, they will probably be very expensive)
the paperwork is less than simple
most need winter shelter
you need to have food all year, ie you need to buy or grow for winter fodder as well as happy pasture months
the land needs to suit moos, you still need to pick moos that will do best on a specific land and your husbandry regime
you need good fences and good neighbours
is there a footpath? the public are less than moo wise even if they live near moos
some moos are more docile than others 
a few are downright dangerous even if you know why they are upset and you are really not guilty of what has upset them
no moo is safe, you can minimize the risks but carelessness costs lives
can you run, jump ,dodge? can you wrestle huge critters? do you want to at very short notice when you did not want to and still laugh about it?
have you got access to moo related transport? aim for zero miles but...
is there a decent local slaughterman/butcher? no would be a no moos for me
moo lore and handling can be learnt, learning will have many tense moments
having one is unkind, they need moo chums, a few is as much work as a few dozen
moos are nice, i lived with them for a few years and learnt as much as i could, including bull charming and a few handling skills as well as the welfare stuff
you need to be fit and sensibly brave, my first time in a tight pen with a few dozen of them was "different" and i am often quite bold
sooner or later there will be the first time something needs doing and it will scare you, or something will be a surprise you had no idea was possible
i would call my fistfight with the killerkerry a draw, neither of us enjoyed it, however i can claim to have stopped a moo charge with a palm strike
the newtonian physics of that was rather interesting and my backflip in the air and into a low kick position in the mud was a classic, i did have stress fractures to my arm and the moo had a headache
having moos can be interesting, happy excited highland boys, with long horns, scampering around a feeder while you try to open the big bale of lovely hay or roll out another layer of deep bedding is a game best played carefully
swerving a horn tip at knee ht from behind while avoiding the slower hoofy one on the inside of the breakfast spiral is the sort of thing that got glazed onto minoan vases
they kick, not as bad as horses, it hurts though
they are more likely to hurt you by accident
milk has issues for me unless 'tis as much as the calf needs and i will have what is left over
that said, milking is so calm the moral dilemma of doing a herod can get absorbed in a happy moo mist of warm flank and schhss bucket
i had been around moos all my life and even helped out a few times
living with and day to day wrangling of moos is very different and something that should not be done without consideration
hard to go too badly wrong with chooks and pigs, moos are nice, but they do have a few potential issues and they are high maintenance in one or more ways
moo margins are pretty tight if they need to earn their effort |
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KingOfPlants
Joined: 17 Dec 2017
Posts: 5
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes
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Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15997
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