August saw me looking at sheep – as you do. There are a couple of breeds that would suit us, it’s clear there are some decisions that need to be made before we can think about details though.
I’ll explain why (until the chickens arrived) we didn’t have animals on a permanent basis this year. Theoretically, we do have the minimum required space for us to keep sheep or pigs as long as we brought feed in for them, but we chose not to.
Firstly, the minimum requirements aren’t necessarily the amount of space we’re comfortable with. It may be technically fine for the sheep – we’re talking about an animal that’s prone to have a heart attack just because it’s in a new field after all – but we’d be the owners so we have to do what we feel is best.
And besides, seeing sheep roam across open meadows just looks better than when they’re penned in – even better if that large meadow is fenced properly of course.
The dream of them wandering adds problems as to how people can get close of course, but we’re keen for the place to feel like a farm not a zoo, so we’ll just have to be creative.
The second reason for no animals is the amount of feed we’d need to buy.
Even on good grass five sheep would need an acre to graze during a year – then more feed in the winter. And less grass means more feed you need to buy in... so basically we just don’t have the space or the income yet.
Working out what is and isn’t possible has made me realise how wasteful of space meat production really is.
A single cow also needs an acre, so those beef burgers you chomp through have needed a big chunk of that. Now work out how many cows you might need for your diet every year (including milk), then how many other people eat like that. That’s a lot of land needed just for a big dumb animal to churn up and watch ramblers in. And cows aren't all you're stuffing your face with are they?
Now how much of other types of food could be grown on that same space?
I’m certainly not trying to push vegetarianism here – personally I couldn’t live without meat – but we should probably all eat a little less of the meat stuff. Spend the same amount and get better quality I say.
Here endeth the lesson.
Talking of quality, in July we went to see some pigs kept on the outskirts of Northampton. Only the very faintest hint of a smell on the breeze as we approached, nothing like the industrial farms I’ve been on before, and they were lovely animals.
Clearly well-cared for, living a happy life... and they make delicious sausages – get to the Farmers Market on Northamptons Market Square and you can try some yourself.
They had Old Spot and Tamworths – piglets are a definite attraction. One day, one day...
Our chicken runs took far too patch together and I admit I became a bit picky about the types of chicken I wanted us to have. I still argue I was right in that though – the Columbians have been far less trouble than those loony leghorns, and at the end of the day they’re built for laying... and just look right.
The coops had been sitting empty and in position for a while, but even they'd needed extensions. Will anything we buy ever be right first time?
After some initial fighting, especially from one of the insane leghorns, the thirteen chickens have settled in – we’re just waiting for enough to start laying eggs. One a day isn’t exactly going to feed the customers.
Don’t quote me on this, but I’d guess around Christmas the Columbians will be laying in numbers. Watch, as they let me down with their usual quizzical peck.
There’ll be more on the chickens and everything else on our main website soon, www.NUFP.org.uk/oakapple, the blog will be added to whenever one of the farm managers has something to say, and the occasional butterfly-like thought that flutters through our heads will appear on our twitter feed. I don’t want to hear anyone complaining we don’t tell you what’s going on!
We’re always happy to hear from anyone passing through though, so get in touch, leave a comment, or visit us on our open days.
Jamie
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