My house wants its fields back

[Flyfisher]

I'd keep this page hidden from Chris in case he chokes on his cornflakes.

Still, if you've spent about £1000 on your hens then you might be onto a moneyspinner if there are others out there as mad as you. :wink:

I thought our Black Rock Hybrids were expensive at £12 each, but at least they were point-of-lay and have been fairly diligent in producing an egg each day (they've dropped off a bit of late but I'm assuming it' the time of year).

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Oh, there are plenty madder, without a doubt!

The hens were only £35 each, it's all the other costs on top- especially electric fencing. It seems pointless to go to so much trouble and expense for only 8 birds.

A rare chicken can fetch hundreds though.

 

[Moo]

And there was me thinking you were doing it all for love, because they're so pretty.

 

[DaveBrigg]

A rare chicken can fetch hundreds though.

How much for one that's well done and crispy?

 

[Tom]

Our Cream Legbars lay blue-green eggs but they're not as desirable as they used to be or, consequently, as lucrative. I think it was a fad started by M&S :roll:

Jaqy

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well, whatever you would like to grow, to dream of, to strive for - there are always 10 reasons why not to compared to every one reason why you should. Many of the negative reasons why not to increase my land given in this thread have been to save me from costly disappointment and failure, I know. But actually, what is the pith of life if not disappointment, failure, loss? Did Gabriel Oak give up when his sheep went over the precipice? Was Elizabeth 1st cast down by her gender, her childlessness, her health? Not a bit! Without wishing to get too happy clappy here it's the journey not the destination. So many things in my life have gone disasterously wrong, and yet, I wouldn't change one of them. And sometimes, things go well, often in unexpected directions, and there's a joy to be had in things you never even knew existed.

Never mind if my sheep all die mysteriously, my trees are stolen, the egg market disappears. Think of the learning, the glory of that endeavour, that jump-out-of-bed-in-the-morning feeling when you have things to conquer, things to care about.

 

[worms]

what is the pith of life

Talking of taking the pith, Penners has been strangely silent for a while. What is the virtual equivalent of checking to see if the milk bottles are being taken in and the cat's been fed?

 

[Michelle73]

What is the virtual equivalent of checking to see if the milk bottles are being taken in and the cat's been fed?

On facebook I think we 'poke' people and on MSN Messanger you could 'nudge' them......not sure what the PPUK equivelant would be....would the suggestion of fresh 'house porn' rouse him perhaps?!!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Penners last checked in here 3 days ago. There are spies in place to keep an eye on him so I'm not too worried.

Perhaps he's doing some decorating, or building that treehouse.

 

[Cloudscape]

Well, whatever you would like to grow, to dream of, to strive for - there are always 10 reasons why not to compared to every one reason why you should. Many of the negative reasons why not to increase my land given in this thread have been to save me from costly disappointment and failure, I know. But actually, what is the pith of life if not disappointment, failure, loss? Did Gabriel Oak give up when his sheep went over the precipice? Was Elizabeth 1st cast down by her gender, her childlessness, her health? Not a bit! Without wishing to get too happy clappy here it's the journey not the destination. So many things in my life have gone disasterously wrong, and yet, I wouldn't change one of them. And sometimes, things go well, often in unexpected directions, and there's a joy to be had in things you never even knew existed.

I don't think I have ever heard or read anything that sums it all up so well.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I have- the stuff you write! xx

 

[Tom]

Personally, I prefer to learn from other people's mistakes than stand the cost of making my own. And when I do make mistakes, I'm always happy to pass on my new knowledge in the hope it may help others. However, I realise that we can't all be the same

Jaqy

 

[arl]

You're absolutely right why people pay a premium for small bales;

1. People can collect them themselves on smaller trailers if their storage area is small
2. They're can be carried by hand
3. They can be stacked by hand
4. They can be stored in buildings with small entrances
5. They can be stored in traditional haylofts
6. Feed can be given in slices, so less wastage with it falling all over the place

Further, if you can get it certified as being organic, some people will pay even more!! You could even consider selling it in smaller quantities by mail order or 'at the gate' for rabbits, guinea pigs etc with a massive mark up

It really is worth considering.....I'm jealous!!!! :mrgreen:

Jaqy

really good quality hay/timothy hay for pet rabbits costs a fortune (and my fussy, somewhat spoilt rabbits refuse to touch anything else ) :roll:
have a look at the dust free hay company - they sell small boxes for £9 each and never seem to have enough to meet demand

 

[JoceAndChris]

Just to update this thread, at last the particulars of the sale have been released. The land has been divided into two lots, and has been:
"classified by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food as Grade 3 and is predominantly shallow, well drained calcareous loamy soil suited to growing cereals, sugar beet and potatoes."

The lot I want is 97 acres and offers are suggested in the region of £565,000. We couldn't have made an offer, even if we had sold the London flat. The closing date for informal tender is at the end of this week. It's nice to see that we're mentioned in the particulars as having right of access over the land to our house. It's also nice to see that footpaths will be protected.

I think we'll just have to let the sale take place, hope for the best in that it all stays as farmland, and in the future make offers to the owner for smaller chunks of it.

 

[Flyfisher]

£5824 per acre seems rather high for agricultural land. I must be out of date regarding such things.

Of course, you could simply offer what you can afford and hope there is no other interest.

 

[worms]

£5824 per acre seems rather high for agricultural land. I must be out of date regarding such things.

That seems to be at the upper end but not outrageous.

Of course, you could simply offer what you can afford and hope there is no other interest.

Totally agree. It is well worth putting in an offer, for the parcel you want at the price you want - even if it does not conform to the lot as offered. It may be that discussions go on between prospective buyer and seller where your interest can work to their advantage. The prospective buyer of the 97 acre lot might be struggling to buy it all and be quite happy to pass on a smaller portion to someone else. Or there may be technical issues which make parts that you are interested in less desirable to the purchaser (for example all these trees could make ploughing a hassle, reduce light for crop growth and reduce the value of the edges of the acreage).

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thank you for your advice and interest; we have decided not to take out any more loans just at present to fund an uncertain venture. It grieves me hugely to see someone else buying it, to see men in clipboards arriving and assessing and discussing, but the alternative is to take out another mortgage and me go to work :shock: to fund it.

 

[worms]

Totally understand!

I couldn't even afford the legal fee for the offer letter!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Just to update - the man who did buy all 150 acres turned up today. I was still in my pyjamas and asleep at one 'o clock, how embarassing. He was lovely anyway, and asked if we wanted to buy any back off him. I said yes, so am now going to try to find out how much it's worth and make an offer on 5 acres of rough pasture. This bit of land is useless for a crop, he said so himself. I'd like some more animals - he said anyone can put up a "temporary" shelter on their land- is that right? It lies between the cottage and the Crematorium, it's steep, with no road except the track we use, and no mains water. Imagine if the Crem bought it and the graves encroached right up to my ha-ha :shock:

He also reassured me that it was all going to stay as arable farming, thank God.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

What a wonderful stroke of luck Joce-- it's quite funny reading back through the thread after such progress!