Rural Retreats Magazine June 2015

R

Rural JUNE 2015

etreats ISSUE 2

OFF THE BLEATEN TRACK: RARE AND UNCONVENTIONAL BREEDS

Essential Homesteader Skills

Pa s t u r e T o x i c i t y PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

Welcome

First of all, a special THANKS to our readers for your support of our first issue and your great feedback which you will notice has been taken on board.

Once again Rural Retreats promises to be packed full of useful information, a resource for homesteading and smallholding in France. Spring and Summer are busy times for smallholders and homesteaders. Shearing sheep, making hay, and harvesting firewood for seasoning over summer are only a handful of the multitude of tasks that take place during this time of year.

That ice cold beer while relaxing in the hammock after a hard day in the sun is all the more well deserved!

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!

Contents

Homesteading Essentials: 1. The Urban Smallholder 2. Homesteader’s Essential Survival Kit 3. Going Off-grid 4. 101 Skills Every Homesteader Needs to Master Farm Gate: 1. The Bretonne-Pie-Noire 2. Get Your Goat!

3. A Swarm in June is Worth a Silver Spoon!

4. No Hoof, No Horse.

5. Raising Bacon!

6. Off the Bleaten Track.

7. I Like My Chickens Rare!

8. Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

9. Land Management: Pasture Toxicity 10. Tool of the month 11. Breeder’s Directory 12. Marketplace Directory

Colophon: EDITOR: Tanya Bamber DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jason Bamber ADVERTISING: Linda Upfold REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nigel & Ginny Cobb, Fiona Prendergast, Karl Boken, Samantha Perry, Lorraine Jones, Nicholas Russell, Pauline Woehrle, Tamsin Cooper, Jason & Tanya Bamber.

PHOTOGRAPHY: South West Publications, Wikimedia Commons and Contributing Authors, unless otherwise indicated.

COVER IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons 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.

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

FOR ALL ADVERTISING: Linda Upfold advertising@southwestpublications.com tel. +33(0)6 3876 5822

Chez

ignaud

Organic Dairy.

Fresh raw or pasturized milk, butter, extra thick double cream and clotted cream available daily from our beautiful Jersey cows!

We also have fresh full cream goats milk available for the lactose intollerant.

Farm Gate Sales.

High Welfare Organic Lamb or Cabrito: meat packs available direct from the farm to you.

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

The Urban Smallholder

By Tanya Bamber

For most of us producing all of our own food is just an idealistic dream. It evokes visions of acres of land, long work days in the sun, and expensive machinery. The reality is, none of these are necessary to achieve ‘farm to plate’ self-sufficiency.

There are many gardening techniques that can produce an abundance of food for you and your family without requiring a lot of space, money or equipment. What each of these methods will require is your time, but not the dawn-to-dusk work hours associated with farming.

Any size space is useable: Patios and terraces are ideal for container gardening and space-saving vertical gardens.

Small gardens can be a great place for container gardens, a small attractive chicken run and a fruit tree of your choice. Larger gardens can of course be more versatile and offer space for a greenhouse or planted garden area, chickens, a fruit tree or two and even the possibility of a small dairy goat to provide fresh milk daily! (By the way its only the male (buck) that smells!)

Livestock The easiest has to be chickens. Chickens need housing to protect them from foxes, and ideally they need a grassbased run on which they can be “rotated” so they don’t scratch it all up. Depending on the breed, each hen can produce 100-300 eggs per year, so you’ll need a few if your family has a serious egg habit. And in case you have neighbours who are horrified by the prospect of hens clucking around the garden, you should stress that chickens are unobtrusive, don’t smell and make little noise (as long as you don’t have a cockerel).

Nigerian Dwarf goats are gentle and easily trainable. This, along with their small size and colorful appearance, makes them popular as pets. Some breeders bottle-feed kids, which makes them more bonded with humans. They can be very friendly and can easily be trained to walk on a leash. As with all goats, does or neutered males (wethers) make the best pets, as bucks can have an objectionable odor. Nigerian Dwarfs, especially does and wethers, do well with children. Nigerian dwarfs are also easy birthers with very few birthing problems.

What to grow?

1. Start small. You need to give yourself time to adapt to a routine of looking after a vegetable garden. Too much will be too overwhelming and will make for a difficult experience. Once you have a winning season, you can be a little more adventurous with next year’s planting plans.

2. Get a major head-start on weeds with a raised bed. With a raised bed, you not only get excellent drainage and can control your soil quality, you can make weeding so much easier .

3. Know the basics. Be familiar with the basics of what you’re growing, including sun requirements, when to plant, and what kind of soil and fertilizer to fill your bed with.

4. Know which vegetables will grow easily in your area, and which ones won’t. For your first garden, start with easy growers, your best bet is to get advice from neighbours or local growers.

5. Keep your garden close to you. Out of sight out of mind is very true and not to mention difficult to water and weed.

6. Have a watering plan. for a garden to be successful, it has to be adequately watered. Make sure water is available close to your garden or you will be needing to buy a ridiculously long hose, poor water pressure, and lots of walking back and forth to turn the water on and off. The novelty will wear thin quickly and the garden won’t get watered nearly as much as it should.

7. Not all bugs are bad. It’s worth your time to quickly become familiar with which crawly things are pests and which are worth keeping around.

8. Become familiar with natural pest control. Some plants like hot peppers and garlic are natural bug repellants.

Find out what pests are in your area and research a plant which can be used as a natural repellant. Some herbs are also great for this!

Top 5 fruit and vegetables for....

1 Complete novices, small garden Garlic Lettuce Rocket Tomatoes Strawberries 2 Complete novices, bigger garden Broad beans Chard Leeks Raspberries Fruit trees 3 Gourmets Asparagus Broccoli, sprouting Fennel Quince Sweetcorn 4 Self-sufficiency enthusiasts Apples Cabbage Carrots Onions Potatoes

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.

Mulching head for your strimmer Basic hay-making equipment for your tractor.

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

Off grid

Ok, so going completely offgrid is nigh on impossible in the city but there are some things you can do to bring yourself closer to that goal of self sufficiency and control.

Water: Harvesting rainwater to water your vegetable garden or put through a domestic purification system will save you more than you realize. We consume water in various ways: washing dishes, laundry, flushing toilets, baths and showers, brushing teeth, and the list goes on. It all soon adds up, so if you have the opportunity to harvest and purify water for your own use you are well on your way to self sufficiency.

Power: Nearly all power companies these days offer a buy back option where you can sell power back to the grid if you have solar panels or a small wind turbine. There are many families who have successfully done this and are able to not only generate enough energy for themselves but are able to sell back to the grid thereby generating an income.

101 Essential Homesteading Skills

Part 1 of our series on 101 essential skills every homesteader can’t do without.

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Learn how to make the perfect pizza base Know how to properly prune and graft a fruit tree.

Learn first-aid and CPR. Know how to dehydrate foods to preserve for later use.

Give an animal an injection (the muscle, in the vein, or under the skin) Assist with foaling, kidding, lambing, and/or calving.

Know how to assist an animal with a difficult birth.

Grow a windowsill herb garden.

Learn how to safely cut down a tree.

Make perfect sausage gravy from scratch.

Know how to drive a manual transmission and/or tractor.

Learn basic metal working skills and welding.

Master basic mechanic skills so you can fix your tractors and vehicles.

Change a tire and change oil.

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Learn how to hunt wild game–both large and small.

Know how to properly handle, shoot, and clean a gun.

Learn the laws and regulations regarding hunting wild game in your area through a Hunter’s permit course (Permis de Chasse) Learn how to humanely kill, gut, and clean an animal.

Know how to butcher an animal and the proper cuts of meat.

Learn how to kill and pluck a chicken.

Use a smoker to smoke cheeses, meat, bacon, hams, etc.

Learn how to fish.

Learn how to clean, fillet, and cook fish.

Learn how to tell if your chickens are molting.

Know how to tell if you can doctor an animal at home, or if it needs to be taken to the vet.

Homemade Sausage Gravy • 250g sausage meat • Beef stock cube • 4 Tablespoons flour • 2 1/4 cups whole milk • 1 clove of garlic finely chopped • Half an onion finely chopped • 6 sliced mushrooms (optional) • Salt and pepper to taste In a large pan, cook the sausage meat, onion, garlic, mushrooms and stock cube until crispy browned but not burnt. You need several tablespoons of grease in the pan, so don’t drain it unless it’s absolutely swimming in grease.

Sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over the sausage. Stir it in thoroughly, coating the meat.

Allow this to cook and for 2-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Browning the flour keeps the gravy from tasting like you are eating raw flour.

Add the milk all at once. Mix well to incorporate, then bring to a low simmer and allow it to thicken to the desired thickness.

Serve over mashed potato, rice or with crusty bread.

Perfect Pizza Base 1 sachet active dry yeast 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 cup warm water (45degrees C) 2 1/2 cups bread flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Make your own laundry detergent.

Know how to build a fire.

Cook over an open fire or on a wood-burning stove.

Make cheese–master simple soft and hard cheeses.

Learn how to make yogurt.

Keep bees and harvest honey.

Make basic yeast dough which can be turned into loaves, rolls, buns, pretzels, etc.

Incubate fertilized eggs and hatch your own chicks.

Learn how to identify and manage a broody hen.

Learn how to cut, bale, and stack hay.

Make your own jellies and jams.

Master the art of intensive grazing so you can better manage your pastures.

Make your own soap.

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Basic Yeast Dough

Prep Time: 1 hr 5 mins Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Yield: 1 dough You can use this dough to make all kinds of rolls, and shapes. This will keep in the fridge up to 5 days. It mixes up quick, doesn’t need alot of kneading.

Ingredients 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast 1 cup warm water ( 105F to 115F) 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons shortening 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 -3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Directions Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, egg, salt, and half of flour; beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Place dough in a well greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free of drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk, or cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. (if refrigerating, let return to room temp before proceeding).

Punch dough down, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times. Shape and bake as desired.

Make your own candles.

Learn the art of no-till gardening.

Learn how to candle eggs so you can tell if they are fertilized.

Cook outside with a dutch oven.

Heat your home with wood or other sustainable sources.

Trim the feet of your goats and sheep.

Learn how to build and fix fence.

Master basic carpentry skills so you can repair outbuildings or even build basic furniture pieces.

Learn how to tan a hide.

Learn how to save seeds.

Use a water bath canner to preserve foods.

Learn how to use lacto-fermentation to preserve foods.

The Farm Gate In this issue of

1. The Bretonne-Pie-Noire 2. Get Your Goat!

The Farm Gate we will take 3. A Swarm in June is Worth a Silver Spoon! a look at haymaking, tool of 4. No Hoof, No Horse. the month and rare breeds, 5. Raising Bacon!

6. Off the Bleaten Track. as well as caring for and 7. I Like My Chickens Rare! maintaining livestock in 8. Make Hay While the Sun Shines! optimal health.

9. Land Management: Pasture Toxicity 10. Tool of the month 11. Breeder’s Directory

Meet Our Panel of Farm Gate Contributors...

Tamsin Cooper learned about goats by volunteering at the UK’s largest goat sanctuary,

Buttercups, in Maidstone, Kent. Then moving to Mayenne in north-west France, she and her partner set up their own dairy herd, laying flock and vegetable garden with the aim of selfsufficiency in food, studying farm animal behaviour and smallholding methods, while supporting themselves 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.

Lorraine Jones, owner

and operator of The Perfect Pig Company specializing in breeding and raising high welfare rare breed pigs.

Pauline Woehrle 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.

Rare Breeds: The Bretonne-Pie-Noire.

By Pauline Woehrle

The perfect dual purpose cow for your smallholding.

Your mind is settled: you definitely want a cow ! You must find the right one as living with such a big animal is a decision not to be taken lightly.

Local and rare breed cows have become more and more protected. Their commercial uses have been developed but it is an everyday struggle to keep them in production with a fairly large population. On this account, smallholders can be very helpful to preserve these breeds. Here in France, a great one to talk about is the Bretonne-Pie-Noire: a Brittany rare breed worth a look for any smallholder who wants to try his hand at raising cattle.

The Bretonne-Pie-Noire is France’s smallest cow with an average height of 1m17. They are originally black and white spotted much like her cousin the renowned Prim’Holstein. You can occasionally find some red and white spotted specimens however these are very rare.

Native to Brittany, their original herd is the mixed population found on the little homesteads in the region.

In 1840 the Durham breed was introduced to enhance the local cattle population. By 1862, the Bretonne-PieNoire population was the first breed in France to reach 70 000 head. After the Second World War the local breeds’ position was quickly debased. In 1975 only 15 000 Bretonnes-Pie-Noire were left in France. These beautiful cows waited 25 years to win back public support. The breeds popularity recently reached a climax with the Bretonne-Pie-Noire becoming one of the icons of 2010 for the “Slow food” movement. There are currently about 1700 Bretonnes-Pie-Noire in France. They are mostly bred in Brittany but had traveled to the Vosges’mountains and in Auvergne with success.

year round and are very good foragers, with the ability to overcome the challenges of wet ground and poor quality pastures. Reproduction qualities are excellent: One calf per year from the age of 28 months and can productively live for 20 years.

Very economical, in a professional situation, a BretonnePie-Noire only cost 15€ per year in veterinary fees and products. You can expect to be very rarely troubled with the vet if you get a Bretonne-Pie-Noire!

If your aim is to get some milk you can get as much as 3590 kg per lactation with a butterfat rate of 4.4% and a protein rate of 3.3%. In Brittany, professional farmers make “Gwell” a very creamy cheese typical of the Bretonne-Pie-Noire breed. You can also easily make butter from a milk with such a high butterfat rate.

Milk, meat or both?

The Bretonne-Pie-Noire is a lively but nice tempered dualpurpose breed. Very rustic breed, they can live outside all

You can get some further informations on www.races-de-bretagne.fr

A former homesteader’s cow in Brittany’s poorest areas, the Bretonne-Pie-Noire is also able to provide her owner with tasty and marbled meat. With a living weight of 300 to 450 kg for a cow and 600 kg for a bull you can get 200kg of meat per cow and 300kg for an ox. A very good yield for such a small and easy to keep breed.

If you’ve fallen for the Bretonne-Pie-Noire, expect to spend between 600 and 800€ for a young heifer in calf.

Beware of classified-ads’ advertising cheaper animals who are actually cross-bred and sold as pure bred. The best way to find the right one (or several!) Bretonne-PieNoire is to contact “L’union des Bretonnes Pie Noire”: www.bretonnepienoir.com or get in touch with Jean Boucher (bpn.bretonnepienoir@orange.fr) the society secretary.

Smallholder courses & Friendly advice for smallholders in France Training courses

Consultancy

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

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

Get Your Goat!

By Tamsin Cooper

Massif Central Does Photo: Valérie Corrège A strange expression, normally meaning to annoy someone, “to get one’s goat” comes from a 20th century American practice of stealing a nervous race-horse’s companion goat. Hopefully in the context of a smallholder it should be a much more enjoyable concept! At least it will be if you choose well, so here are some pointers to help you make the cheeriest caprine choices.

Milk, meat, pet or land management operative …

First think of the goats’ role in your homestead. There are different goat breeds for production purposes and characteristics vary between them. Most mother goats only produce enough milk for their kids so you will need a dairy or dual-purpose breed if you want milk, yoghurt or cheese. Male kids from dairy production usually go for meat as a side product, but if you are raising goats solely for meat, you might find a dedicated meat breed, like a Boer, more suitable as they are more muscular and grow more quickly. Alternatively you can choose a stocky dual-purpose type.

If you are looking for an animal to graze your field, bear in mind that a goat is choosy, despite what people say, and will browse here and there, taking only her favourite plants and will often leave grass and unfavoured weeds to grow. Goats rarely trim grass short, so if that is what you are looking for, you may prefer to keep sheep. You may be considering a goat to control your brambles, a job they love to do, but bear in mind they will need good fencing to keep them out of your garden. Tethering is difficult to manage safely and not all breeds are suited to it. Pygmies make cute pets but their fencing needs can be greater as they are very good at escaping. There are more docile agricultural and rare breeds who make super pets if they are used to people and to being handled.

What is a good goat?

Whatever her job, she needs to be people-friendly. Goats are often nervous of newcomers but if you stand at a distance to start with you can watch how she is with her current owner and see if she is easy to handle. If she is difficult to catch and treat, you are going to have a hard job managing her. Then check if she looks healthy, brighteyed, alert, ears forward, tail up, horizontal or diagonal but not between her legs. Check her bottom for signs of faeces. Goat dung should be hard and dry so soiling could indicate illness, unless it is spring and she is at pasture, as the fresh grass can have that effect too. If you can wait and see the goat eliminate you can check the faeces are round healthy pellets and, in the case of males that the urine flows well.

Looking the goat in the mouth You should check that the teeth on the lower jaw are intact and functional. Goats have eight teeth at the front of the lower jaw, then a gap, then molars further back on both jaws. A kid’s front eight teeth are small milk teeth until her second year when the two middle teeth are replaced with large adult ones. When she gets to two years old she should have four big teeth at the front and four small baby teeth. At three, all but the two outer teeth are replaced with adult ones. By four she has all her adult teeth. You can hazard a guess at age over four by evaluating the wear on the teeth but basically it is more important to consider whether they are good, strong and complete as a goat with bad teeth won’t be an efficient feeder.

Yearling teeth

2yr old with good teeth

3yr old with good teeth

Sex isn’t overrated Determining the sex of your prospective goat is obviously important for breeding and milking, but you may also want to consider for pets that females are often calmer than males once the juvenile stage is over. Entire males will emit a strong unpleasant odour in autumn and winter and perform mating rituals. Unless you want to breed you will probably regret taking on an uncastrated male due to their headstrong nature and extravagant sexual

behaviour. Males castrated as kids do not develop the buck odour and look like females. They can be a little more boisterous and have a tendency to butt, so you need to train them not to while they are young. They will always be big babies, so can be more affectionate, react more to dramas and be easily spoiled If the female hasn’t had kids before she won’t have an udder and you might find it quite hard to see the teats as they will be tight to the body. To check a goat’s sex, lift the tail. For a castrated male, only the anus will be seen, whereas the testicles of an entire buck should be quite obvious. A female should show a tiny triangular downpointing protrusion just below the anus.

Des Fosses Buck

Pick a nice pair When searching for a milk goat, I often came across does with one unusable teat and the seller tried to convince me it was OK because the other one worked fine, but if you have decided to breed or milk, insist on two healthy teats and a good udder. Goats should have two similarsized teats and the udder, if she has developed one yet, in two halves. If one half is more than 25% bigger than the other, she may have had mastitis and may develop it again. Check for swellings and hot or red udders, which also indicates infection. Mastitis is a serious and common udder infection which can cause a goat to lose the use of an udder or even lead to death. If she loses the use of an udder, her kids will have more difficulty feeding and may suffer nutritionally. Check she does not have a shrivelled udder half or teat which will not be operational when she kids again. A forked teat or any extra teats on the udder may also cause nursing problems and should be avoided.

Caprine characteristics Once you have decided what kind of goat you’d like, you can increase the chances of finding the right goat by choosing a breed known for the desired traits. On saying that, all goats are individuals and you need to take into consideration their upbringing and environment to get a full picture of their physiology and personality.

The most popular high-yielding milk goat in France is the Alpine or chamoisée des Alpes. Reputed to give 3 litres of milk a day for about 10 months, this is the goat mainly used in agricultural production. Very bold and inquisitive, kids are usually raised by hand which makes them very people-friendly. They are also very adaptable and cope with hot weather as well as low temperatures. The downside is that they can be very competitive with each other to find enough nutrition to support that high milk yield. Dominant herd members who haven’t been raised in a family flock can be aggressive with subordinate members. Their feet need very regular trimming if they are kept on pasture as they have fast-growing tough hooves adapted for mountain living. French alpines are smaller and more delicately boned than the British version, the coat is usually brown with black markings but there are often other colours, sometimes called chèvre de Savoie, and they almost always have horns, unless disbudded.

Often sellers will call a goat a chamoisée if it has the brown and black colouring, but be careful, they are often just referring to the colouring and markings. Alpines are often crossed with pygmies and a semi-pygmy will not make a good milker. Similarly, I have seen goats advertised as Alpine who are clearly semi-pygmy.

Saanans, the white goats, are also popular and give a similar yield of milk.

They are larger, stockier and calmer than Alpines. The Poitevine is an old breed from the west of France, which is now under protection after being close to wiped out last century. It is, however, a good milker, slightly lower yield than Alpine and Saanan, but the milk is highly rated for cheese.

Poitevines have a gentle, timid nature but are friendly if handled kindly from early on.

There are several protected rare breeds in France that are generally local, dual-purpose breeds kept by smallholders for milk, meat and to keep the weeds down. They have recently been recognised for their value as historic breeds with calmer natures and hardier qualities. Those who try to use them for commercial production find it hard to make ends meet, but breeders are encouraged to preserve their lines as their qualities may be invaluable to inject back into commercial stock in future. Some breeders are investigating their dual-purpose qualities with a view of reinstating their role in the smallholding. Due to their calmer natures they often make suitable pets, land browsers and companions but this depends on whether they have been handled kindly and habituated to human company.

Advertising antics I’m sure you weren’t born yesterday and don’t need telling to beware of advertising half truths. The common pitfalls I have come across is a seller will tell you their goat is four years old once its adult teeth are through and all sorts of goats are advertised as Alpine.

However, an older milker can make ideal the first doe for beginners and you can sometimes see adverts for chèvre de reforme, an ex-farm goat, who is less productive but easy to milk and handle.

Most males are sold uncastrated and often beginners buy them as cute kids not realising they will fight, butt and smell bad when older. Don’t take the sellers word for anything; always check sex, teats and teeth.

Lexicon – words to help you browse adverts and ask about your purchase: la chèvre, bique

goat, nanny-goat, doe

le bouc

buck, billy-goat

le bouc castré

wether, castrate

le chevreau, cabri

kid

la chevrette, biquette

female kid or female

that has not yet had

kids (maiden)

la mamelle

udder

le trayon

teat

une mammite

mastitis

le rendement

yield

chèvre laitière

milk goat

chèvre de reforme

mature milk goat

being sold for meat

bouclé(e)(s)

tagged

vacciné(e)(s)

vaccinated

vermifugé(e)(s)

wormed

répertorié(e)(s)

registered

une race à petit effectif

a rare breed

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

A Swarm in June is worth a silver spoon!

By Karl Boken

It feels like I am as busy as the bee as I prepare for spring with the Bees and the swarm season.

Ensuring that I have enough equipment, frames, wax, supers, extra bee hives etc is very important. Bees will do as they please, yes you can fool them sometimes, you can encourage them but if they are really determined to swarm they will It is natural for bees to swarm, they have been doing it for thousands of years, it is how they reproduce, without natural swarming the numbers will steadily decrease. Sometimes you can breed the inclination to swarm out of them but it will never be eliminated. Some bees swarm more than others, and some beekeepers will not breed from swarming colonies.

I personally think it is an opportunity to increase my stock.

There are a number of reasons why bees decide to swarm, too many bees, old queen, poor ventilation, not enough space etc and there are a number of alert signals that a beekeeper can see in the hive that will alert him to the fact that the bees are preparing to swarm If the bees have survived winter, they probably had about 10,000 to 20,000 bees in the hive. They are all female, the male bee are called drones, they are bigger than the female and have no sting, they have but one job and that is to mate with the queen, if they are successful they die and as winter approaches they are forced out of the hive and left to die.

I have lost two of my colonies this winter, many beekeepers blame the pesticides for all their losses, last year in my area 25% of bees colonies died during the winter. It is not the cold that kills bees but damp conditions, lack of food and yes of course diseases in the hive including the varroa mite and of course pesticides If they make it through the winter they are normally low on food come spring, and ensuring that they have enough food until the temperature rises and food becomes available is a must if the colony is to survive. I feed fondant if the temperature is really cold and sugar syrup as we move into spring here in the Creuse, France.

Bee food consists of nectar and pollen. The honey bee collects the nectar manufactured by plants then the complex chemistry that turns the nectar into honey starts inside the bee. Pollen is collected as bees visit the flowers and contains the protein and fat needed to feed young bees as they grow in the hive.

The bees quickly build up in numbers and can easily reach 50,000 in summer. Bees rely on the queen, there is only one and she is for obvious reason very important to them.

They know that she is in the hive because they can smell her. The queen produces a queen pheromone, which attracts the worker bees to her and encourages them to build comb, forage for food and tend to the brood in the hive. As the bee numbers grow in the hive it is more difficult for the bees to know that she is there and sometimes decide to create a new one or it may be that they just feel overcrowded and decide to split. Bees can create a new queen by feeding a normal egg exclusively with royal jelly, they will also do this if the queen dies or becomes old and stops laying eggs.

Once a queen decides to leave she can take with her up to 50% of the colony. They swirl around whilst scout bees find a new home, they may rest a while in a tree, but have been seen in many places.

Bees will nearly always swarm on a sunny day between about 11am and 4pm. Catching a swarm of bees is relatively simple and normally the hardest part of the process is the logistics of the swarm. Last year I was lucky enough to find or be called to six swarms which had settled in a number of locations including trees, sides of houses and outbuildings and church steps. The hardest by far was on the front wing of a black Ford Anglia. Clearly I couldn’t just tap them into a box, the owner of the 1962 Anglia was anxious enough, the swarm was covering the wing mirror which is situated as the name suggests on the wing! I had to use my cupped hands and a feather to brush them into a cardboard box, the owner of the car was very happy that I had not damaged his pride and joy, his wife signalled her appreciation through the safety of her kitchen window. Normally swarms that are hanging are easy to deal with by simply holding a cardboard box

under them and smartly tapping the branch thus making them fall into the box to be transported away. Then it’s the simple task to encourage them out of the cardboard box and into a hive! It is an amazing sight to see tens of thousands of bees marching into a hive. The bee will naturally walk up so what we do is lay a white sheet on the floor and ramped upwards to the hive door. Then just throw, yes throw the bees out of the box and onto the sheet.

This winter I decided that I would attempt to build a Bee Vac. There are many pictures and plans on the internet so I didn’t have to think too hard. The idea is simply to suck up the swarm gently into a box. As I write this am still waiting to try my new contraption.

Bees are not normally too aggressive when in swarm mode, just before they leave the hive they fill up on nectar for the journey and new house, a little like we would do for a long journey. When they have a full stomach they find it difficult to sting, so although a swarm of bees in your garden will look and sound alarming they shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. If you see a swarm please try to contact a beekeeper and not an exterminator. Beekeepers will normally take them off your hands for free As a Beekeeper if I can spot the signs early enough I can help them with finding a new home and therefore have a new colony of bees. It is also possible to fool the colony into thinking that they do not have a queen, they then make a new one, (or as is normally the case about 10) and just before the new queens emerge I move them individually and a few handfuls of bees to a small beehive thus creating a new colony.

Colonies that have swarmed in late spring tend not to make much honey for the beekeeper, and it is important that we leave the bees with enough food to get them through the winter months.

During summer a bee works itself to death and lives for only about 45 days. It will on average make about a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in the short lifetime. It is my job as a bee keeper to ensure that they have enough space to store some excess honey for myself and will hope to have plenty to harvest in early September.

No Hoof, No Horse!

By Fiona Prendergast

A Guide to Good Hoof Care Management It’s a well-coined phrase ‘No hoof, no horse,’ but there are few truer sayings. Healthy hoofs are fundamental to keeping your equine comfortable and active.

The hoof is an extremely complex and resilient part of the horse’s anatomy, designed to withstand the many stresses put on it, but it is a part of the horse which faces the most daily wear and tear, just like the tyres on your car!

Daily care of your horse’s hoofs is therefore essential. Compacted dirt or wedged stones or sticks can be uncomfortable and cause bruising to the sole of the foot, so pick out your horse or donkey’s hoofs twice per day. At the same time, check the hoof wall for heat (an indication of pain or infection) and the whole leg for lumps or cuts.

Always work from heel to toe when using the hoof pick to remove dirt, remembering that the ‘frog’ (the fleshy v-shaped part of the sole) is sensitive, and that too much pressure on the sole can also be uncomfortable. Hoof oil and other nourishing hoof treatments can be applied when the weather and ground are particularly dry.

Hoof care goes beyond just the daily routine, however, and each horse will need their own hoof care programme.

I talked to Chris Selwyn who is a native British farrier operating out of Limousin, France, about good hoof care management and how it might differ here in France from the UK. Chris qualified as a farrier in the U.K in 1997 from Hereford farriery college with a Dip WCF after serving a 5 year apprenticeship in Wiltshire. He successfully ran his own farriery business in the U.K for 18 years before coming to France and setting up Englishfarrierinfrance.com. He is therefore in a good position to offer advice and to weigh up French farriery verses what we’d experience in the UK.

No matter where in the world you are, Chris emphasises that you should plan for having a visit from your farrier, or ‘maréchal-ferrant’, every four to eight weeks to maintain an optimal trimming or shoeing cycle, though it will depend on the individual horse. This regular attention is essential to keep the hoofs “balanced and healthy in domestication” he points out.

“With your farrier, work out a shoeing cycle which takes into consideration the breed, discipline and husbandry of the horse” Chris advises. A horse kept at grass and lightly hacked out on soft ground is going to need different hoofcare management from a horse who is competing or one who is covering a lot of ground on tarmac or gravel. Chris highlights that a regular shoeing or trim cycle “keeps the hoofs up together, balanced and can highlight any issues or problems before they take hold, as well as helping the horse to keep sound.”

To get the best possible service from your farrier, and for safety reasons, always present your horse with, as far as possible, clean, dry feet. “Try to provide a clean, dry and level shoeing surface, too,” adds Chris. Having the horse tied up with a hay net and clean hoofs ready for your farrier’s arrival is ideal.

Never hesitate to consult your farrier about any issues or concerns you may have – this applies from the very first appointment through to every step of the shoeing or trimming cycle. Your farrier can help with a variety of issues with the use of remedial work on the hoofs.

Remedial work is the correcting of, or contribution to the correcting of, a condition or problem, whether it be congenital, down to conformation, or due to disease or illness. Chris gives examples of where remedial work may be used as cases of laminitis, navicular disease, side bone, ring bone, or even gait issues, just to name a few.

Chris emphasises that the work carried out is dependent on the individual needs of the horse and is always pursued under consultation with a vet, as often x-rays or medications are also needed. “To achieve the best outcome of remedial work it is important for vet, farrier and owner to work together,” highlights Chris.

I asked Chris if there is much difference between what horse owners will experience regarding farriery in France verses the UK. The age-old art of farriery is fairly

consistent around the world, but in his experience “the French style of shoeing seems to be a wider and longer fit of the shoes on the hoofs. The shoes used are also heavier than what we’d utilise in the UK.” In terms of the fees charged in France verses the UK, according to Chris, as in the UK, prices can vary an awful lot. Chris suggests that this variance is more down to location than anything else and that owners can expect a set of shoes to set them back 80 to 100 euros depending on the farrier.

In spite of the warmer climate here in France, Chris does not experience much difference in the sorts of hoof problems horse owners encounter here. “In the height of summer hoofs can become quite dry but if looked after within a regular shoeing or trim cycle, they should give no problems,” explains Chris. “This is one of the most important starting points for good hooves – get them regularly seen to! Unfortunately, this is often over looked by clients!”

Healthy hoofs are essential to the well-being and way of going of your horse. By combining a good daily hoof care routine with a regular shoeing or trimming program, you’ll keep your equine sound and active. Consider your farrier part of the overall team which keep your horse happy and healthy, and you, your horse and your farrier will achieve the best results!

Raising Bacon: Rare Breed Pig Profiles

By Lorraine Jones

Gloucestershire Old Spot:

The GOS is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county of Gloucestershire in England. The GOS pig is known for its docility, intelligence, and as a prolific breeder. Boars reach a mature weight of about 270kg and sows about 225kg. Slaughter weight is reached at about 6-7 months and averages 70-80kg dead weight carcass. The breed’s maternal skills enable it to raise large litters of piglets on pasture. Its disposition and self sufficiency is attractive to farmers raising pasture pigs and those who want to add pigs to diversified operations, smallholders and homesteaders. They are generally quieter and easily handled.

It has a very fine carcass and produces top quality flavorful meat for all purposes be it pork chops, roasting joints or sausages Average price: 65 euros for weaners.

Berkshire: Berkshire pigs are a rare breed of pig originating from the English county of Berkshire.

They have an excellent disposition. Friendly and curious.

They have a good mothering ability with high milk production. They are hardy, and perform well in outdoor operations.

Herds of the breed are still maintained in England by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust at Aldenham Country Park, Hertfordshire, and by the South of England Rare Breeds Centre in Kent.

Expected slaughter weight is 60-80kg for 6-8 month old, the older is more suitable for bacon.

Berkshire pork is renowned for its richness, texture, marbling, juiciness, tenderness and overall depth of flavor. It is thought by many to be the Kobe beef of pork. It is said to have a very specific taste, not generic and bland or mild like regular pork. Its high fat content makes it suitable for long cooking and high-temperature cooking.

Average price: 66 euros for weaners.

Off the Bleaten Track

By Nicholas Russell

Well I must have written something of interest back in February, because Tanya, called on me again to write another article for you. This time about the Ouessant Sheep breed.

If you read my previous article, you will remember that, my wife Janet, and I are both retired here in France with a 10 Hectare smallholding in Brigueuil, Poitou Charente. Our flock of Ouessant sheep all started as I said with a french farmer friend, literally dropping off a Ram and a Ewe over our fence one day about 6 years ago. It has mushroomed so to speak from there.

I had never heard of this breed until these two Vagrants arrived, so decided to research it. The Internet was of great help, as was Renee of SB Ouessants (on facebook). She has gone into the breeds’ genetics amongst other things in great depth, and certainly knows more about the history of the breed than I. However, the Ouessant breed, is a member of the North European Short Tailed family of sheep. There are many breeds in this particular family, British, French, Scandinavian, Icelandic, and even Russian. They are thought to be related to the wild “Mouflon Sheep” of Europe, but naturally very much smaller in size. some of these breeds’ names you may have heard of, Hebridean, Soay, North Ronaldsay, Shetland, Faroes, and the Romanov, to name but a few.

They are mostly black in colour, but also black/brown and also white are not uncommon. The males have wonderful curly horns, but as an indication of pure breed the females should be naturally polled. If you want to keep the breed pure, or upgrade your flock in time to be more true to type, don’t keep ewe lambs from ‘horned’ females for breeding.

They are all thought to have arrived in Northern Europe, probably with the Vikings, who brought them with them on their long conquering voyages, either to eat en route, or produce meat for the lands they were to conquer. Imagine trying to get a cow or a bull in a Viking Long Ship, a little impossible to say the least. So as you can see all these different, but yet closely related breeds have developed individually on the various northern islands, either adapting to, and, or taking on various characteristics in relation to their particular habitat.

As a Smallholder, why should you keep sheep? What can sheep do for you? What do they merit from You? and to answer this question, why choose the breed OUESSANT? Well you can keep sheep because you like them. They do not tend to be aggressive, (but always watch the Rams whatever breed)! you do not need a lot of land to have a few, and they certainly keep you the owners out of mischief.

Sheep can keep all your pasture tidy, and your garden as well, so long as you do not cultivate poisonous plants They can give you Wool, should you wish to experiment with spinning, Knitting or Weaving. They can also provide you, your family and friends possibly with your own meat.

What do they merit from you? Good husbandry techniques i.e. the way you look after them, Shearing, foot trimming etc. The necessary Vetinary treatment, as and when required, hopefully preventative. Certainly vaccination against a host of common bacterial diseases. Regular worming 3 or 4 times per year. They need shelter for intense wet or cold weather. They need your love and attention. They also need feeding correctly. The best and copious quantity of feed is not the best for them by any means.

Why should you choose the Ouessant breed. Well they are classed as a rare breed, so once you have them, you are going to continue the circle of life and keep that breed going. They are small and easy to handle as we get older, but not necessarily to catch. They are an ideal sheep to mow your grass, so long as your land is properly fenced. They will give you untold pleasure seeing them living their daily lives, and I have to say they will provide a wonderful flavoursome meat on your plate, if you can get over the Abattoir bit. For us they are ideal, and if you are considering having some sheep as a non commercial smallholder, then they could be just what you are looking for. They are not that easy to find, at the correct price in my personal opinion. you will find many on leboncoin.fr. Usually males, unwanted by non registered landowners. You can pick these up cheap. Get registered, and bring them on, on your grass. At 8 months or so, you will have a full freezer. But breeding Ewes tend to be quite expensive, Unless of course they are super pedigree ones and show winners.

Remember my motto, if you don’t know ask. There are many of us only too willing to help you guys with advice.

Nobody knows it all, we only know what works well for us. We can all learn something every day.

Hope you all have enjoyed reading this article and now know more about the little black sheep, which could be mowing your grass soon.

Nick Russell

Next time, I am hoping to address the merits of selective breeding, and timing nature to suite you.

Other Rare Breeds:

The Valais Blacknose, is a breed of domestic sheep originating in the Valais region of Switzerland. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for meat and for wool.

Both rams and ewes are horned.

The earliest mention of these sheep dates back to the 1400’s. It has adapted well to life in the high mountains and grazes even on the steepest, stoniest slopes. The black patches on its nose, eyes, ears, knees, hocks and feet and otherwise light woolly coats make it quite unmistakeable!

They are mostly found in the mountains of Switzerland, although there are a couple of breeders in Germany.

The rams weigh in at between 80 – 130kg, and ewes can be expected to reach a weight of 70-90kg.

Valais Blacknose sheep, although rare, are known to be good for their meat as they are large animals. They are also well known for their wool, which is best used for felting and for carpets.

This is a hard to find breed and will set you back anywhere from 600 to 2500 euro!

The Racka is a breed of sheep known for its unusual spiral-shaped horns, and may grow up to 2.0 ft (0.61 m) long. The smallest standard length is 20 in (51 cm) for rams and 12–15 in (30–38 cm) for ewes.

Originating in Hungary, the Racka has existed since at least the 1800. It is a hardy, multi-purpose breed used for milking, wool and meat. Their wool is long and coarse, and appears in two general types: a cream wool with light brown faces and legs, and a black variation. Ewes weigh around 88 lb (40 kg), and rams 132 lb (60 kg).

The breed’s unique appearance and quiet disposition would make it a desirable animal for hobby farming.

I like my chickens rare!

By Samantha Perry

The Russian Orloff

Some breeds do and some breeds don’t.

Apparently there are well over 50 billion chickens in the world (and that’s not including mine) and more than 100 different breeds. That’s a lot of chicken.

So why, are some chickens breeds considered rare and why are some people investing a lot of time and money into saving them? Surely one chicken is much like another? Well apparently not and it may be one of these rare chickens that ends up feeding the world.

People have been breeding chickens since 6000 BC. And over time chickens have been transported to every corner of the globe. Different people selected different attributes to utilize and enhance these birds for food, fighting, and ornament. Selecting traits as desired, so we now have chicken breeds that look and behave distinctively different from each other. Some are now great egg layers or really fast growers, good free rangers, or placid birds that can with stand confinement, or tolerate extreme cold or heat.

In short we have taken chickens from the forest to fill our farms and factories and flourish with our families.

Most of the chickens that you will find in farms, feeding countless people every day look remarkably alike and that is because they are. They have been selectively bread, from the best of the best, for either meat or egg production and not, as many think, meat and eggs. A meat bird has been bread to grow fat really fast; it is normally white with low bone to meat ratio. An egg layer is a much smaller lighter bird that can produce 300 + eggs year for about 18 months. And these hand full of modern breeds account for nearly all the farmed chickens in the world.

But small scale farmers, and back garden chicken keepers often chose to keep some of the other chicken breeds that are available, and some even seek out breeds that are not readily available at all. For some of these rare breeds possess special traits that many modern breeds lack.

Some of the ancestors to rare breeds have been lost or where never documented, so once these breeds vanish they are gone for good. Considering all off the other breeds available does this really matter? Apart from the benefit of personal preference and variety, who cares?

With all the conflict and chaos in the world why bother about a few fading chickens?

An awful lot of people depend on chickens. Chicken meat, eggs and even fertilizer all help to make our world go round, I hope we would not grind to a stop without them but life would suddenly become more complex. Eggs and derivatives from chickens go in to a lot of processed foods.

The Sultan

I think we must all have all heard of the potato famine, how people starved or were forced to flee their homes because the one crop they where all dependant on became blighted and failed. They only grew one kind of potato “Lumper”. Maybe if they had grown more variety that story would have been different. I guess the moral is don’t though all of your eggs into one basket!

Having lots of different varieties or breeds means that the species has a large pool of genetic diversity. Some of these traits may not seem important and some may still be unknown but what does not seem important today could help to feed people in the future. Some of these traits just might hold the key to disease resistance and in a time when the use of antibiotics is becoming questionable this may have more value than you think.

There maybe a breed out there that has a natural resistance to bird flu or can cope well with parasites in a warming climate.

If breed enthusiasts did not continue with rare breeds such as the Scots Dumpy, Dutch Owlbeard and the Rumpless Booted they would be lost forever. And if we left the decision making about breed survival to the chicken industry the variety may become somewhat limited. After all their main concern is to get a profitable product to the shops.

And if the names Rosecomb, Marsh Daisy and Sicilian Buttercup don’t make you want to search out these elusive birds then maybe other reasons will. Rare breeds might also appeal to hobby farms or petting farms that want something a little different from the norm, for visitors and guests to enjoy. There may be practical reasons for acquiring them too. The Russian Orloff is a large hardy breed, as the name suggests it comes from Russia, and was bread mainly for meat. It can cope with really cold winters, and is a good choice if you want a placid bird that is capable of foraging for most of its food.

The Sultan is also a beautiful bird in need of salvation.

It would be most suited to people that are prepared to go the extra mile. They are quite distinct in their ebony white plumage, big crests, which cover their tiny combs, and well feathered feet. They are best suited to a home

that can offer them cover from the winter wet. They are clam and friendly so make lovely pets that will pay your hospitality by supplying you with fresh eggs.

The Ixworth is another white neat looking bird with a tiny comb. It too has fallen out of favour with the masses.

However they are a great dual purpose and independent, chickens. The hens lay a fair number of eggs and the unwanted roosters make good table birds. They cope well in confinement or can be left to free range if space allows.

Not all chickens are the same and all breeds have their own unique merit. As they say, some breeds do and some breeds don’t. Some breeds need a little bit of extra loving and some just wont. But at the end of the day it is down to our personal preference which breeds we choose. And I am grateful that there are people out there, dedicating their time and effort to ensure that will still have that choice.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

By Jason Bamber

There are few things more likely to conjure the idea of country life than a haystack, a hay bale or a pitchfork.

In modern times, the skills to harvest hay cost effectively are in decline. In reality, they are never going to be lost because it is far less a technical endeavor and far more a work-ethic related activity. With the catch-phrase, “Time is money”, there is little to no motivation to perform the task the old fashioned way.

Have I got news for you!

Barring the large scale, tractor powered grass and hay cutting machinery there is almost nothing faster than a man/woman with a well-honed scythe. The ability to swing a golf club, cricket bat, the proverbial cat and many other fun things, comes with it the ability to use a scythe.

A slight change in technique will have you cutting grass or crops and laying them in rows ready for drying or collecting. The only skill you will need to master is patience.

Let’s take a quick look at both modern hay cutting and collecting alongside time-honored methods, with an average cost for good measure.

Old School Modern Tools Scythe - €100 Mower - €750

Rake - €50 Tedder/Hay bob/Rower - €500

Bale press -DIY & planks - €15 Baler - square/round - €1500

Time Cutting - 15m2 per minute Mowing - 30m2 per minute

Raking - 15m2 per minute Tedding/Rowing - 30m2 per minute

Baling - 6 bales per hour Baling - 20 per hour Total financial cost est. €165 €2750 Total time cost est.

12 minutes per bale 4 minutes per bale

Hay making in the 1930’s Taking a look at the very basic table above, you will see that there are merits to both methods. Harvesting by older methods is around 17 times cheaper but 3 times slower than modern methods. No fuel costs were added as the comparisons are too varied to be of real use, a tractor may use a liter per hour and a human may need equal food, but what fuel and what food is wholly dependent on work rates and endurance.

The end result is a tale of 2 cities, there are many who consider a more Spartan life that enjoy the experience of cutting hay by hand for very little outlay, there are some who just cannot stand and swing so sit and drive the hay in.

Some even go as far as saying that the system of a modern hay harvesting setup is only as strong as its weakest link. By that I mean to say that is the mower breaks down or is irreparably damaged, then the tedder and baler are useless tools. Whereas if the scythe breaks, you will still have a rake and some planks to use for other tasks. Equally, if the man/woman is sick or injured then the modern method can still be done seated and comfortable without the need for physical exertion.

Whichever method you fancy, pay homage to the whole idea by investigating both methods, you will find videos on YouTube and other media sites that will show you how & why.

I can tell you from personal experience that the older method has a certain charm that the modern method lacks, but nothing beats riding in a tractor when you have sore muscles‌

Land Management: Pasture Toxicity.

By Jason Bamber

Most anyone who intends to have either livestock or pet animals grazing an area will need to know a few of the more common causes of toxicity.

It is important to remember that you need not go out immediately after reading this and begin eradicating anything suspect, much of what is not good for your animal will be avoided due to being unpalatable or smell dangerous to them. They will tend to avoid the bad stuff if there is enough of the good stuff.

Much of what we hope to achieve in highlighting the nasty aspects that can be found in a pasture, is to help quell any fears or remove the need to get rid of everything other than grasses. If you have seen wild deer, rabbits or pigs on your land, then rest assured that you too can introduce animals to that pasture. Keep in mind that stocking density and availability will go a long way towards keeping the animals eating the good stuff and avoiding the bad.

Without going too far down the track of stocking levels and grazing requirements, we will just help you identify the most common culprits that may make your animals ill.

Here is a list of the ones most commonly found in and what effects they might produce in your animals.

*Scientific information taken from published papers from Oregon State University, Dept. of Crop and Soil Science*

Possible Nitrate & Oxalate Poisoning: Some plants absorb excess nitrates or oxalates from the soil and store them in plant tissues. Toxicity problems can occur in animals which feed on these plants.

• Redroot Pigweed • Lambsquarter • Common Mallow • Dock Possible Liver Disease & Sunlight Sensitivity • Onion • Onion • Flixweed/Tansy Mustard • Horsetail and Scouring Rush • St. Johnswort • Western Bracken Fern • False Lupine • Puncture Vine • Cowcockle • Cocklebur

Possible Organ Failure This group of plants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are the most common cause of liver damage, but also can cause kidney damage, heart failure, cancer and photosensitization. Animals typically will not readily eat plants with pyrrolizidine alkaloids, unless no other forage is available.

• Fiddleneck • Houndstongue • Tansy Ragwort and Groundsels • Comfrey Possible Cyanide Poisoning These groups of plants contain cyanogenic glycosides that are converted to hydrogen cyanide or prussic acid when the plant cells are damaged. Chronic poisoning over time causes loss of nerve function while acute poisoning causes death.

• Russian Knapweed

• Hemp Dogbane • Yellow Star Thistle • Western Water Hemlock • Poison Hemlock • Wild Carrot • Larkspur • Black Cherry & Chokecherry • Arrowgrass

Possibly Affecting Cardiovascular Health Cardiac glycosides are the most common toxin affecting cardiovascular health. Generally all parts of the plant are highly toxic and lethal if eaten in small quantities.

However, animals typically will not readily eat these unpalatable plants, unless no other forage is available.

• Milkweeds • Foxglove • Nightshades Plants Causing Irritation Plants in this group contain compounds that may irritate an animal’s digestive tract, mouth or skin if consumed. These plants are not generally palatable and are typically avoided.

• Horseweed/Fleabane • Buttercup • Leafy Spurge • Western Juniper • Buttercup • Wooly/Hairy Vetch Plants Causing Physical Injury Many plants have characteristic that can cause injury to grazing animals. Some grasses can be palatable when young, but can cause injury to the nose, eyes, mouth and ears of grazing animals when plants mature with long awns.

• Riggut Brome • Cheat • Longspine • Sand bur • Foxtail Barley • Medusahead • Puncture Vine • Stinging Nettle

Tool of the Month Written by Jason Bamber

The Flail Mower

Picking up after last month’s tool, the mulching head for a strimmer/brush-cutter, we continue along the same road but stop off at the truck-stop. Not for the quick cup of coffee, but to go around back where all the rough guys hang out…

The flail mower; a gentleman and a ruffian in the same suit.

Looking at an impressive array of models and variety of applications, you may find yourself thinking of where to start, we hope to help you narrow the field and highlight the aspects to refine your choice.

A flail mower gets its name from the flailing blades or cutters that usually hang from a drum/barrel/axel. The flails often “ride” obstacles instead of catching and flinging them or breaking on impact with an immovable obstacle.

Here are the basics; Match the flail to the size and power of the tractor you have. Small tractor or quad with PTO, then a small flail mower. Tractor power output can be much more than the flail needs but never the other way around What do you expect to mow with the flail?

Light mowing for a manicured lawn, pick a blade that cuts more and smashes less.

Medium brush with harder material or larger stems in it, look at a heavier blade with a cutting edge Mass extinction of all things in your way, hammer chisels!

Buy something that suits your toughest need and then adapt it down to suit a lighter workload, but beware the two points below: Do not expect to open an overgrown pasture with heavy growth and thick stems using a light flail mower with fine blades, both blade and mower will likely give up very soon into the job Do not buy something that can mow a tree and expect it to create a lawn-bowls surface in your garden lawn, although the blade can be adapted to a finer cutter you may find that the sheer size and weight will ruin the end result you seek.

Buy the best you can afford, this is one of the tools that embodies the phrase, “you get what you pay for.”.

Blade basics: If it looks fine and sharp then that is likely the outcome of your grass/lawn/pasture Bigger stems will need bigger blades…

Suit the blade to the material, a large stem may fracture with a hammer type blade but a fine cutter may just bounce off, meet the material in the middle with a hammer chisel.

Green material more often need to be cut and not smashed, so buy a cutting faced blade Dryer or dead overgrowth will often succumb to a smashing blade where a cutting face will just dull and become a smashing blade, so this may be a chance to use an older set of blades instead of a purchase for a single use.

If your mower’s drum/barrel/axel can handle a heavy flail blade, then it will take everything up to that, not so much the other way around, you cannot safely operate a mower with oversized flails on it.

Miscellaneous basics: The mower is usually powered by a PTO, the sequence from tractor to cutter is usually as such:

Tractor PTO

PTO transfer shaft

Mower deck gearbox

Chain/Belt/Direct

Drum

Flailing blade Chain/Belt/Direct Drive A chain drive from the gearbox that powers the drum will need oiling/greasing, it is also very unforgiving when the drum encounters resistance so think about a PTO transfer shaft that has a sacrificial or shearing bolt that will snap if the drum is over-loaded.

A belt gives some relief when encountering resistance; they can skid on the pulley giving you a sound or smell that you are pushing it a bit too hard.

Direct drive will not use the chain or belt, so the failsafe is either a very fancy gearbox or shearing bolts on the PTO. These are less commonly found but are out there.

In the store, looking around…

First of all, know what to ask for in the appropriate language. English - Flail mower, French - debroussailleuse a fleaux, Dutch - Klepelmaaier, Using the basics above, in combination with a detailed explanation of your needs and a good store attendant, you will find a tool that suits the purpose.

Happy flails!

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

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...

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

• Essential Skills Every Homesteader Just Can’t Do Without! - Part 2 • Working with Wool • Tool of the Month • 5 useful pallet projects • Cob house construction

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Rural SEPTEMBER 2015

OUT SEPTEMBER 2015

etreats ISSUE 3

PALLET S: 5 EASY PROJECTS FOR YOUR SMALLHOLDING

Essential Homesteader S k i l l s – PA R T 2

and much, much, more...

COB HOUSE SIMPLE, CHEAP & ENERGY EFFICIENT

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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Rural

etreats

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