The British Pig & Poultry Fair at Birmingham’s NEC on 15-16 May offers a packed two days of forums, networking, expert advice and new products. So how can visitors make best of use their time and benefit from everything that’s on offer?  1 – Informative forums As ever, the Fair will feature its bespoke Poultry and Pig Theatres, which bring together great speakers to explore the hot topics of the day. Head along to the popular Pig, Egg, and Poultry Outlooks to find out what challenges and opportunities lie ahead – and quiz the speakers for their top tips on how to manage these for opti ..read more

Hens are very vocal birds, but why do they make so much noise when egg-laying? Paul Donovan explains… One of the most important aspects of the chickens social world, is vocalisation. It is the way in which individuals maintain contact with one another, and express happiness, sadness, state of health or even a threat warning. So, to hear your hens clucking away contentedly, is a good thing, as you know the flock is ‘gelling’ together. It is when they are quiet, you should worry. Another time when the hens will be vocal, is pre-and post-laying. This again can have several meanings. It can indica ..read more

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The RSPCA is urging the public to respond to the UK Government’s labelling consultation to show demand for clearer labelling on animal products – and improve farm animal welfare. Last month, the UK Government announced it was launching an eight-week consultation into clearer labels on how pork, chicken and eggs are produced in order to provide the public with transparency over the food they buy. Now there are just days left to respond and have your say on this vital issue. The RSPCA has campaigned for method of production labelling on animal products for years. They hope giving this greater tr ..read more

Sue Field highlights the benefits of Berkshire, as she seeks out best places for smallholder living in the UK… Berkshire, home to one of our Royal family’s residences at Windsor (pictured), is a county to the west of London with good transport links to all points of the compass. Its location and proximity to London mean that prices in this part of the world may be somewhat higher but location is worth a great deal. Situated close to the Watership Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, our property this month is a quite stunning 4-bedroom family residence standing in approximately 2.5 ..read more

In this second part to the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) guide to adopting hens, we look at collection day, how to settle them at home and useful seasonal tips to spoil your new feathered friends…  WHAT HAPPENS ON COLLECTION DAY?We do not normally keep hens in stock; we take them out of the farm early in the morning, put them in crates and take them to the rehoming point for a cursory health check. Adopters arrive later the same day. This way all the stress for the hens is confined to one day and they will go from cage to new retirement home in a matter of hours. There can be ..read more

Rachel Alvey-Anderson says that the dream she hoped for has come true… It has been three years since we packed up our family, said goodbye to friends and loved ones and took a leap of faith. Moving to the Highlands of Scotland we embraced a whole new lifestyle. We have become a part of a community and created our homestead dream. In February 2021 our dream homestead in the Highlands became a reality, and what a journey we’ve had so far, as every season brings new adventures and challenges. The goats have been doing an amazing job keeping the grass, wild roses and brambles at bay. Half an acre ..read more

Domestic goats have come a long way from their ancestors in the wild mountains of the Middle East to become the adorable, if rather naughty, farmyard companions and pets of today, but have their mental functions changed as a result? Tamsin Cooper reports… Undoubtedly, the domestic goat’s appearance has varied and changed over time: some are small, others tall; ears can be lop, pricked, large or small; some coats are long, some fluffy, some short. But have their mental functions changed? That is what researchers from the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (Germany) and the Centre for Pr ..read more

John Sones talks to a specialist Environment Agency officer about your environmental responsibilities as a smallholder… Smallholdings, whether large or small, are by their nature usually areas where farming-related activities are carried out, some of which can cause pollution. I was able to discuss agricultural pollution recently with a specialist agriculture officer at the Environment Agency (EA), who explained the Agency’s role as one of the farming regulators in England. We discussed how EA advice-led farm inspections are targeted, what these regulatory farm inspections cover and the common ..read more

The government has opened the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers who suffered uninsurable damage to their land due to flooding this winter. Under the scheme, eligible farmers can access grants of between £500 and £25,000 to return their land to the condition it was in before exceptional flooding due to Storm Henk. Eligible farmers are being contacted directly by Rural Payments Agency (RPA) outlining the support available to them through the Farming Recovery Fund and how they can make a claim. The fund forms part of a broader scheme called the Flood Recovery Framework which is activated i ..read more