Topic: New life New regime!

[SamBeavis]

Hi all..

I'm a newbie poster, but a long time lurker!

I've been reading the posts over the last few months with much enjoyment.. So first can I say thank you all for great advice and for being so nice:)

we are selling up and moving to France by the end of this year - we have a lovely place in Normandy with quite a bit of land (well for me with my current postage stamp garden it's a lot anyway!)..

The plan is to bring in a small amount of livestock - ideally hens to start with, to give us eggs, then moving on as we get more settled..

Ideally I am looking for something to help with the mowing the lawn(s).. 1.2 hectares is a lot of grass to mow!!

What is the ideal mower?
I'm favouring goats at the moment, and would probably want 2 females to keep one another company and to give us a little milk maybe

Would anyone have any other recommendations?

Also couple of daft questions (I have said I am new to all this!!!)
If we do get hens and goats...
Any animals we get will be kept as free range as possible, but I would arrange for any appropriate housing for them aswell..

We wouldn't be using any of them for the pot, so if I'm not breeding for meat would a cockeral be necessary for chickens? and would a billy goat be necessary for female goats?


Thanks in advance
Sam
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[Barnowl]

Pretty sure goats tear up grass so not ideal - I think sheep would be better.

[Trixiebelle]

I agree Barnowl! Sheep are better mowers than goats - goats have been known to eat knickers off a washing line  ;D

I was thinking of getting a goat to help clear allotments. If you can tether one successfully without it being at risk of predators (and your knickers aren't at risk!) then I think they would do a pretty good job.

Also, (don't know if it's true) my Father-in-law used to keep goats and he said that too much grass can be bad for them? Bloating etc?

If you want milk from goats then they will have to have a billy (or a 'liason' with a billy) so they can have a kid. No baby = no milk!

Hens don't need a cockeral to lay eggs, but will need one to reproduce baby chickens  ;D

Hope that helps and good luck with your Normandy move. It sounds IDYLLIC  :)

[carolinej]

would a cockeral be necessary for chickens?

The man on the next lottie to me has chickens. He only keeps them for the eggs, so got rid of his cockrel, as he was making the girls very nervous. He says they are doing much better now, without him harassing them.

Hope that helps a bit.

By the way, I am dead jealous >:( I want to retire to France, with enough land to grow my own and keep animals. At the mo, all I get to do is read the adverts to see what I could afford if only I was moving out there now.

I hope all goes well for you.

cj :)

[Trixiebelle]

The man on the next lottie to me has chickens. He only keeps them for the eggs, so got rid of his cockrel, as he was making the girls very nervous. He says they are doing much better now, without him harassing them.

I know the feeling well cj! That's why I've been single for 4 years. Plus I don't want to be woken up @ some ungodly hour of the morning because a male of the species wants his breakfast  ;D

[SamBeavis]

If you want milk from goats then they will have to have a billy (or a 'liason' with a billy) so they can have a kid. No baby = no milk!

Ahaa. I thought something like that would be necessary.. So each year I'd need for the girls to meet up with a billy for amour...
This would be the same with sheep if we wanted milk from them aswell I assume..

Idyllic it will be (I hope) we know the next few years will be a complete culture shock and blinking hard work, but having got the cash from being made redundant, I sort of re-evaluated and thought why not.. got a deposit.. Go for it before the house prices equal those in the UK!!


The comments about goats eating eaver6ything - Is this really the case if theres more than enough land to satisfy them? And can anyone answer the query on bloating?

Thanks

Sam
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[Trixiebelle]

Don't quote me on the 'bloating' thing Sam!

My Father-in-law may have been talking about horses, not goats! I tend to switch off when he's on a ramble! Shouldn't do really ... he's a wise old goat  :)

[Lost in France]

Hello!

We moved to Brittany 16 months ago and are loving it! We brought our hens and doves with us and have since acquired peacocks as well! We have a hectare which we're taming at the moment but the focus is on getting the house renovated...can't wait until we can devote our time to the garden and animals.
We've built henhouses, dovecotes and an huge aviary so MOH is quite an expert now! We keep the hens within an electric poultry fence as there are so many foxes and the odd farm dog as well. We find this netting great and have never lost a hen to predation since we started using it several years ago. If you want some of this netting, buy it over here as it's much cheaper than we paid in UK!


Life over here is fantastic, hope your move goes well! Do mail if there is anything you want to know about moving to live in France! I can also give you the address of an interesting Anglo/French Forum that we found invaluable for all those questions that keep you awake at night before you move! They have a Normandy section which might be useful if you want to find out what's going on in your area or pick the brains of both expats and French folk.

Well feel free to e mail me if you think I can be of any help!

Judi B
There is also an animal section and you can get hens, goats or whatever you want from folks on the Forum!

[Robert_Brenchley]

My sister had goats for years; they crop grass like sheep, and are pretty good in a limited space. Don't keep a billy long-term; keep a billy kid for a year, use it, then eat it. Eat the otehr kids as soon as they're grown. You get about a pint of milk a day of an animal, so a few will keep a family going well.

[SamBeavis]

I can also give you the address of an interesting Anglo/French Forum that we found invaluable for all those questions that keep you awake at night before you move!

Ahaaa
I'm already an active member of angloinfo.normandy!!
Am the one who brings people over stuff from the UK when we pop over to check on the status of the building work
The people at the local B&Q are very bemused as to why I need so much white paint!!
We're quite fortunate as we have a pigeonaire on the property, and the mayor (our neighbour) keeps the numbers down for us
Was quite funny being presented a bunch of dead pigeons on our last visit, he gave tips on how to prepare and cook them..
I'm sure I'll get used to it, but as a near lifetime vegetarian I just smiled sweetly and told him he was welcome to them all until we came over full-time! (Got to keep mr Mayor happy after all)

Sam
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