East Essex Smallholders Chitchat

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	November is often a time of continuous rain - squelching through the thick mud around the farm. But on a crisp, dry morning with a perfect blue sky and trees blazing with the Autumnal hues of gold, bronze and red, November can be as beautiful as Spring.
	So even on the dreariest of days, be thankful for our beautiful British countryside.
	November is 'tupping' time for many smallholders who lamb in April. The ram is left with the ewes for two cycles (34 days) to ensure a compact lambing. During the early stage of pregnancy, the ewes are best left well alone, as any disturbance at this time can affect implantation of the foetus, which can be reabsorbed if the ewe suffers any kind of shock or nutritional imbalance. For expert advice and practical demonstrations on sheep welfare and management, see our DVD series 'Sheep on Your Smallholding'.
	...backyard egg layers - for novelty Anconer: cream Araucana: green, blue & occasionally pink – “Easter Egg Layer” Barnvelder: chocolate Dorking: white Marans: chocolate New Hampshire Red: brown Sussex: cream Welsummer: dark brown, speckled Leghorn: white Any type of Bantam breed: tiny eggs in a variety of colours!
	The strongest egg colour will be shown during the first year of laying, after which the colour tends to fade to a lighter shade.
	There's plenty to do on your smallholding during November. Book a pregnancy scan for your ewes, disinfect your poultry housing, collect rosehips for your pigs and add loads of well-rotted manure to your vegetable plot. Each morning, check ewes for raddle marks (if tupping) and record each ewe’s number as she is marked to give you a good idea of individual lambing dates. If you can divide your chicken run into two or more parts, this is the ideal time to ‘rest’ one section. Pigs will enjoy a wide range of fruit and veg to supplement their diet and provide a bit of culinary interest. Dig a new vegetable bed - as long as the ground isn’t frozen, this is a great way to keep warm and fit during the winter months and expand your vegetable area (who needs an unproductive lawn)! Don’t be tempted to over-rug your horse as the weather gets cooler, especially unclipped horses or native ponies that may sweat under a rug which can then lead to chilling. Keep up with all your smallholding tasks with our comprehensive guides to sheep,chickens, pigs ,the vegetable garden and equines. Just click on an image below.
	Article of the Month The Right Land for Sheep Moredun Health Bulletin Johne's Disease in Cattle and Sheep Green Farm Diary How our unseasonably warm October brought on a severe case of fly-strike NADIS Health Alert Worms in lambs and sheep, and pregnancy toxaemia Advice from World Horse WelfareHorses - Stabling in Winter Recipe of the Month Pot Roast Pheasant with Beetroot and Figs
	The UK 'Game Season' is currently in full swing so we have included some delicious Game recipes this month... Roast Pheasant with White Wine and Charlotte Potatoes		Gamekeeper's Pie Braised Rabbit Pappardelle Venison Scotch Eggs Grouse with Roasted Pumpkin, Jerusalem Artichoke and Beetroot
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