Rural retreatsissue1v2

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March 2015


Contents

Welcome Here at the newly established Rural Retreats HQ 2015 arrived uneventfully. A relief to any smallholder with livestock. Other than the traditional European wet weather we are all accustomed to having to deal with at this time of the year, 2015 has been off to a good start! This Rural Retreats promises to be packed full of useful information, a resource for homesteading and smallholding in France and Europe. On behalf of the team at HQ we welcome you and look forward to your continued support of the magazine. We would also like to invite you to contact us if you have an experience you would like to share which you think would be helpful to others.

Happy Homesteading!

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Frappuchinos to Farm Boots

Homesteading Essentials: Property Essentials for Homestead Living Homesteader’s Essential Survival Kit Going Off-grid Septic Solutions Homesteader’s Kitchen Essentials Essential Homemade Remedies Live like a king

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Farm Gate: Back to the Land: keeping a dairy cow The Joy of Raising Kids! Sweet Success: Beekeeping for beginners Horse care and stable management Master of the Flock Caring for Camelids Clucking Marvelous! Raising Bacon! Land Management Tool of the month Breeder’s Directory

Colophon: EDITOR: Tanya Bamber DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jason Bamber ADVERTISING: South West Publications REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nigel & Ginny Cobb, Fiona Prendergast, Karl Boken, Samantha Perry, Christopher Dagg, Nicholas Russell, Pauline Woehrle, Tamsin Cooper, Jason & Tanya Bamber. PHOTOGRAPHY: South West Publications, Wikimedia Commons and Contributing Authors, unless otherwise indicated. COVER IMAGE: Bonnie Bruno PUBLISHED BY: South West Publications, a subsidiary of Big Detail SARL, Chez Vignaud, 86460 Availles Limouzine, France. SIRET 753 167 667 00017. LEGAL: All material may not be reproduced without the express permission of South West Publications, a subsidiary of Big Detail SARL. Please ensure you verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France and or elsewhere around the world. Articles in this issue do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine. Toute reproduction meme partielle du contenu est interdit sans l’accord ecrit du magazine.

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Country Pursuits: Off the Beaten Track

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Marketplace Directory

FOR ALL EDITORIAL & SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES: editor@southwestpublications.com tel. +33 (0)6 4898 1126 FOR ALL ADVERTISING: advertising@southwestpublications.com tel. +33(0)6 4898 1126

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Chez Livestock Sales.

We have a purebred Jacob Sheep breeding program.

Farm Gate Sales. High Welfare Organic Lamb: meat packs available direct from the farm to you.

Organic Pet Food. Formulated HLK RawFood

ignaud Pure Bred Jacob Sheep and Alpaca Wool Products. Hypo-allergenic Wool Stuffed Pillows & Duvets. English and French Sizes. Custom Handmade Wool Rugs & Soft Furnishings.

(Heart, Liver, Lungs, Kidneys)

Chez Vignaud, 86460 Availles Limouzine, SW FRANCE. www.chezvignaud.com contact@chezvignaud.com tel. +33 (0)6 4898 1126 2


From Frappuchinos to Farm Boots... Written by Tanya Bamber.

A few years ago we took a leap and bought a 22 hectare farm in SW France which had not been occupied for over 20 years. It was a dream for us to have space for the children and to break the chains of slavery you can sometimes find yourself in with a conventional career and lifestyle. The dream was big and so was the task. It has taken the best part of 2 years to drag it kicking and screaming out of the clutches of brambles and nettles, of which the war still rages on. Farm life is hard work and there just does not seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week. We find ourselves more short of time now than when we were working in high pressured jobs. The wonderful thing about farm life is that it is simple, decluttered and rewarding. I cannot tell you how liberating it is to be in control of your life, lifestyle, and livelihood. One question we seem to find ourselves answering over and over is how have we done it with no farming background? Well, I have to admit our commercial backgrounds have definitely helped, along with a bit of common sense, Google, Youtube and a well-timed season of Lambing Live on BBC.

So what have we done so far?

Besides the usual farmhouse renovation to get it to a condition that was livable, we have established a conservation and breeding program with a flock of pure bred Jacob sheep, given a good home to some Alpacas, and are in the process of setting up a micro mill to process our Alpaca and Jacob wool, as well as do some small contract milling for the smaller Alpaca and specialty wool breeders in SW France.

Keeping sheep had been a wonderful learning experience. When it comes to our Jacob sheep there exists a love hate relationship with this intelligent, ancient breed. There is many a time that the shotgun nearly wins the battle of the wills. I say nearly since it is the love part of the relationship which saves them from this fate! I am sure they know it and play on it. The alpacas are just adorable. They provide lovely fleeces and look after the flock during lambing.... warding off foxes. In 2014 we decided to learn to shear our own sheep. Partly because it is very difficult to find a shearer willing to get anywhere near a 4 or 6 horn sheep, and the fact that we wanted to be in control of when it takes place during the year, as well as having the option to crutch before lambing. Needless to say, the first 3 took 2.5 hours! But after 3 Alpaca test subjects and 25 fully sheared sheep we are proud to say we have it down to 10 minutes a sheep. No nicks or cuts. A good time for a horny, strong willed Jacob sheep. We have found that homesteading is a process that needs time to evolve. It can’t be done all at once and instantaneously. For the best, long term results you need time to understand the land you live on, its composition, drainage, and challenges you need to overcome when dealing with types of diseases, pests and threats to livestock. You also need time to experience several seasons in order to fully understand the weather systems you live with and how it affects your homesteading lifestyle. Take time and you will reap the rewards of an independent, healthy and satisfying way of life. Country life as it should be. 3


Property Essentials for Homestead Living While the term “homestead” holds different meanings for different people, the common ground all homesteaders seem to share is a desire for independent, self-sufficient living. How much land it takes depends greatly on the vision of the homesteader and the nature of the terrain. Two to four acres can support a small family if managed properly. Larger homesteads of between twenty and 50 acres can provide a greater degree of self-sufficiency by dividing the land into different uses such as a woodlot, orchards, ponds, poultry and livestock. Here are some tips and guidelines to consider in your search for your rural retreat.

Land Characteristics A general understanding of weather patterns in the area will help you assess the land for features such as natural wind breaks and drainage courses. You should also find out about the local wildlife species to get an idea what you’re up against in gardening and raising livestock. There are a couple of things you need to consider when viewing a property such as whether or not there are restrictions or covenants on the land; if there are any signs of contamination or flooding; and if there is a clear south facing section of land for gardening. Availability of wood is extremely important. Whether it be for building structures, fencing enclosures, or a good supply of firewood during winter, a woodlot is essential to any homestead. You would be set for life with a well managed 10 acre woodlot. The land also needs to be able to adequately support livestock with enough grazing as well as enough to grow and cut hay for feed through the winter months.

Remoteness

How isolated do you want to be? Many rural properties today have utilities installed already or are within easy reach to have them connected. With today’s technology, being remote does not necessarily mean being isolated.

Water

Access to a supply of clean water is essential to homesteading. Study the water course and water table of the immediate area to determine if you need to collect additional water during the rainy season. It is also important to research water filtration and purification solutions which will work with your water source. Do the research. Ensuring the land’s compatibility with your homesteading needs is a vital first step in the successful transition to a more self-sufficient lifestyle. 4


Homesteader’s Survival Kit:

Every homestead needs a basic kit of essential – can’t – do – without items. Through our own personal experiences and those of other homesteaders and smallholders, we have compiled the following list of essentials: staple pullers wire cutters post hole diggers Pocket knife Baling Twine.……the farmer’s duct tape. Ten Litre Buckets………for hauling water and feed. 100m Garden Hoses………you never know how far you’ll have to pump water. Farm Truck……..1950’s or 2013, just a good one will do for hauling hay, lumber, livestock or kids. Our most reliable vehicle on the farm is a 1950’s Bedford Army Ambulance! Tractor………again 1950’s will do just fine. Wheelbarrow………to ease the load Scrap Piles………you will be amazed how much you can recycle a use for. Pitch Fork Spade Shovel Towing chain or rope 2 good Chainsaws……. One will breakdown so you need a back up Good pair of leather work gloves and hat.

Please send us any suggestions for this list. We will publish it every issue.

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Going Off-Grid. Investigated by Jason Bamber

So, you’ve thought about whether or not living off the grid is right for you; you know that it means no more utility bills and generating all of your own power, but what’s involved? It isn’t as easy as slapping a few solar panels on the roof; when it comes to generating off grid power, there are a handful of methods that you can combine to generate all the energy you’ll need to live comfortably off the grid.

Solar Power

A farmhouse can be adequately powered by eight 60 watt solar panels. That’s 2,300 watts which is more than sufficient to run a refrigerator, a freezer, two laptop computers, an LCD television and DVD player, satellite TV and Internet, a washing machine, and a kitchen fully stocked with appliances. Advice: Purchase additional solar panels as soon as you can afford them. Each additional solar panel will make your off-grid living more comfortable — ah, the simple joy of a toaster!

Off-Grid Battery Bank

You can install grid-tied solar panels without batteries, but to be off-grid, you’ll need batteries to store power for use at night. The batteries are the only part of the electrical system that requires regular attention.

You will need to monitor the batteries’ state of charge and periodically add distilled water to them, and you’ll need to ensure that your batteries never fall below 50 percent of their charge. Never paying an electricity bill or experiencing a power outage is more than enough compensation for the time you will spend maintaining your batteries.

Super-Size it! With today’s low PV panel

prices, strive to oversize both your solar array and your battery bank. You’ll worry less about maintaining your electricity system, and you’ll run your back up generator less often.

Wind Power for Off-Grid Living A well sited, 1-kilowatt wind turbine on a

100-foot tilt-up tower is ideal and worth the effort to install and maintain. It’s worth is proven when the wind power picks up the slack when solar conditions aren’t ideal. Diversify your energy sources. It will ensure you spend less time running your generator and makes dealing with unexpected emergencies less stressful. For example, should your wind turbine get struck by lightning and you need to lower the mast to repair it. 7


Septic Solutions Your Questions Answered. As Researched by Jason Bamber How long do septic systems last? Septic systems are designed to provide long-term, effective treatment of household waste when operated and maintained properly. However, most systems that fail prematurely are due to improper maintenance. Less serious problems are usually with plumbing (such as pipe blockages from tree roots growing into the pipe). Sometimes, the septic tank, although durable, can deteriorate or have other structural problems. The most serious problems are the result of a clogged drain field. Unfortunately, this is the most expensive to repair. Once the absorption field is clogged, it must be replaced and can be quite costly. What is the replacement or reserve area? This is an area that may be used for replacing or expanding the drain field. It must meet the same criteria, such as acceptable soils, setbacks, etc., as a regular drain field and should be protected in the same way. Â What happens when a septic system fails? How can I tell? Usually when a septic system fails, the drain field is not functioning properly. When a septic tank overflows, the effluent can pass to the drain field, clogging up the pipes. This causes sinks and toilets to back up in the house. Other signs include: slow draining toilets and drains, an odor of sewage, wet area on or near the drain field, or contaminated well water. How can I prevent a septic failure? Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! If your system has been properly designed, sited, and installed, the rest is up to you. Inspect your system annually and pump as needed (usually every 3-5 years), avoid excess water use, and watch what you put down the drain and flush down the toilet. Â What can I plant over my drain field and septic system? Grass is the ideal cover for drain fields. Grasses can be ornamental, mowed in a traditional lawn, or in an un-mowed meadow. Or, you can try groundcovers and ferns. Â What about landscape plastic or fabric under mulch, can that be placed over the drain field? No. Plastic reduces the necessary air exchange in the drain field soil. Even mulch or bark over the drain field is not recommended, because it reduces air exchange and retains water. 8


Homesteader’s Kitchen Essentials. Written by Tanya Bamber.

One of the hardest parts of homesteading is finding an environmentally friendly replacement for the cleaning products we use around the home. Being out in the countryside invariably means you are not connected to the main drainage system of the nearest village and will most probably have a septic tank to deal with your black and grey water disposal. In order to operate properly, these systems rely heavily on a balanced bacterial environment. Introducing harsh synthetic cleaners or bleach upsets the balance and kills the good bacteria rendering your septic tank nothing more than that. There are many products in our pantry and herb garden which make excellent natural cleaners and are safe to wash down the drain.

Lemon-infused vinegar, also known as

citrus vinegar, is simply a jar of lemon (or other citrus) rinds soaked for 2 weeks in white distilled vinegar. Citrus works great as a degreaser, stain remover and freshener. Vinegar is also a great cleaning agent, breaking down mold, grease, mineral deposits and bacteria. Combine the two and you have a great natural cleaner. Squeeze the juice out of 6 grapefruits or 8 oranges or 12 lemons or limes. Place the rinds into a glass jar. Pour white vinegar over top of the rinds until vinegar covers the rinds. Put a lid on it and let it sit for 2 weeks. Strain, and use diluted at a ratio of 1:1 citrus vinegar to water. Pour into a clean, empty spray bottle.

Distilled white vinegar. Vinegar diluted 1:1 with water in a spray bottle is perfect for cleaning mirrors and windows. Baking soda. Baking soda is perfect for lifting grease, soap scum and grime. Baking soda is also a great deodorizer. Lemons. Lemons can be used to clean a lot of surfaces. The acidity naturally kills germs and the fresh smell of lemons is pleasant. Baking soda and vinegar. When you add baking soda, a base, to vinegar, an acid, you neutralize the two of them and basically render both useless. I have read a lot of articles talking about combining the two to clean toilets etc. While the volcano-like explosion is pretty cool, in most cases it doesn’t actually achieve much since you have effectively created a neutral product. Baking soda and talc. This makes a wonderful carpet freshener, lifting dirt and smells. Sprinkle over your rugs or carpets and leave for 30 minutes before vacuuming it up. 9


The Kitchen:

Counter tops: Lemon-infused vinegar spray cuts grease and kills germs. Simply spray on and wipe down with a clean rag. Kitchen sinks: Lemon-infused vinegar spray works well, or if it is extra dirty, sprinkle with baking soda and scrub clean with a scrub brush. Alternatively, you can use a lemon that has been juiced, to scrub your sink with. Rinse clean. Stove tops: Lemon-infused vinegar spray will cut the grease. To help with burnt bits, make a baking soda paste with a bit of water, smear on, let sit for 30 minutes, then wipe clean. Floor: Hot water with a splash of vinegar will make laminate, tile and linoleum sparkle, leaving no build-up. Fridge: Spray down with lemon-infused citrus spray, then wipe clean. Leave an open box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb food odors. Replace the box every few months. Microwave: Heat up a small bowl of 1 cup vinegar for about 4 minutes. The vinegar and steam loosen the grime and make it easy to wipe clean with a rag. You can also use lemon juice the same way, with the same results. Stove fan filters: Bring water to boil in a large pan. Add 1/4 cup baking soda and mix well. Soak fan filters in it for 1 minute, then turn over, soak for 1 more minute, then remove and rinse. Dishwasher: Add white vinegar to the rinse compartment of your dishwasher to help prevent buildup on your dishes. Cutting boards: Clean stains and germs off of your cutting board by squeezing a lemon on the board and allowing it to sit for 30 minutes. Scrub clean.

The Bathroom:

Bath tub and shower stall: Scrub bathtub with a baking soda paste and a scrub brush. The baking soda cuts soap scum and grease off the tub and walls beautifully. Rinse clean. Toilet: Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet and scrub clean with toilet brush. Clean toilet seat, lid, and around base of toilet with lemon-infused vinegar spray. Wipe dry. Sink: Scrub sink clean with a baking soda paste and a scrub brush. Clean chrome or stainless steel with lemon-infused vinegar spray. Mirrors: Plain white vinegar in a spray bottle, diluted 1:1 with water does the best job of cleaning mirrors. Floors: Hot water with a splash of vinegar will keep bathroom floors clean and sparkly.

Other Areas: Floors: Hot water with a splash of vinegar will clean all floor surfaces beautifully. Walls: Lemon-infused vinegar spray cleans walls beautifully. Windows: Plain vinegar in a spray bottle diluted 1:1 with water. Dusting: Spray your duster very lightly with lemon-infused vinegar to replace products like Pledge. Carpets: to deodorize a carpet, sprinkle generously with baking soda, leave for 30 minutes, and then vacuum up. Mattresses: To deodorize urine or vomit stains sprinkle with baking soda, leave for 30 minutes, then vacuum. For fresh, wet stains, scrub with white vinegar and rinse with clean water. Test fabric first.

Laundry: lemon juice, placed directly on grease stains on fabric, and left to sit for 30 minutes, can lift the stain. Vinegar, poured directly on tomatobased fabric stains, can remove the stain. Test your fabric first. Tile grout: Lemon juice and an old tooth brush will bleach tile grout clean. Drains: One case in which baking soda and vinegar combined can work is with a clogged drain. Since the physical “explosion” can actually move things around, you can unclog a drain with it. Pour a cup of dry baking soda down the drain. Add a cup of vinegar. Immediately plug with a rag and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse down the concoction with boiling water and you may have success if the conditions are 10 right.


Essential Homemade Remedies for the Homesteader. Written by Tanya Bamber.

Headaches Eucalyptus, lavender and Peppermint essential oils are recommended for headaches. To use these essential oils for headaches, place one cup of warm water in a bowl and add a few drops of good quality essential oil. Wet a washcloth with this water and place it on your forehead. Alternatively, add 2 or 3 drops of one of these oils to a carrier oil such as olive oil, jojoba oil or sweet almond oil. Massage this oil mix into your temples. Apple cider vinegar is possibly one of the most popular recommended headache treatments. Anywhere from a spoonful to a quarter cup of ACV – mixed with water or juice, or however you can get it down. Grazes and scratches Cayenne Pepper This spicy treat is actually a wonder with cuts and bleeders. Just sprinkle a layer of ground cayenne pepper on a bleeding, open wound and then wrap a bandage around it. The bleeding stops and the pain is dulled. Leave this bandage on for an hour or two. Why cayenne helps cuts: Cayenne is incredibly high in a property called capsaicin. You probably know that it’s very effective in treating pain, but why? It dulls the nerve endings and sends messages to the brain to slow down pain impulses. Cayenne works to help stop bleeding by encouraging the clotting of blood. Lavender Essential Oil: It’s incredibly antibacterial, antiseptic, and soothing. Just put two drops on a small cotton ball and apply directly to scraped skin. It should soothe the pain, but more importantly, it will disinfect the wound and leave it less prone to infection.

Colds and flu For one mug of tea use: 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger (spicy, warming, immune balancing) 1/2 teaspoon chopped sage (spicy, antihistamine) 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme (spicy, antibiotic, antiviral) 1 teaspoon of natural organic honey (soothes the throat and sweetens the tea) Juice of half a lemon (sour, vitamin c) A dash of cayenne pepper (hot, immune enhancing) [optional] Place herbs in mug and cover with boiling water (leave enough room for your lemon juice). Cover and steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain herbs, mix in lemon juice and sip slowly. The warmth and natural antihistamine action of the herbs is great for congestion and runny noses. You can adjust the amount of the herbs a bit to taste. Bites, stings and itchy skin For cuts and sores, apply undiluted 1-2 drops of Lavender oil to targeted areas. If you have sensitive skin then mix 3-5 drops to about 20ml of carrier oil (almond oil) before applying directly to affected area. 11


Burns

Raw Potato Raw potato can treat minor skin burns due to its anti-irritating and soothing properties. It will alleviate the pain and reduce the chance of having blisters. Simply cut a slice of raw potato and rub it on the burn, making sure the juice from the potato is releasing over the area. Use this remedy soon after the burn occurs for best results. Honey Honey can effectively disinfect wounds and help heal burns. When applied to a burn, honey draws fluids out of the tissues and thus cleans the burned area. Spread honey on a gauze bandage and put it directly on the burn. Change the bandage three to four times a day.

Skin irritations and rashes

Apple cider vinegar is an effective antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent that relieves itching, especially itching associated with dry skin (for example: sunburns and dandruff). It’s also popularly used for pets with dry, itchy skin as well, by adding a few cupfuls to their bath water.

The Perfect Oatmeal Bath

Use only true organic oatmeal – not quick oats for this and all oatmeal home remedies. Using a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender, grinds your oats into a fine powder – this is called colloidal oatmeal. While you are drawing your very warm bath, add the powder under the faucet to ensure that it spreads throughout the water. Usually a few cups of colloidal oatmeal powder is enough to create the most amazing itch-stopping bath you can imagine! Keep the bathwater warm but not hot. Hot water can actually dry your skin out and cause more itching – so stay on the cooler side while you soak. A 15-25 minute soak is ideal and will give your skin enough time to reap all the benefits that oatmeal offers. As you step out of the tub, keep in mind that it may be slippery, so use extra caution.

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Live Like a King With only 5 bills a month Written by Jason Bamber.

Living off grid is not just for hippies and travellers. It can be a very rewarding life and a much

healthier option if you are raising children. You don’t necessarily have to forgo the essentials either. It is still possible to have cable TV, internet connection and some of the general creature comforts you are currently used to. The first step is to reduce the number of bills through switching over to off grid solutions for water, power and heating. Once you have found solutions for these then you are half way there. We have realistically narrowed down the list of essential bills you just can’t get away from to these 5: Land/habitation taxes, healthcare, fuel for vehicles and maintenance, internet and phone connection insurance policies Let’s begin with the very basic needs and see what can be done to remove the billing component. There are 2 distinct categories relating to costs, one being a certain level of investment to achieve zero billing and the other being no-cost tapping of resources for zero cost off the bat.

Water, doesn’t grow on trees, but falls from the sky. Catch it!

Any surface that has a relatively flat area that may slope downwards at some point can be used to funnel rain water to a holding tank or used directly. Rain water in a rural setting can be used for anything ranging from drinking water to flushing toilets. Usually clean if collected from clean or non-toxic surfaces, ready to drink and store for later consumption. When using rain water that has been stored in anything other than the cleanest of containers, boil and cool if there are any doubts. Storing water in large containers may require an investment, especially if for human consumption. Water for flushing toilets can be kept in more rudimentary containers. Water for bathing can be stored in both fashions mentioned already. Water storage for garden or animal use can be done in pits. If you have clay soil you are guaranteed to be able to have a pit that will hold water for longer than other soil types without major investments in liners and sleeves. Depressions in the ground with a plastic tarpaulin make super dams and ponds for animals watering needs, but if you want the best for your livestock, keep the options for your drinking water as a priority for theirs. Catching water is a varied as your imagination and thus only limited by it! An old boot can hold enough water to satisfy both horse and rider if John Wayne is to be believed. On the other hand, investing in long-lasting engineered products that will carry you cost-free for many years is also an option for those who don’t fancy a drink out of a sweaty shoe.

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Electricity and lighting are not the same thing!

I have never personally seen an angle-grinder run off a candle, but I have heard that a book read by candlelight is as it should be. A practical look at what you need electricity for can open a new world of innovation, in many cases you need not forgo the comforts you may have become accustomed to. An example of simplicity is placing a kettle on a wood burner in winter, you’ll be in tea and coffee for as long as you have a fire burning to keep the house warm. This is as good as a plugged in kettle but free of additional costs as you are already burning for warmth. Larger vessels will even get your bathing costs down to zero regarding water warming needs. If the wild-west style water heating is not for you, investing in emerging solar, wind or hydro-electric solutions will work just as well and better in many cases. Many homes with full ensembles of kitchen aides, radiators and lighting are already being serviced by photovoltaic, wind turbine or hydro-electric installations. Barn roofs and other sunny spots, windy fields and rivers or streams can generate all you need for large-scale equipment needs and still give you the chance to sell back to the grid if you choose a grid share installation. In some situations, hand tools can replace plug in ones if you are not in a position to outlay the finances for solar, wind or hydro solutions. For some of us, the use of hand-tools is the only way to do something properly, personal experience excludes bashing in fence posts in the hand tool discussion!!

Who knew you could feed yourself without going to the shops?!

If you are reading this then you have already given plenty of thought to the options that exist beyond the conventional means of obtaining food. Can you eat a tree? I can! A fallen tree that has been processed into firewood will fetch decent portions of lamb, beef, chicken, pork etc. etc. etc. in a trade with someone who needs firewood. Rural settings open a whole “new” world that has been around since the beginning of time, trading. Not many people have everything they need growing on their homestead, so are open to trading what they do have. You will be surprised how little you will have to buy if anything at all, if you have good networks and good products to trade with, you will satisfy almost every food requirement. We haven’t even touched on what you can grow yourself yet. Every small-holder probably starts with dabbling in vegetables. Slowly knocking items off their list to buy from the store, until all that remains are seasonal indulgences that are either impossible to grow or impossible to trade for.

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The Farm Gate In this issue of

The Farm Gate we will take a look at the basics of caring for and maintaining livestock in optimal health. A starting point for anyone interested in taking on a breed they have never kept before.

18 Back to the Land: keeping a dairy cow 23 The Joy of Raising Kids! 25 Sweet Success: Beekeeping for beginners 29 Horse care and stable management 31 Master of the Flock 33 Caring for Camelids 36 Clucking Marvelous! 38 Raising Bacon! 41 Land Management 43 Tool of the month 44 Breeder’s Directory 15


Meet Our Panel of Farm Gate Contributors...

Tamsin Cooper escaped the office in 2010 to move to a smallholding in north-west France to

raise dairy goats, laying hens and grow vegetables and fruit after volunteering at the UK’s largest goat sanctuary. With an aim of self-sufficiency in food, she and her partner support themselves, their acre of land and renovate their 18th century stone longère by working online and teaching English.

Fiona Prendergast lives in the Gers in South West France and has been a keen rider since childhood. She didn’t realise her dream of having her own horse until her twenties but it was worth the wait! She has had the privilege to ride and look after her own and other people’s horses in the fifteen years since. Nicholas Russell

holds a Diploma in Agriculture and has worked as stockman with 200 Limousin cows. He and his wife now own a smallholding in SW France where they breed Ouessant sheep.

Samantha Perry

is passionate about poultry and operates a successful smallholding with a flock of 50 birds.

Christopher Dagg operates a 75 acre smallholding raising high welfare rare breed pigs.

Pauline Whoerle is our French Dairy Consultant. After a master degree in sustainable agriculture and a childhood spent on her parents’ smallholding, Pauline is now an organic dairy farmer advisor in a consultancy. Alongside this job, she’s running “Ma ferme à la campagne”, a smallholder’s consultancy. She lives on her own little farm in Brittany with angora goats, chickens, a horse, a cat...and a partner! Nigel & Ginny Cobb

Nigel and Ginny have been breeding and supplying alpacas for 15 years in the UK, Spain and now France. Ginny has an extensive background in animal husbandry and while located in Spain she worked with the Spanish Alpaca Society, where she was responsible for Health and Welfare for all Alpaca herds across Spain. Here in France Ginny’s focus is on educating Alpaca owners across Europe in terms of health, welfare and husbandry practices through workshops and training sessions. Nigel has been on the board of The British Alpaca Society and when in Spain was the President of The Spanish Alpaca Society and recently gave a presentation at the World Alpaca Congress 2010. Nigel was also a committee member of the British Alpaca Society and is now a Committee member of Alpaga Developpement, one of the two main alpaca Associations in France.

Karl Boken and his family escaped

the rat-race several years ago to a rural retreat in the Creuse region of France. They keep poultry, pigs and sheep and are avid beekeepers and thouroughly enjoy the French country life.

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La Richardière Farm Gîtes and Alpaca Breeder

Three farm cottages on working smallholding with self-contained accommodation for 2 to 5 people, set near a sleepy village deep in the Normandy countryside but close to historic and beautiful sites of interest in Normandy, Brittany and Pays de la Loire. Situated in five acres of land with plenty of room for the children to play or to help with the animals, this peaceful spot also boasts a wide biodiversity of local wildlife and beautiful countryside views. www.normandyfarmgites.co.uk

Beautiful, healthy Huacaya crias are bred from excellent bloodlines. They produce good quality, fluffy fleece and make excellent breeders or pets. www.normandyalpacas.com Alex Barr and John Key, La Haute Richardière, 61350 SaintSiméon, Orne, Normandy Tel. 0033 (0)2 33 30 89 04 email. key.john@wanadoo.fr

Re opening this summer.

50640 Saint-Symphorien-des-Monts, Manche, Normandy www.parc-saint-symphorien.fr contact@parc-saint-symphorien.fr

> historic country park > rare breeds

> contemporary art > activities for children


Back to the Land: Keeping a dairy cow. Written by Pauline Whoerle. Let start with a little history: according to scientists, the first people to milk dairy cows were the British and northern people during the Neolithic period approximately 4000 B.C. It happened something like 4000 years after the first domestication of cattle’s wild ancestors: the Aurochs. The ability to digest milk has been slowly gained by humans between 5000 and 4000 B.C. It’ been due to a genetic modification of an enzyme which allow grown people to digest milk. Since then, dairy cattle have spread all over the world in various forms. The dairy industry is so well developed that there is approximately 270 million dairy cows all over the world. In France, we’ve around 3.7 million dairy cows and the United Kingdom no less than 1.8 million head. If you want quality, home grown is best. A cup in the morning, a drop in your afternoon tea or a home-made cheese: it’s all within your grasp with the help of your cow! However, keeping a dairy cow is not a light decision to take. Here are some tips to get started!

1. From the meadow to the bottle of milk Back to basics! To produce milk a cow must be in calf. To get pregnant, cows have two options nowadays: they can get an A.I. (Artificial Insemination) done by the vet or your local insemination center. With A.I. you choose the bull from a catalogue! Their other choice is to hire a bull for natural servicing. After nine months of waiting, the cow gives birth to one or two calves. Right after the birth, a cow produces the colostrum which is only good for the calf. After five days, the milk is good for drinking. After giving birth to calf a cow will produce milk for between 8 and 12 months, this period is called “lactation”. On a dairy farm, the average cow gives 6500 kg of milk per lactation. Depending on your resources, the breed you’ll chose and the features of your cow you can count on an average of 1500-3000 kg per cow and per lactation. Today in France, a family of four drinks 250 L per year. You will be adequately provided for with a dairy cow! 18


2. What about the calf? To keep it or not to keep it? That is the question! You can buy a cow that is already in lactation so you don’t have to worry with the calf issue…At least for the first year. A cow can have one calf per year after a “dry” period of at least 2 months before the due date. If you don’t want to keep the calf you must separate it from the mother as soon as it has taken his mother’s colostrum. But if you’re not against some meat along with some milk you can keep the calf at the cow’s foot and raise it until weaning. A calf needs about 1000 kg of milk until his 7th month so your consumption and his are not in competition. You can also raise the calf to sell it as a pet or replacement heifer although it won’t be easy unless you’ve got a rare breed cow. The pro’s of keeping the calf is that cattle are herd animals therefore having another friend is a good for your cow’s mental health. 3. Finding your cow! When looking for your first cow you’ve got different options: you can buy a young heifer in calf and thus you’ll have her all for the full duration of life, but the con’s are that you’ll have to train her and you at the same time. If you feel up to it no problem but if you want an easier start an then an experienced cow is a better option. Why not re-home a cow destined for culling? Most farmers get rid of cows that no longer fit their production scheme however most of them are still young and can make good family cows. In France, the “Bretonne Pie-Noire” a Brittany rare breed is a good family dairy cow as she’s small, nice tempered and produces 1000 to 3000kg of milk per year. The “Normande” and the “Brune of Alps” breeds are commonly found in professional farms, they are very sweet tempered, pretty rustic and are good milkers. You’ll find a lot of them who can be re-homed easily. If you want to go by UK breeds, why not try the Dexter? A good sturdy little cow mixing a dairy and meat type. If it’s your first time buying cattle go with a knowledgeable person, check the general overview of the farm, ask many questions to the farmer or the seller and see if he’s eager to answer. Good breeders are generally more than happy to provide information. Don’t forget to check the legal registration papers. All cattle must be registered to the E.D.E. (Etablissement départemental d’élevage) with their own number. If you get a cow, you’ll have to get registered at the E.D.E too. Once you’re decided on a breed, don’t forget to check you’ve enough room in the field for your cow!

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4. A cow’s home Cattle are weather proof animals and can bear to be outside in all weather. However, cows tend to prefer dry cold than heavy rain. A good hedge protecting from prevailing winds is a good start although a little shelter closed on three sides is the best! Some straw or sawdust as a mattress and your cow will be in a 5 star hotel!

5. The grass must be greener on your side of the fence. If you want to keep a dairy cow you must have a minimum of 1 hectare of grazing. The grass varieties mix must be adapted to your soil and to feeding a dairy cow. Your sowing mix must consist of at least 5 different types of grass like Rye-Grass, white clover, fescue, blue grass and alfalfa to cover your cows need throughout the seasons. Depending on your soil’s properties and your land management one hectare may not be enough to feed for the whole year round. 6. The daily ration of your dairy cow A lactating cow’s feed requirements are substantial. She will eat a minimum of 15kg of dry matter per day. For example, to get 15kg D.M. of grass, your cow has to pasture 75kg of fresh grass. During the winter, or if your grass is not providing enough nutrients to your cow, you may have to give her a supplement. Your basic complement will be hay. You can also give some cereals (barley or corn but not wheat) and some proteins through afalfa pellets. A basic winter ration: 1.5 kg of fresh grass 13 kg of good quality hay 500g of barley 1 kg of afalfa pellets Minerals to lick!

7. A little word on fencing Cows are most of time very easy to keep. A single electric wire at 50cm from the ground is all right. A more “build-up” fence can be useful if you’ve got a dangerous (or tempting!) neighborhood. 8. The milk run The cow’s udder will start to fully develop 4 to 2 weeks before calving. Your cow will need to get used to being touched on the udder and to stand still for at least 20 minutes beforehand to be able to milk her smoothly in the beginning. The milk comes through pressing the teats from top to bottom, repeating several times on each teat. If the cow is raising her calf, take what you need and leave the rest to the little one. If you’re milking the cow to the last drop make sure you feel the udder is “flat” by the time you’re done! If after a while you get fed up of milking by hand there are little mobile milking machines available and are very practical although rather pricey as they can cost about 1000€. A dairy cow needs to be milked 1-2 times a day. 20


9. Milk properties & Milk conservation Milk is mainly composed of water (87%). There is also lactose (milk-sugar: 48%), proteins (33%) and fat (41%) and various minerals (0.8%). The proportion can vary depending on your cow’s breed, her diet, her lactation stage and the season. It means that the milk you’ll get from your cow will be your very “own” milk. On top of that it won’t have any alteration through industrial processing. You can drink fresh milk without boiling it during the first 24h. If you want to keep it for 24h to 72h it is recommended to boil it. A gentler way to deal with your milk is to pasteurize it: 22 mins at 63°C is all it takes, but you will need an accurate thermometer! The best way to keep milk in time is to make butter or cheese. 10. Brushing, cuddle…and a name! Cows are very clever animals and can be very cuddly! They’ll enjoy a good brushing and can answer to their name. The name is a very important thing for your cow! Indeed, a recent American study showed that in professional farms cows who had a pet name used daily by the farmer tended to produce more milk!

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Smallholder courses & Friendly advice for smallholders in France Training courses

Sheep, goats, cattle, horses, hens & ducks Land management Smallholder’s natural pharmacy… …And many others For beginners and Advanced In group or for individual

Consultancy

Land management Rural properties evaluation French rural and farming legislation Horse’s ration Smallholders’ animal ration We help you find the right animals for your smallholding

Call Pauline  06 08 02 85 91  pauline@mafermealacampagne.fr

Based in Brittany and Centre Val de Loire. French and English spoken

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The Joy of Raising Kids! Written by Tamsin Cooper.

A growing number of people are now attracted to the idea of keeping a goat or two – maybe as a pet for the children or to keep the weeds down, perhaps from a desire to return to rural, natural living, or even to start small-scale, self-sufficient production of milk, cheese or meat. Whatever your reasons, the main motivation should always be that you really want goats. They are sensitive, intelligent animals that will be dependent on you for their welfare. First, they need a daily commitment of food and clean water, and it’s not as easy to find a goat-sitter as it is to find a cat-sitter when you want to go away. Then you need to consider their space and housing. They need good stock fencing and solid posts, as they will climb, butt and rub against it. One-metre-high fencing normally suffices but some goats may jump it and some, like pygmy goats, may also need a string of electric wire to stop them climbing over. If they are happy with their pasture they are less likely to try and escape. I have half an acre (2000 m2) of meadow, which worked fine for two or three goats. Now they are five in number they are still content with the land but I have to buy a lot more hay to supplement the pasture. Shelter is very important as goats are sensitive to draughts and don’t have the waterproof lanolin coats enjoyed by sheep. Draughtproof and waterproof shelters are a must, and you need to provide adequate space for resting and eating. Personal space is important to goats and they practise a dominance hierarchy. Dominant animals use their horns to establish their space, and subservient animals may lose out on food and rest if they do not have a large enough shelter, feed rack or enclosure. Fencing and shelter costs can add up to a considerable initial outlay, although once you have these facilities the goat is an extremely economical and efficient producer of milk and meat.

Contrary to popular belief, goats are fussy browsers. They don’t tend to crop grass short, leaving it much longer than a sheep would, and they favour trees, bushes, bark – and your roses! Any trees in their field will need to be protected. Also make sure that poisonous plants are not accessible. Goats normally leave poisonous plants alone or eat an insufficient amount to cause harm, but they can’t resist evergreen shrubs, like the laurel and privet often found in country gardens, which are lethal to goats, often through a gradual build-up of toxins in the body over a long period. The less fresh pasture they have, the more likely they are to eat too much of a bad thing.

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Healthcare is not difficult but goats do need regular treatment against diseases and parasites as well as frequent inspections to check that they are healthy. Hooves need trimming every 6–12 weeks to prevent painful infections and lameness, and you can learn to do this yourself. Goats are susceptible to worms and need regular preventive treatment and/or pasture rotation. You may want to vaccinate them against some of the more distressing diseases, which is not expensive if you learn to perform subcutaneous injections. Their digestive system is delicate and it is very important to provide the right feed at the right time of year. A breakdown in digestive function can be extremely serious, if not fatal. Hay must be provided throughout the year, not just in winter, and especially in spring when new growth starts, as it provides the essential roughage needed for a healthy gut. Mineral licks and other winter supplements are usually required. Dairy and meat production inevitably requires reproduction, which normally the doe performs without our help and with little trouble. However, I would recommend knowing your goats well and doing thorough research into potential problems before embarking on breeding. There is a lot that can go wrong and expert help will be required if it does. Any goat ownership requires legal registration and tagging, which is not difficult or expensive, as well as a vet’s visit every two years for blood samples.

So, once you are committed to the project, having decided on goats for your smallholding, you need to be knowledgeable about which goat to choose. Or, rather, which goats, as goats are a herd species and will become distressed if kept alone. The minimum number of goats you should have is two, preferably a couple who know each other and get on well; or, even better, two related animals. Your life will be much easier (and cheaper) if your goats get on well. Goats also make good companions for horses, donkeys and sheep, although they will always do better with their own kind. There are different breeds for dairy and meat; although the male offspring of dairy goats are normally used for meat, they won’t have much on them. Research your local breeds and make sure you know what a healthy, productive animal should look like. Choose friendly goats, as they will be easier for you to handle and manage. Be warned that some, especially males, enjoy playing butting games, which can lead to a few problems and present a danger to young children, but gentle and hornless goats can be found. I’d strongly advise meeting the goats and their owners before making your decision. Fortunately, I was given some great training at a goat sanctuary and found that goats suited me down to the ground and I love their temperament. Others are less lucky and find the animal too much of a bind, not fulfilling expectations or being too enthusiastic with its horns. Consequently, there are often goats looking for kind homes after failed experiments in ownership, so I feel it’s important for everyone involved to thoroughly research the nature and needs of goats before making that important decision to take them on. If you are well prepared and have chosen well, you will find you have affectionate animals full of character and intelligence who will provide you with many a laugh and even become your friends.

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Sweet Success: Beekeeping for Beginners.

Written by Karl Boken.

About 25 years ago we had a dream, it was

There are many reasons to keep bees and many people around the world seem to be doing so, some will be a recurring dream, in the dream we had retired early, attracted by the products of beekeeping, the honey, upped sticks and moved to France. We were sipping wine under the spreading arms of a large oak tree hiding wax, and the many other products you will receive from them. Some people keep bees because they want to from the heat of the midday sun, and wondering what our friends and ex colleagues were doing at this point in play their part in saving the environment. time, we dreamed we would have lots of animals with a Whatever your reason, if you do decide to keep bees large vegetable patch, sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens and you need to be able to put aside a few hours a week to bees. And here we are a few years later, with all of the observe the bees, and a little longer at key times during above, and some! the year. You should be fairly active because you will need to lift the frames full of honey. You will also need I enjoy all the animals but have found that the most satisfying are the bees. Beekeeping has changed my life to consider if you are allergic to bees and take advice from your doctor. in ways that you could not imagine. It’s very peaceful and an ideal substitution for the hectic way of life of my past and I have made some very good friends along the way. 25


Having a mentor, in my opinion, is a must and recommended by most established beekeepers. Finding a mentor near to where you live should not need too much detective work. Look for adverts local to you, selling honey or offering swarm control are a big give-away. Asking your mayor or neighbour who keeps bees is the easiest and will sure enough find you someone to speak to. I found my mentor (and now great friend) before I started looking! When I first arrived in France my French was very poor and when one of the local farmers wanted to talk to me about using some of my land to graze his cattle, he brought along a translator. That translator was Nigel and he has been helping me with bees ever since. I now look after his bees whilst he works his way to retirement; he hopes to live permanently in France in a few years. To start with you don’t need a lot of equipment obviously a complete bee hive and smoker will get you

started. It is advisable to buy brand new hives as you can guarantee they are free from diseases. A veil or suit is a must for a beginner. I opted for the full suit and when I started I wore two pairs of trousers and a thick jumper underneath. I had never been stung before (not by a bee anyway) and didn’t want to to take any chances. If you are buying bees in the Limousine area expect to pay up to 80€ in late spring. Beginners are also advised to start with two hives as this gives you some insurance should you get things wrong in your early years. You could easily lose a colony to disease or a swarm which leaves you no leeway if you have only one colony. I would advise you buy over wintered bees. You may be lucky enough to find or be given a swarm (a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon)

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You will need to decide and plan where you will locate you bees. Some people have them at the bottom of the garden, you don’t need a lot of space for a beehive, about a metre square will do. I have a friend in the next village who has a beehive on his balcony and regularly sits just a few feet away observing the bees but I would not recommend this for a beginner. Consider the surrounding area where the bees will forage, bees don’t just need flowers. Some trees are worth much more to the bees than flowers, and bees will forage up to 6 km daily from the hive. You will also need to take into consideration the rules and regulations for keeping bees relevant to where you live. I would in all cases have a conversation with your neighbour tell them your plans before you start. What will you put the hive on? Most bee keepers use a purpose built hive stand, some make there own or

use breeze block. I used an old metal bed frame given to me by a neighbour who had no more use for it and was throwing it out. When I started with bees I approached my neighbour to inform him I was thinking of keeping bees, he walked me around his garden and land and had a story to tell me about every tree, what type of fruit tree, when it was planted, the best year for fruit etc. He finished the ‘guided tour’ with a tasting of his home made cider and the comment that it was more than happy that there would be bees to attend his fruit trees. When I spoke to our mayor the only thing he asked me was if I had a recipe to make mead!

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I was very lucky finding my mentor, Nigel, as he kept bees in England and had loads of experience. He was kind enough to give me my first bees. Nigel’s plan was to build up his stock of bees in France whilst reducing his bees in England so that when he finally retires he can carry on with his bees in France. So although he was helping me by giving me my first bees I would be helping him in the future as he built up his hives in France. I purchased my first hive and smoker on the internet at Christmas time from the UK and decided to buy a ‘National’ type hive which is very popular in the UK. Nigel knew I was ready for bees and on his next visit in April he announced he was bringing me my first bees! I thought I must have misheard what he said and when he confirmed that his plan was to put them in the back of the car when he next came over I assumed he was joking. He wasn’t joking but knew exactly what he was doing. He had arranged a visit in the UK from The Food and Environment Research Agency and a guy from their

‘bee unit’ inspected the bees and provided a certificate in English and French to say that the bees were disease free and were fit for transporting to France. His wife Caroline however, informed him that he would need more than a certificate to get her into the car! Caroline did get into the car and all was well. She was eventually convinced by the double packing of the bees in their hive, although the noise of about 30,000 bees through the ventilation grill, she told me, was very nerve-racking. Anyway, bees arrived safe and I was able to let them out after a few hours of repose. Bees, like us humans, remember where they live and if you want to move them and not have them return to their old location, it is customary to move them less that 3 feet or more than 3 miles. So the journey through the tunnel from the UK was more than sufficient!

So I now had my bees, I read every book I could get my hands on and watched many u tube clips. I have found ‘The Fat Bee Man’ to be very informative! I am now in my forth year keeping bees and have changed my hive type to ‘dadant’ as I have realised that nearly all beekeepers in France have this type and if I wanted to buy or sell bees or indeed add to my hive numbers it would be much easier to have the same type. A complete dadant hive can be purchased in France for about €50. Spring is on its way and I am busy cleaning and repairing hive parts and frames ready for a busy summer. The bees are cosy in their hives, insulated from the severe frost which normally visits us in the Creuse area. I do heft them regularly. Hefting is merely gently lifting one

side of the hive a little to judge its weight. The aim is to know if the colony needs food or do they have enough of their own. If its necessary to feed them then we give them a fondant specially made for bees. We give this to the bees in winter as its easier to digest and minimises the risk of a build-up of moisture in the hive. During spring they will get a syrup solution as a supplement. At this point in time I am planning how to make a bee vacuum which will make it easier to collect swarms in spring. Swarms are the easiest way to obtain bees, its also the easiest way to loose them so being prepared both in the hive and with the correct equipment is essential to all beekeepers. 28 Happy beekeeping!


Essentials of Horse Care and Stable Management. Written by Fiona Prendergast.

As you look out across the land of your rural retreat in France, you imagine the silhouettes

aiding the condition of his coat. It also presents you with another opportunity for close inspection of your horse, not to mention the enjoyable bonding time it of horses in your fields. You conjure up the rhythmic offers the two of you. sound of their methodical grazing, the gentle snorts of An essential daily task is to pick out your horse’s contentment drifting across your grounds. hooves. Compacted dirt can be uncomfortable and For many, a move to France and a house with land hides stones or sticks which could be wedged and enables the fulfilment of a long-held ambition to keep causing damage to the hoof sole. Hang a couple of horses at home. Nothing connects you to your land hook picks around the place so they are always to and surrounding countryside like a horse to enjoy hand. it with. But before those silhouettes turn into real Check your horse’s water supply twice a day. The hooves meandering across your pasture, you need to average weight horse will drink around 50 litres of make sure you are prepared and ready to cover the water per day, and that can double in hot weather, so basics of horse care. ensure he has a clean, fresh supply at all times. In terms of the daily routine for your horse at home, If you are supplementing your horse’s grazing with hay aside from feeding carrots to him over the gate and or hard feed, you will need to feed these at the same scratching his neck, you’ll have a few jobs to do! time every day. Horses thrive on a strict routine and Whether stabled, turned out, or a combination of any deviation can cause them anxiety. If you normally both, every day you will need to give the horse an all feed at 8am, by 8:01 they will be letting you know over check, both visually and by running your hands you’re behind schedule! over him to check for bumps and cuts. Spotting minor In summer, you will need to apply fly repellent and a fly injuries or lameness early on means you can treat them mask or fringe attached to a head collar. If your horse immediately and prevent them becoming a bigger objects to sprays, apply it with a sponge or brush as you problem. groom him. In the heat of the French summer, it can You horse won’t need to be groomed as if he’s off to also be advisable to apply sun screen to any pink flesh, a show, but a quick brush all over will remove some especially around the muzzle, to prevent sunburn. 29 of the dust and dirt, keeping him comfortable and


If you decide to rug your horse in winter, you will need to check his rugs twice a day, ensuring they are lying properly and that chest and leg straps are secure, and surcingles are fastened and not twisted. Duties which are specific to keeping horses in fields start with a daily check of the fencing for breaks in posts or rails, or any sagging in electrical tape. If you are using electrical tape or wire, check daily that the voltage supply is working and set at your desired level. If you have a field shelter, check it regularly for wear and tear. A vital part of good pasture management and horse care is to ‘poo-pick’ the fields two to three times per week. Keeping fields clear of droppings is important in the control of parasites, aids grazing quality and attracts fewer flies. Ideally you will be rotating your grazing, again an important aspect of pasture management, so a regular task will be either moving grazing boundaries created using electric fencing, or moving the horses to new areas. As a general rule, once the grazing is down to 5 to 7 cm, it should be left to recover. Once it has reached 12 to 15cm it can be grazed again. Would-be owners of horses at home often assume that the climate in France lends itself to year-round fulltime turnout. There are, however, a variety of reasons you may choose to stable your horse. Whether your equine is stabled temporarily due to lameness or weather conditions, or it’s part of your regular routine, there is no escaping the fact that this will add duties and demands on time to your day. On top of taking care of feed, water and your horse himself every day you will need to ‘skip out’ the stable. Whatever your choice of bedding material (shavings, straw or rubber matting) you will need to remove droppings once or twice a day depending how much time the horse is in the stable. Any obvious patches of wet straw or shavings should also be removed. A full muck out, in other words, most of the bedding material is removed and replaced, should be done once or twice a week, again depending on how much time your horse is stabled for. After skipping or mucking out, tidy up the bedding and bank it up the sides of the stable to prevent your horse becoming ‘cast’, a term used to describe horses lying too close to the walls and therefore unable to get up. Generally speaking, you will need to allow about an hour to 90 minutes every day to take care of the regular horse-care duties. Of course, if the whole point of having your horse is to enjoy riding through the beautiful French countryside, factor in a lot more time! Looking out of your kitchen window at your own horses on your own land really is a dream come true for many, and one which life in France can make a reality. Plan well, go in with your eyes open and you will relish every moment of the unique opportunity your rural retreat offers you to have a horse at home.

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Master of the Flock

Written by Nicholas Russell.

We all come to France for various reasons. We like the Country and the people, We love their food, We are looking for another way of life, perhaps a little more laid back and quieter than we are used to. For what ever reason most of us reading this will be here, hopefully happily settled. All of us working on some kind of project. One thing is for sure, many of us have ended up with a lot more than a postage stamp hemmed in with 2 metre high panelled fencing and commonly called a garden. That is one of the things perhaps that was part of the enticement of France. A bit of land. We put in an offer on our house here back in 2003, which on a third attempt succeeded. And, in a typically french way the vendor turned around and added 3 hectares of woodland to be included in the sale. Well, that added to the 7 hectares included in the original sale made for a fair old smallholding. My wife and I had come from a Police and Social Services background respectively, and were looking for a less stressful retirement. No commuting long distances to work in the big city, just to ‘enjoy’ country living at the weekends. But heh, 25 or so acres of garden. No way. But yes it was all ours. After surveying our land and assessing our needs, my dear wife Janet took me to a parks and gardens suppliers and said to the salesman “My husband has come to buy a tractor, I have told him we are not leaving until he does.” So not to argue with the boss, I did, a small Kubota 4 wheel drive, together with a topper, a circular saw attachment, a log splitter and a trailer. “There you are.” she said “I don’t think you will have time for any golf.” Well I never had played, and wasn’t that interested in learning anyway. My fate was sealed. Work! But then I had just retired after working for her majesty for nearly 30 years. What had I let myself in for, I asked myself. Well like most of us coming over here, there was the house to be sorted, and then bit by bit things took shape. 1 bedroom when we arrived and then 4. At the same time when not labouring for our friendly french builder, we removed 1 kilometre of old sheep fencing and got that replaced. At last after about 3 years we had the land around the house newly fenced, and the grassland had been repeatedly topped and harrowed, which I dont think had happened for decades. for three consecutive years we hand rogued (pulled out) Ragwort, taking care to always wear gloves. Our labours paid off and now basically we don’t have a problem.

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Now what do we do with the land? fortunately as a Police pensioner we could have a reasonable standard of living, without the necessity to go out to work here. However saying that, we made sure that we had a lot of french friends, and thankfully can now say that the continuing effort of speaking french has paid off. Janet had always loved Alpacas, and decided on buying some. The keeping animals bit was probably inspired by the fact that before my time in her majesty’s constabulary, I had worked 5 years in farming, spending 3 years on a diploma course in Agriculture. So we had Jan’s Alpacas (6 of them), Chickens, ducks, some geese, two dogs and three cats, that was fine. But still the grass grew and was topped by me, again and again. About 3 years or so after we arrived, a french farmer friend of ours turned up one day. Opened his farm truck, and one by one dropped a Ram and a Ewe over the fence. He told us that he was given them, but didn’t want them, and they would help us keep the grass down. so that is how it all began.

Well I had always liked sheep, but never really had much to do with them, when I worked in farming, it was with both Beef and Dairy Cattle. I had never seen sheep like we had been given before. They were small, weighing about 20 kilo or so, and all black, and quite lively. Almost semi wild. They turned out to be Ouessant sheep. an endangered breed, originally brought to this part of Europe by the Vikings. One thing is for sure, the last thing you want to do as you get older is to have handling problems with large animals. If you can pick a Ram up under one arm, that can’t be bad. So that is how it all began. We now have a flock of 20 Ouessant Ewes, plus 5 Rams. So, there are several reasons for having sheep on a smallholding. Sheep will eat your grass, and can give you great pleasure watching the lambs frolicking in the spring, feeding perhaps an orphan lamb, and then not being able to send it to the Abattoir, because it loves you and yes you love it too. I am practical but sentimental as well and have never had a bottle fed lamb sent for slaughter. So if you want just a few, or a small flock, there is only one way to do things, and that is properly.

Go to your local chamber of Agriculture, and register to be a keeper of Sheep. It matters not if you are going to breed, or not, you must be registered. They will give you a Cheptel number, the number of your flock. This means you can get your ear tags which are obligatory. Your movement papers, Obligatory, send Sheep to the Abattoir, and also have free Carcass disposal in case of deadstock. So you are going to have a few sheep. Great, but there is normally a by-product. Can you actually imagine eating your own home reared lamb? I couldn’t until I did. forget the Supermarket, New Zealand, and even your local butcher if you have sheep.

You just can’t beat it. Janet, with the help of Hugh Ferney Whittingstall’s book has learnt to cut up the sheep and a very good job she does as well. Some of you reading this will only want sheep as pets. That’s fine, why not, we have our favourites too. If you hand rear one then you love it like you would your dog, well I do. Our first hand reared sheep, lived in the porch entrance for three months, and jumped on the settee for his bottle, he is still with us 6 years on as a dehorned castrated Wether. He still comes to us for cuddles. We know one lady who had two lambs from us as pets, she gives them digestive biscuits as treats. However, if you are going to have Farm Animals, you need to learn about them, and the basics of Vetinary medecine. I am not a farmer, and not an expert, but have training and qualifications, albeit from 1972. Some of the old ways are best, and old treatments very often do work. Having a few sheep around can give you great pleasure, and if you do it right, some nice tasty platters as a bonus. There are always people willing to give you advice. If you don’t know always ask. I wish you well. 32


Caring for Camelids

Written by Nigel & Ginny Cobb.

Alpacas come from South America and

belong to the camelid family which includes llamas, vicuňas, guanacos and camels. There are two types of alpacas – huacayas and suris. The former are the most numerous and the suris have a shiny long fleece – like dreadlocks, really.

only defecate in a few selected places around the field, keeping their own eating and sleeping quarters clean. Unlike sheep, Alpacas have soft feet, which means their impact on pasture is minimal. Their feet are a bit like our hands and feet, but with only two toes.

Alpacas are most numerous in Peru, where there are some four million of them. In Australia and America there are about 150,000 in each country, with the UK having some 30,000. The rest of Europe has about another 20,000.

Alpacas generally need approximately half a hectare for five or six animals. This, of course, depends on the quality of land. You can keep ten alpacas per hectare, but you will need to give more supplement and clean up more often as well as rotate your pastures.

Alpacas eat grass or hay but only about 1.5 kilos a day which is about 1/3rd of what a sheep will eat. They need access to fresh water and some shelter but need very little looking after on a daily basis. They have their nails cut two or three times a year and other than regular twice yearly vaccinations and worming when appropriate, they need very little veterinary care. They live between 15 and 20 years.

Alpacas are herd animals and enjoy company. They are great companions for horses and other typical farm animals but will need two or three others as company. A wethered male alpaca is a great companion for most any livestock.

At the same time, they can be excellent guard animals as they will help keep foxes and other predators from encroaching on your land. They have been known to be used to protect sheep and lambs from fox attacks during lambing. Alpacas are very clean. They don’t need ‘dagging’ and

Alpacas are shorn once a year and produce a wonderful fleece. These fleeces can be used to create pillows, duvets or processed and spun into yarn for knitting and weaving inot beautiful garments. When it comes to breeding alpacas, it is important to note that each female will produce only one cria a year. The gestation period is 11 to 11½ months, and the female can be mated again about 2/3 weeks after she 33 has given birth.


These beautiful animals are shy, but inquisitive by

nature. They will eat out of your hand and can be halter trained, however, unfortunately as much as you may be tempted they do not think much of hugs and kisses from humans! Come and visit- but beware. You may become enchanted! If you are considering having some of these animals to keep your fields under control, then please bear in mind the following. 1. Fresh water, absolutely essential 2. Fencing, no electric fence, but sheep stock fencing 1.2m high is ok. Alpacas don’t tend to challenge fencing. Fence posting is best done in the Autumn, or early Spring. 3. Make at least two paddocks if possible. 4. Make an enclosure where you will give the alpacas their daily concentrate. Then they will learn to get into the enclosure and you can then catch them if necessary. 5. Best to have shelter in the paddocks, but not absolutely necessary. 6. Chose animals that have been halter trained. If you want to breed then purchase at least two pregnant females that are due to birth around the same time. That will give the crias company. Useful to have a castrated male or two for company, as well. Don’t buy a stud male when you start, that will come later when you have a larger herd.

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Clucking Marvelous! Written by Samantha Perry.

There are almost as many reasons for

problems so you need to be aware of that before you take them on. keeping chickens as there are chicken breeds, so I would recommend if you have never kept chickens whatever reason you have for wanting one there is a before and don’t plan on breeding them, that you don’t chicken out there for you. get a cockerel, you don’t need one. Start off with a few First do a little research, find a breed that suits your needs. Ask yourself do you want lots of big brown eggs, hens of your choice, you can always add more or find yourself a cockerel later if you decide to do so. or blue eggs? Do you want to humanly rear meat for If you do decide you want to rear your own chicks your family? Do you want free rangers, or would you you can always buy some fertilized eggs from another just like to share your plot with some chummy little feathered friends that also lay you lovely eggs for your breeder. The advantages are that the money you spend on eggs is compensated by not having to feed a breakfast? cockerel, your birds wont become inter bred and you There are now so many different breeds of chickens and bantams available that it would take a whole book can chose a new breed of chicken every time. Another point to bare in mind is that some breeds of to list them all. Most are easy enough to care for and armed with a little knowledge and understanding of the cockerel are more aggressive than others; this can be towards their own hens or anything they consider a their needs, most breeds of chicken are not problematic to keep. There are some breeds however that have threat and that might be you, so choose carefully. special needs and may be more of a challenge. Such as the Yokohama these have extremely long tail feathers which means they need special housing, they are poor layers and by all accounts very aggressive towards people. So I would stay clear of those. If breed really is not an issue however and you don’t require copious amount of eggs or meat from your hens you could always take on some ex battery hens. Unfortunately all the while people continue to buy eggs from these factory birds there will always be factory farms. These girls are discarded when they no longer fill their required quota. Some may have issues or health 36


By far the biggest expense when getting chickens is housing. Ready made coops can be very expensive, second hand ones are like hens teeth and generally require attention. You may have something that you can adapt to suit their needs, an outbuilding, stable or garage. Chickens are not fussy about where they live but there are a few things you must consider to keep your hens safe, happy and healthy. Chickens can deal very well with the cold, after all the have their own duvets and will huddle together to keep warm. But they do not like damp or drafts or over heating in summer, always make sure your coop is really well ventilated; chickens poo a lot and the toxic gases from their own faeces can kill them. Make sure your coop is safe, fox proof and dog proof. Here in rural France more hens are taken by dogs than foxes, this includes dogs you may know. If you are buying a home for your hens I think sheds make the best and most affordable housing, they are easy to adapt, have the huge advantage that you can get in and access all of it. There is nothing worse than being on your knees and bent over double in a bid to get that last bit of poop out of an impossible to reach corner when it is peeing down or -10, I know because I have done it. The shed will be improved by making a little door for you hens, some perches and some where for them to lay their eggs. An old plastic container cut down works well, the sort that paraffin comes in or even cardboard boxes filled with straw. Both come out for easy cleaning and the cardboard rots down on your compost. In adverse weather, snow and storms your chickens can take refuse in their shed. In an ideal world there should be enough space to bring their food and water vessels inside, give them a corner to dust bath in and adequate perches to preen on and they will be quite happy until the weather improves.

All chickens like to free range but some are far more adventurous and outgoing than others. If your space is limited or it is not safe for them to have unsupervised freedom then you must bring the ranging to them. Chosen laid back breeds that can still be contented or you will have stressed and ill tempered birds. All chickens regardless of breed or size like to peck about and scratch. These needs can be easily met even in small spaces, a box filled with dried leaves or straw and a hand full of wheat and sunflower seeds is a good start. Chickens are omnivores and will eat a wide range of seeds, nuts, fruit, greens and insects; obviously a free ranging bird will find a lot of these things itself and hens that are more restricted will riley on you to add variety and interest to their diet. My own birds eat a lot of grass; when they are restricted to their pens they will force their heads through the wire to get at it so don’t deny them their greens. You can buy complete pellet chicken food in nearly all food and animals supply stores here in France; chick crumbs for the tiny ones, growers, up until laying age; which is about 20 or so weeks, depending on breed and season. Then they go on the layers pellets, or if you are bring birds on for meat they have finishing pellets. Unless you are very knowledgeable in the dietary needs of your birds these tried and tested formulas should form the base of your chicken’s diet. So to recap chickens need a dry safe place to roost, a place to pop their eggs, fresh water to drink, pellets suitable for their age and development, wheat as a treat. Greens or access to grass, somewhere to scratch about in and have a dust bath. And grit, don’t forget their grit, for they can not digest their food without it. But be warned chickens can become addictive I started off with just a few and now have around fifty.

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Raising Bacon! Written by Christopher Dagg.

We didn’t plan to buy a seventy-five

acre farm, it just happened that way. We were looking for a carp lake to get into the holiday angling business and the one we wanted had half a farm attached. Then we were faced with what to do with all the land. Our previous animal experience only ran to a couple of chickens in an Eglu. We had jokingly talked about llamas and after a little research they seemed like a good option to keep the vegetation at bay and add novelty value to our venue. We did a little llama trekking too. After the llamas came sheep and the occasional goat. Finally I decided to look into pigs as well. Before making any decisions, I went on the Pig Experience course with Lorraine Jones at Le Logis. After the day with friendly pigs and a dinner of delicious home-grown pork it was an easy decision and I became one of many Le Logis graduates. Our aim here at Les Fragnes is to produce high welfare, tasty pork for ourselves. We have the flexibility to sell a few weaners each year to offset costs or process them ourselves. In my costings we do not compete with cheap supermarket pork (even excluding labour costs), but that is not the purpose. We are relative beginners at raising pigs and do not set ourselves up as any sort of experts. This is just the story of the choices we made to produce high welfare, rare breed pork for our own consumption.

Space and rotation

Official guidelines are given in terms of legal minimums: DEFRA advises a maximum of 25 sows per hectare (10 per acre) for ideal land conditions of dry free draining soils. We currently have 1-2 pigs per quarter acre.

Fencing

All the pig manuals will talk about the need for robust fencing, either mesh with some form of buried deterrent to prevent the pigs from digging their way under, or electric fencing for fencetrained piglets. We opted for the latter. Our Le Logis boar is so well fence-trained that we cannot get him to move out of his field, not for love, money or sows. Our initial farrows resulted in well-behaved piglets who respected the fence. However, our last litter had a ring leader who seemed to consider all types of fencing as an intellectual challenge and an offence against his right to roam. He perfected and passed on a clod-throwing trick to earth the fence and escape. Eventually tiring of chasing them down, the gang were wrestled into a stable and maintained in 39 luxury until processing time.


Water

Pigs need a ready supply of clean water so we arranged our paddocks around an outside tap and fill the buckets by hose. We use a bucket positioned in a tyre as these are easy to clean. Despite the books stressing clean water, our pigs like to wash their face and feet in it before drinking so it is always muddy.

Feed

Our stock piglets had been weaned on pig nuts and we brought a packet with us. However, in our local area the tradition is either to formulate on the farm or feed cereal and a complementary mix to ensure the pig gets the required nutrients. The piglets transitioned to the new food type without any problems. We soak and sprout the wheat in the warmer months and cook a porridge in the colder months. This is labour intensive so we may soon be purchasing a mill to mix and grind our own feed. Outdoor pigs have the luxury of rooting for extra food and minerals and we follow the practice of taking clods of earth into the farrowing stable so the piglets can chew on them, gaining extra minerals such as iron. The rule of thumb for pigs is 1lb of feed per month of age up to 6 months so for an adult pig you are looking at 6lbs or 2.75Kg of food per day, usually in two or more feedings, and you should hear the language if they think that you are late!

Farrowing

We keep a stable for the farrowing with a little escape hatch where the piglets are attracted to the warm box (creep) heated by an IR lamp. After our experiences with other animals on the farm, we tend towards a watching rather than intervening role. Things to be careful of: Ear tags: do not buy an untagged pig. Pigs must be tagged in order to be legally moved around and to be processed at an abattoir. Tusks: these can inflict a nasty cut, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Electric fences: these carry a strong charge and believe me, it hurts! Check regularly since the wires can be broken or earthed, or plants build up around them and cause the charge to leak into the ground. Registration: the rules and regulations are there for a reason, so do inform yourself of them and abide by them. Health issues: there is a yearly Aujeszky’s test for outdoor pigs. The total cost of this comes to around ₏35 per pig.

Shelter

We built our shelters out of insulated panels that were left over from an industrial freezer project. These are very cool in the summer and warm in winter, but the pigs like to scratch against the supporting posts which results in repeated rebuilding.

General care

We are operating at a very low density with a breeding stock of two sows and a boar. We give the sows a long turnaround after each litter and are happy to raise one litter from each per year. Apart from routine treatment against parasites, we aim for minimum intervention. So far we have only had to treat the boar for a neck abscess. Our herd came from an Aujeszky’s-free herd and are tested annually (and rather pointlessly given that it is a closed herd). Our animals are well socialised which makes it easier to manage them. The boar likes his back to be scratched and will lie down for a tummy tickle. Having said that, they are treated with the appropriate respect for an animal of their size and their tendency to occasionally check to see if an arm or leg has been brought as food!

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Land Management

Written by Jason Bamber.

In the hopes of helping those readers who may be

Cold weather also puts additional demands on tools new to maintaining a larger piece of land than the large that may flex less due to their composition, something lawns they may have had before, here are some tips and that may spring in normal weather conditions may guidelines that may help you. snap in the cold. If you have bought a property that has overgrown and Winter can also play havoc with anything that carries been overrun by undesirable growth, you may want to or stores water, pipes may burst with freezing water visit our tool of the month section for the appropriate expanding in them, radiators in motorized equipment weapon to repel your invaders. may contain water or part-water-part-antifreeze that In addition to the right tool or tools, there are some basics will become sludgy and not work well if at all. you will need to keep in mind. Oil becomes more viscose, and may fall short of what - Cutting deals with the problem above ground only, it is intended to lubricate, leading to breakdowns or and in most cases just clears the way for new growth. failures. - Chemicals can be both friend and foe, application The lists are endless, the results are varied, so we varies as widely as the results. borrow a boy scout’s phrase of “Always be prepared.� - Going green in your methods and approach will be Lands, pastures and fields will have their own hard work, pulling roots strategically in order to ecosystems that lay dormant during winter or may protect a soil ecosystem will cost time struggle without help, be mindful of the types of - Trees, like human hair, like being maintained for best things that may be dormant and the things that may condition. be killed off or thinned out by freezing earth. Some pests will be reduced if their eggs are destroyed by - Grassy pastures can be beautiful to behold but freezes, you may lose some good things too. Do you deadly to any livestock you may have grazing it. have grasses that will survive a harsh winter? A variety of reactions to rich pastures ranging Seeds will generally survive a freeze, these can be from a flourishing animal to one that does not sewn to ensure germination and growth when a survive. Pick a type of pasture result that will spring thaw comes around, ensuring that vital compliment your intended livestock. grazing for livestock is ready to be consumed as early - If your figures show that you can farm 100 as possible. animals on a certain size pasture, remember to Winter behaves like a natural weed-killer, freezing cater for rotation and sacrificial pastures, and destroying fleshy weeds and other unwanted you may need to reduce your headcount. plants. If you are ever in any doubt as to what your - Seasons are different sets of rules for doing the land is capable of dealing with, leave a section same things. untouched/untreated and see what happens during We will try to highlight as many points as possible, the 4 seasons. This does not have to be a huge beginning with our current season of Winter. scientific endeavor, just a few square meters will Winter can have hidden benefits for maintaining give you a fantastic insight into how the rest would lands, some of those benefits are realized in the shape behave. Never replace a practical experiment with of frozen ground that can support a heavy tractor, theory if you can afford to do so. reduced growth for better tracing the stems of runOn the topic of practical experimentation, here ning or climbing weeds and denser cooler air that are some no-cost tests you can perform to detergives motorized equipment a bit more grunt. mine where you stand soil-wise. These test can be There are also some draw backs, hard ground that performed if you have cleared a bramble patch or may make for tougher earth moving like plowing harrowed out bracken. This test may be best left to or harrowing, much harsher working conditions for after plowing if the obviously poor growth is to be detailed manual tasks, lumpy clothing that restricts removed or mulched to make way for fresh planting. movement and hard starting motorized equipment. 41


The Squeeze Test

One of the most basic characteristics of soil is its composition. In general, soils are classified as clay soils, sandy soils, or loamy soils. Clay is nutrient rich, but slow draining. Sand is quick draining, but has trouble retaining nutrients and moisture. Loam is generally considered to be ideal soil because it retains moisture and nutrients but doesn’t stay soggy. To determine your soil type, take a handful of moist (but not wet) soil from your garden, and give it a firm squeeze. Then, open your hand. One of three things will happen: • It will hold its shape, and when you give it a light poke, it crumbles. Lucky you—this means you have luxurious loam! • It will hold its shape, and, when poked, sits stubbornly in your hand. This means you have clay soil. • It will fall apart as soon as you open your hand. This means you have sandy soil. Now that you know what type of soil you have, you can work on improving it.

The Worm Test

Worms are great indicators of the overall health of your soil, especially in terms of biological activity. If you have earthworms, chances are that you also have all of the beneficial microbes and bacteria that make for healthy soil and strong plants. To do the worm test: • Be sure the soil has warmed to at least 55 degrees, and that it is at least somewhat moist, but not soaking wet. • Dig a hole one foot across and one foot deep. Place the soil on a tarp or piece of cardboard. • Sift through the soil with your hands as you place it back into the hole, counting the earthworms as you go. • If you find at least ten worms, your soil is in pretty good shape. Less than that indicates that there may not be enough organic matter in your soil to support a healthy worm population, or that your soil is too acidic or alkaline.

The Percolation Test

It is also important to determine whether you have drainage problems or not. Some plants, such as certain culinary herbs, will eventually die if their roots stay too wet. To test your soil’s drainage: • Dig a hole about six inches wide and one foot deep. • Fill the hole with water and let it drain completely. • Fill it with water again. • Keep track of how long it takes for the water to drain. • If the water takes more than four hours to drain, you have poor drainage.

Ph Test

The Ph (acidity level) of your soil has a large part to do with how well your plants grow. Ph is tested on a scale of zero to fourteen, with zero being very acidic and fourteen being very alkaline. Most plants grow best in soil with a fairly neutral Ph, between six and seven. When the Ph level is lower than five or higher than eight, plants just won’t grow as well as they should. Every home and garden center carries Ph test kits. These kits are fairly accurate, but you must make sure you follow the testing instructions precisely. Once you know whether your soil Ph is a problem or not, you can begin working to correct the problem. • Scoop some soil into a container. Then, add a half-cup of vinegar. If the soil bubbles or fizzes, it’s alkaline. • If there’s no reaction, scoop a fresh soil sample into a second container. Add a half-cup of water and mix. Then, add a half-cup of baking soda. If the soil bubbles or fizzes the soil is highly acidic. Amend your soil with wood ash or lime, if it’s acidic. Amend your soil 42 with sulfur or pine needles, if it’s alkaline.


Tool of the Month Written by Jason Bamber

The 2 & 3 Bent Tooth Mulching Blades

For those of you reading this who may have struggled through removing a bramble or nettle bush with other tools, we know what you must be thinking right now. If you are sitting here muttering, “Never in a million years…” then have we got news for you! We, to be known as the pre-mulching blade folk, have used both methods. You know, the right way and the wrong way. We attacked a bramble bush with the following; saw-fish style hedge trimmer, old world scythe, regular circular-saw style blade for a strimmer, triple blade strimmer and even the wire version of the tradition strimming head. Those ranged from completely futile to below par, nothing seemed to do everything well, or even at all, in some cases. Enter the bent toothed strimming blade! With cutting on two axis’s, it will cut and chop, and as such clears the cut material away and down from a back swing. No more single cut stems just dropping back in the way and fouling your progress. Clean-up is now raking the scraps together and scooping them up for disposal, no longer do you need to manhandle a roll of prickly bramble stems or long lengths of stinging nettles. If you have anything above the level of lightweight gardening strimmer, this is going to work for your set-up. It is a heavy blade compared to a nylon head or round saw attachment, so spin up needs to be controlled and spin down for a free-spinning head will need to be considered. Any strimmer/brushcutter that has an internal head brake will likely be too light to cope with the blade. For additional encouragement, the durability is very good. If you are careful and avoid digging it into the soil or do your best to avoid feeding it stones and rocks, it will last a long time just eating brambles and nettles. So it earns the title of GOAT on two fronts, for its appetite for hedge growth as well as Greatest Of All Tools!

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Breeder’s Directory

If you would like to be included in our Breeder Directory please send us an email or give us a call. This service is free of charge and open to breeders from all over France.

Alpacas:

Normandy Alpacas Breeders of pure-bred Huacaya Alpacas. www.normandyalpacas.com

Hampshire Down Sheep Sharon Robinson Fenby - Breeders of Purebred Hampshire Down Sheep Le Coin Perdu, Le Bouin Roussines 16310 Charente tel. 0545236427

Europa alpacas Awardwinning Alpaca breeder. www.europaalpacas.com

Goats:

Farrlacey Alpacas www.farrlacey.eu Lypiatt Alpacas www.lypiattalpacas.com

Sheep:

Ouessant Groupement des Eleveurs du Mouton d’Ouessant 3 allée des sapins verts 44880 SAUTRON 02 98 78 70 23 brillet.abbe.gemo@gmail.com SB Ouessants http://ouessants.blogspot.fr/ Friends of the Ouessant Sheep www.mouton-ouessant.com Ecoferme Elevage d’animaux de ferme et compagnie en Bretagne France www.ecoferme.com Jacob Sheep Breeders of pure bred Jacob sheep in SW France. Chez Vignaud, Availles Limouzine. France (department 86) www.chezvignaud.com Suffolk sheep Elevage Suffolk Certifie Stéphanie & Alexandre ROLLIN www.mouton-suffolk-rollin-alexandre-stephanie.fr Vendeen sheep Vendeen breed association france www.mouton-vendeen.fr

Elevage d’animaux de ferme et compagnie en Bretagne France www.ecoferme.com Chevrettes de France www.chevrettes-de-france.com

Pigs:

The Perfect Pig Company www.theperfectpigcompany.com

Dairy Cows: Coming Soon!

Rabbits:

www.cuniculture.info An extensive website with everything you will need including listings of breeders in France.

Poultry:

Sharon Robinson Fenby - Breeders of Rare Breed Poultry Le Coin Perdu, Le Bouin Roussines 16310 Charente tel. 0545236427

Bees:

www.apiculture-france.com https://apiculteurs.info/liste An extensive list of bee breeders

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Off The Beaten Track... Road Tripping around France. Written by Tanya Bamber

With twice the surface area of Great Britain, and about the same population, France is a country with plenty of countryside. Mountains, beaches, countryside. We have it all right on our doorstep. 2015 is dedicated to exploratory road trips around France. Lets kick off 2015 with a South of France, Mediterranean Ramble. First and foremost: Pick up a Michelin France road map number 721. It’s clear and easy to read. Many of the major routes have smaller, prettier routes running roughly parallel; learn the key legend, and get off those highways. Second to that: I’m suggesting routes that in general would take three to four days, because I’m assuming you’re going to fly into/out of Paris. You can adjust these routes however you like, its nothing more than an inspirational suggestion! Our first road tripping route for 2015 is the Mediterranean ramble. Starting in Montpellier, there are two possible routes you can take: one through Provence, dipping down to the coast along the way; the other is to hug the coast the whole time. Either way, it’s pretty spectacular – it all depends on what you want to see and do. Ultimately these routes end in Nice. 45


The coastal route has some spectacular points of interest which should not be missed: Aigues-Mortes is a wonderful walled village on the sea, perfect for lunch. The drive from Montpellier to Arles goes through the Camargues. There are some great vineyards along this road, which goes through the protected Camargues wetlands, home of the famous wild white horses of the Camargues. From Arles to Marseille you could head up to Aix-en-Provence for the day, or stick to the coast and spend the day at the beach before arriving in Marseille. Just east of Marseille is Cassis, home to its namesake liqueur – and a beautiful little town in its own right. From Marseille to Nice, the drive itself is the star – but you can choose for yourself where to stop, from little-known seaside villages to glamorous St.-Tropez and Cannes. Nice is a great place to use as a final base from which to visit Monte Carlo, Antibes, and Grasse (perfume capital of the world).

Bon Voyage!

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Marketplace Directory Livestock Markets

LA FOIRE DES HEROLLES – the largest street market in France Les Herolles is in region 86 on the D123. It holds a market ever month on the 29th, unless the 29th falls on a Sunday then it is held the following Monday, and in February when there is no 29th it is held on the 28th instead. The market is set out in three distinct areas: - a traditional French street market where you will find fresh produce from all over France, some of it direct from the producers themselves, plus clothes, tools, ironmongery, tyres, knives, tractors, and much more. - poultry and small livestock market. It has two avenues of livestock – large producers selling professionally and usually in bulk although you can buy just one or two animals if you wish; the second is for smallholders selling surplus stock and some of these are at the market every month. Personally I prefer to buy from the smallholder as the livestock are usually in better condition. - a livestock market found at the opposite end to the poultry market. Here you will find all four legged animals except cows. There is a small car park adjoining the covered livestock area, and here pigs are sold there direct from the vehicles they arrive in. The livestock market does not start until 8:30 when a bell is rung and the chains are taken down to allow buyers in to make their trades. www.foire-des-herolles.fr

Next Issue...

OUT JUNE 2015

A sneak peak at what’s inside the next issue:

• Essential Skills Every Homesteader Just Can’t Do Without! • Working with Wool • Tool of the Month • The Farm Gate: Rare and Unconventional livestock breeds. • Pasture Toxicity

and much, much, more...

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Get In Touch... If you would like to contribute a story, personal experience or would like a question published and answered in the next issue of Rural Retreats, please contact us at editor@southwestpublications.com For advertising, paid or free listings, or to be included in our directory listings please send an email to advertising@southwestpublications.com Alternatively you can always give us a call on +33 (0)6 4898 1126

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Published by South West Publications Chez Vignaud 86460 Availles Limouzine France www.southwestpublications.com

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