The Country Smallholder Magazine - September 2023

In this issue

Me And My Pigs
A lifetime of British pig breeding and award winning Large White pigs.

Show Diary For Autumn And Winter
Don’t miss a date, keep our pullout calendar.

Keeping Your Bees Safe This Autumn
Autumn is a vulnerable time for bees as they prepare for winter. Here’s how to help them..

Action needed to protect UK sheep flock from vaccine crisis, says NSA

With livestock health under ever increasing scrutiny, the National Sheep Association (NSA) is highlighting the critical need to address the ongoing issues with disruption to animal vaccine supply.

1 min

World first for pet poultry with launch of new veterinary diagnostics guide

A brand-new pioneering poultry guide has just been launched following a collaboration between a UK hen rehoming charity and a USbased organisation.

2 mins

Agreeable symmetry-Warden Abbey Vineyard is a custodian of the present and the past

Rebecca Farmer, Editor of Vineyard Magazine, visits grapevines that reach out far into the community that surround them

8 mins

A black and white story

Chris Graham throws a deserving spotlight on Ron Fieldhouse, his award winning Large Whites and his lifetime’s dedication to pedigree pig breeding

8 mins

Time to find a tup

Ready to start breeding this year? Liz Shankland has some advice on how to select the best ram for the job.

5 mins

The Old Irish Goat Rediscovered

Tamsin Cooper learns how a native breed is restoring Ireland's heathlands

5 mins

A pressing engagement with apples

Lorraine Turnbull, an experienced award-winning smallholder and author describes how to press your apples and make delicious juice and cider.

7 mins

Nearly living the dream but just need to get the right property?

John Sones discusses what to consider before purchase

3 mins

The long journey from the wild jungle fowl to the modern hybrid

This month, Paul Donovan investigates the origin of the humble hen as we know it.

8 mins

How can nutrition support a healthy moult?

Andrew Fothergill, National Poultry Advisor at Farmgate explains the difference nutrition can make for your hens during moulting season.

2 mins

Interesting Inheritance

There are many different genes and mutations that make fancy chickens interesting. Grant Brereton takes a closer look at some quirky ones...

5 mins

Making the perfect pickled onions

Fiona and Hugh Osborne preserve a lot of their own food and are especially proud of their pickled onions.

4 mins

So what does a fibre mill actually do?

Emma Taylor explains the ethos that underpins her mill

3 mins

Weaving stunning shawls and blankets from named animals

Jack Smellie meets the very talented Bec Briar who works with her own flock's fleeces from her land on the edge of Exmoor.

5 mins

Read all stories from The Country Smallholder

The Country Smallholder Magazine Description:

The Country Smallholder is aimed at the ever-increasing UK audience interested in living a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable way of life. From people already living on a smallholding, to allotment owners; from those with a couple of acres of land, to those aspiring to get more out of their garden or even window box. With 73% of UK residents claiming to want to live more sustainably post Covid, The Country Smallholder has something for everyone.

Every issue will carry; free vet advice; helpful practical features on all aspects of smallholding, from keeping chickens to crop rotation; information on poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and alpacas; rural crafts; property; small tractors and machinery, as well as keeping readers up to date with all the latest news and innovations.