The Country Smallholder Magazine - February 2025

In this issue

Warm Your Winter - Meet the big, beautiful, Buff Orpington.

Vintage tools that work well today.

Top honours and top price for Old English Game trio

A trio of home-bred Pyle Old English Game bantams from regular Co. Durham exhibitor Andrew Addison was the standout entry and reached one of the mart's highest poultry prices ever when they dazzled at CCM Skipton's Craven Feather Auctions Christmas show and sale.

2 mins

Are Sheep Really Stupid?

Wade Muggleton disagrees – and so will you when you find out why!

4 mins

The Inner Workings of a Goat Herd

Understanding how a herd works for its members is important to the welfare of goats

5 mins

Hedges are nature's corridors as well as field barriers

John Sones says to be aware of hedgerow law and how to find funding

4 mins

Get the right balance for good health

From laminitis to obesity, to urology or constipation or looseness, Emily Wansbrough, Smallholder Nutritionist from The Smallholder Range discusses why diseases are caused by unbalanced feeding

5 mins

Consider Cheshire for stunning countryside but also a county of culture

Sue Field writes our regular column about the best places for smallholder living

2 mins

The waddle of wee webbed feet

Many ducks will soon come into lay but you need to plan ahead if you want to breed ducklings

3 mins

The Andalusian, a beautiful Mediterranean light breed which has some genetic quirks

This Mediterranean breed was known in the early 1800s, but the colours then were black or white.

2 mins

What Can Chickens Eat for Treats?

Most of us with chickens want to provide some treats as a supplement to their core food, either to encourage their trust or simply “just because”. Fiona & Hugh Osborne guide you through the options.

7 mins

Laying hens doing a cracking job helping young farmer plough his own furrow

Joining Farmlay as a contract producer has helped a young Scottish farmer transform a modest acreage into a profitable concern.

4 mins

Getting kitted out for safety and comfort

Claire Waring considers the personal equipment you need when starting beekeeping.

6 mins

Soil Farmer of the Year competition launched on World Soil Day

Farmers can now enter the 2025 Soil Farmer of the Year competition, which will celebrate leadership in soil management as a tool to support the overall resilience of farm businesses. Entries close 5th March, 2025

1 min

Are you legal to transport livestock?

Agricultural journalist, smallholder and editor of Ford & Fordson Tractors Magazine Jane Brooks, joins us for her regular look at the world of agricultural machinery.

4 mins

Treats for Valentines Day

Henrietta Balcon looks at the traditions surrounding this celebration of love

2 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.