The Smallholders Handbook – now available

Now available - chicken expert Suzie Baldwin's new book "The Smallholder's Handbook: Keeping & caring for poultry & livestock on a small scale"

You can order from Amazon and we also have them in our Hollywater Hens shop at our smallholding on the Surrey/Hampshire border.

Suzie Baldwin grew up on a farm in Devon where, from an early age, she cared for a menagerie of animals. These included chickens, sheep, ducks, horses and even ferrets. She has kept chickens for more than 20 years and has recently moved to her own Hollywater Hens smallholding on the Surrey/Hampshire border.

The Smallholder's Handbook is a detailed manual to start, plan and manage your own smallholding. Suzie explains the level of work involved, how much space you need and how to prepare your land. There are chapters on keeping poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese), as well as pigs, goats, sheep, cows and bees. She also explains why having a variety of animals makes the best use of your resources and how many of each type to keep. Comprehensive advice includes choosing breeds, transporting, feeding, housing, daily care and wellbeing, as well as international legislation that applies to livestock.