Smallholder Range

06/09/2026

02/09/2026

Did you know your hens pick up on day length through light-sensitive cells deep in the brain itself, not through their eyes?

It's how they know when to start laying, or when to slow down. Once daylight drops below around fourteen hours, that's the signal for egg production to naturally start easing off, so as the days shorten through September, don't be surprised if things slow down in the nesting box.

It's a completely normal part of the year, not a sign that anything's wrong. Some hens will barely slow down, others will drop off sharply, and a lot of it comes down to the individual bird and her breed.

What doesn't change is what your hens need from their feed. Our Natural Free Range Layers Pellets carry on giving them everything they need, whether they're still laying a few eggs or having a bit of a break, so they're ready to go the moment laying picks back up.

We always find it interesting how differently hens handle the turn into autumn. Have your girls started slowing down yet, or are they still going strong?

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/layers/natural-free-range-layers-pellets/ or tap the link in our bio.

30/08/2026

Late August is bramble season, and if your goats have access to a hedgerow, you will already know exactly where they head first. Blackberries, rosehips and the last of the summer growth are all fair game for a pygmy goat with a taste for foraging.
All that hedgerow browsing is genuinely good for them. It keeps their digestive system working as it should and lets them behave the way goats naturally want to, picking and choosing rather than eating everything in front of them. What it does not do is provide a complete, balanced diet on its own, especially as the richest summer growth starts to fade.

Pygmy Goat Mix fills in the gaps browsing alone can leave, with added dried fruit, vegetables and herbs formulated to reflect the sort of thing a goat would forage for anyway, plus the vitamins and minerals that keep condition steady. Fed alongside good quality hay at between 80g and 270g a day, depending on size and condition, it keeps them thriving into autumn.

What is your goats' favourite hedgerow find at this time of year? We would love to know what they cannot resist.

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/goats/pygmy-goat-mix/ or click the link in our bio.

26/08/2026

Hens: the moult mythbusting quiz answers

Thank you to everyone who joined in on Sunday! Here is how the moult mythbusting quiz breaks down:

1. A moulting hen needs more protein than usual, not less: TRUE
Feathers are made up almost entirely of protein, so regrowing a full set takes noticeably more than the maintenance diet she needs the rest of the year. Keeping her on a complete feed throughout the moult means those extra requirements are already covered.

2. Hens always stop laying completely during a moult: FALSE
Some hens carry on laying at a reduced rate right through, while others stop altogether until the new feathers are through. How hard a hen moults tends to vary bird by bird, and often year by year for the same hen.

3. Moulting typically starts around the head and neck before working down the body: TRUE
The head and neck usually go first, followed by the back and breast, with wing and tail feathers often the last to drop and the last to grow back.

4. The moult usually happens twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn: FALSE
For most hens, moulting is an annual event that happens once, typically as the days start to shorten in late summer and autumn.

5. A complete layer feed is still the best main meal during a moult: TRUE
Natural Free Range Layers Pellets carry on doing the heavy lifting even in a moult, providing the protein, vitamins and minerals a hen needs to grow her new feathers in and get back to laying.

How did your flock's moult knowledge measure up? Let us know how your hens are getting on.

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/layers/natural-free-range-layers-pellets/ or click the link in our bio.

23/08/2026

Hens: the moult mythbusting quiz

Feathers everywhere, a few bald patches, hens looking a bit sorry for themselves: moulting season has well and truly arrived. There is plenty of myth mixed in with the facts when it comes to moulting, so let us put a few of them to the test.

True or false?

● A moulting hen needs more protein than usual, not less
● Hens always stop laying completely during a moult
● Moulting typically starts around the head and neck before working down the body
● The moult usually happens twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn
● A complete layer feed is still the best main meal during a moult
Pop your answers in the comments, true or false for each. We will share the correct answers on Wednesday!

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/layers/natural-free-range-layers-pellets/ or click the link in our bio.

19/08/2026

With summer grazing already non-existent in some areas this year, and tupping only a matter of weeks away for many flocks, late August is a sensible time to get hands-on and check condition properly, rather than relying on how a fleece makes a ewe look from a distance.

Condition scoring means feeling along the spine and over the loin, just behind the last rib, to judge how much muscle and fat cover is there. A ewe in good order should feel rounded, with the backbone just detectable rather than sharp or completely hidden. Doing this by hand now gives you time to act if any ewes need building up before tupping begins.
Where grazing alone is not quite enough, Sheep Mix is a useful maintenance feed to bring condition up gradually. The guide is to start with around 0.25kg per head a day roughly two weeks before tupping, building up to 0.5kg, and easing off again once tupping is under way.

Have you started condition scoring yet? Let us know how your flock is looking this year.

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/sheep/sheep-mix/ or click the link in our bio.

16/08/2026

A bored pig is a resourceful pig, and in high summer, when the ground is baked hard and there is less to dig through, that resourcefulness tends to show up somewhere you would rather it did not, whether that is a flower bed, a fence post or a gate latch worked loose.

Rooting is completely natural. It is how pigs explore, forage and occupy themselves, so giving them the chance to do it safely matters as much as the food itself. Scattering feed rather than serving it all in one bowl, hiding it under straw, or offering a shallow dig pit of soil or sand gives them something to work for and keeps that natural behaviour satisfied.

Pot-Bellied Pig Feed is higher in fibre and lower in energy than a standard pig feed, which helps keep pigs feeling satisfied without piling on condition. Fed at around 1 to 2% of body weight, roughly 0.75 to 1.5kg depending on size, it works well split across scattered feeding to keep them busy for longer.

What is your pig's favourite way to make trouble? We always enjoy hearing the stories.

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/pigs/pot-bellied-pig-feed/ or click the link in our bio.

12/08/2026

August is peak holiday season, and for many smallholders that means handing the flock over to a neighbour, friend or family member for a few days. Explaining a feeding routine to someone else can feel more complicated than it needs to be.

The simplest thing you can leave behind is a complete feed. There is no need to talk anyone through mixing scraps, weighing out extras or timing treats around a main meal. If the feeder has Natural Free Range Layers Crumble in it and stays topped up, your hens are getting everything they need for good health and strong shells, whoever happens to be filling the scoop.

A note by the feed bin with the daily amount, around 100 to 150g per bird, plus a reminder to always feed dry rather than dampened and keep water topped up, covers the essentials without over-complicating things for whoever is helping out.
Are you heading away this summer? Tell us your best tips for briefing the flock-sitter.
Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/poultry/natural-free-range-layers-crumble-meal/ or click the link in our bio.

09/08/2026

It hardly seems possible, but this year's ducklings and goslings are barely recognisable from the fluffy hatchlings you had back in spring.

Full adult feathers, longer necks and a lot more confidence out on the water: they have grown up fast.

Getting that growth right matters just as much now as it did in the first few weeks. Rushing it along can leave young waterfowl carrying condition unevenly, so a slower, steadier pace tends to serve them far better as they reach their full adult size.

Goose & Duck Grower/Finisher Pellets are designed with exactly that pace in mind, fed ad lib from three to four weeks old right through until they are fully grown. As a guide, that is around 125 to 150g per goose a day with good grazing alongside, or 170 to 200g per duck depending on size, so it is worth checking in every so often to see how evenly they are coming along.

How much have your ducklings and goslings grown since the spring? We would love to see how this year's youngsters are getting on.

Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/waterfowl/goose-and-duck-grower-finisher-pellets/ or click the link in our bio.

06/08/2026

Kids born back in the spring are barely recognisable by August. Legs that used to wobble now carry them clean over fences, and the milk-fed baby of a few months ago is turning into a proper little browser in their own right.

This is the stage where feeding habits really start to bed in. Weaned kids do well on the same routine as the rest of the herd: good quality hay available at all times, clean fresh water close by, and a feed formulated for how goats naturally eat.

Pygmy Goat Mix is a complementary feed with higher fibre levels, made with dried fruit, vegetables and herbs mixed through it to bring in the same variety a goat would naturally seek out while browsing. Splitting it across two feeds a day, morning and evening, and dampening it slightly so the finely chopped mint and alfalfa stick to the rest, suits growing kids just as well as it suits the adults. The feed guide sits between 80g and 270g a day, adjusted for size and condition.
How are this year's kids getting on? We would love an update on how much they have grown.
Find out more:
https://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/products/goats/pygmy-goat-mix/ or click the link in our bio.