Animals
Beef Cattle
When we first moved in, we bought in store steers to fatten. We found that it was a good way to get started, but in March 2005, we decided to purchase some pedigree Welsh Black cattle from Syfni herd owned by Gareth, Diane & Aled James from Tufton. We initially purchased two cows with their heifer calves. These cows were also in-calf and due to calf in May. Since then, we have had four calves born which is the start of the Ffoshelig herd. In April 2006, we also purchased two pedigree Welsh Black steers from the annual Spring Store Sale in Llandovery. We now have ten Welsh Black cattle. Our four initial cattle are all in-calf and are due to calf in May. In addition to the above, we also have two Blonde d'Aquitaine beef store cattle. Once these two have gone, we will be concentrating on purely breeding Welsh Black cattle.
The cattle are fed on only grass during the summer. In the winter, the cattle are fed on silage and the steers also have some rolled barley.
Pigs
We got our first pigs in May 2005 when we purchased three weaners. Since then, we have experimented with many different pig breeds but have found that the best for taste in our opinions have been pure Welsh or pure Landrace pigs. We now tend to purchase all our stock from Garallt & Joyce Owens from Llanon. They have won many prizes for their pigs.
The pigs are fed on weaner pellets and with old fruit and vegetables purchased from the Carmarthen Market. This diet in our opinion, seems to improve the flavour and texture of the pigs.
Chickens
We have around 40 laying hens and two cockerels, we rescued 2 cockerels from the animal sanctuary as our old cockerel over-exerted himself looking after the hens. We sell most of our eggs to passing customers. These are mostly warren hens and are able to free range on over half an acre of land. We have a great demand for our eggs and all of our eggs are sold within two days of laying. Sometimes we have a waiting list for eggs.
The chickens obtain a lot of their food from the land but have also access to food in their shed. This food is a mixture of the following layers pellets, layers mash, rolled barley, wheat and mixed corn. They sometimes get a treat if there are any old grapes or tomatoes available from Carmarthen Market.