Grazing urgently needed but for 3 pigs and 2 sheep, Dorchester

[Dunlin]

I am in Dorchester and need grazing for 3 rescue KuneKune pigs and 2 sheep, ideally within 5 miles of Dorchester. They are pets and very friendly. Our land has been sold off to the wind farm project and we have to be out by December 31st!!! Horrible short notice.

The pigs and sheep have shared their current field with 2 Welsh ponies so are fine around horses and ponies.

Please PM me if you know of anything, I have put up signs locally in shops but due to the horrible short notice I'm so worried they'll all have to be PTS as there seems to be no land out there.

 

[applecart14]

I am in Dorchester and need grazing for 3 rescue KuneKune pigs and 2 sheep, ideally within 5 miles of Dorchester. They are pets and very friendly. Our land has been sold off to the wind farm project and we have to be out by December 31st!!! Horrible short notice.

The pigs and sheep have shared their current field with 2 Welsh ponies so are fine around horses and ponies.

Please PM me if you know of anything, I have put up signs locally in shops but due to the horrible short notice I'm so worried they'll all have to be PTS as there seems to be no land out there.

Oh no that's awful. If it were my yard I would have them, as I really think they would be beneficial to my current situation with my horse and his total pig phobia. I hope you don't have to have them put to sleep.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I would guess that the sheep would be fairly easy to home if you don't find grazing. Consider asking a zoo regarding the pigs if you have one locally. Good luck OP.

 

[Dunlin]

Thank you for the kind thoughts Applecart and Crystal. Unfortunately there aren't any zoo's locally, I have tried 2 animal sanctuary's but they are too full. I have emailed the Donkey sanctuary and see what they say as I know pigs and sheep do make good companions for horses and ponies (and Donkeys). I also have them on preloved as free to good home but horribly I'm just getting people interested in eating them when I clearly state they are pets! The little black boar is quite a performer, he stands and sits and begs on command for an apple!

I'm going to try some of the big private schools around here with lots of land, it would be nice for the children as the pigs and sheep are both very friendly and good around children and plenty of the schools around here have their own stables.

 

[Maesfen]

How do you stand with DEFRA on this as they're pets but still agricultural animals, do they have to go to a holding which already has a holding number? Try a local farmer who will already have one even if it's just a corner of a field or a loose box. Don't whatever you do fall foul of DEFRA and their regulations and hope you can find somewhere.

 

[jrp204]

They will have to go to someone with a holding no, although it is fairly simple to get one. You will also have to fill in movement forms before moving and make sure you send the right copy to Animal Health.

 

[be positive]

You could try Happy Landings, they may be happy to help out short term if you want to keep them otherwise they do rehome and take farm animals.
http://www.happy-landings.org.uk/aboutus.php

 

[Dunlin]

Thanks be positive I have sent them a message.

The pigs and sheep have holding numbers, the tags are not on them but we do have them. We have already re-homed 1 bore piglet earlier this year as a pet to a family with some land, they just went online and got a holding number sorted out and we can do the paperwork online for livestock movement/sale so it's really very simple once you've done it once, the first time was a headache though!

 

[Maesfen]

Thanks be positive I have sent them a message.

The pigs and sheep have holding numbers, the tags are not on them but we do have them. We have already re-homed 1 bore piglet earlier this year as a pet to a family with some land, they just went online and got a holding number sorted out and we can do the paperwork online for livestock movement/sale so it's really very simple once you've done it once, the first time was a headache though!

No, sorry to be pedantic but sounds like the pigs and sheep have herd numbers but the holding number is something the property where they're kept has to have.

 

[jrp204]

The online movements are for pigs, you cannot register sheep movements online. Your sheep should have ear tags in from 3 wks, this is a legal requirement, your pigs must also be tagged before movement. Farmers have to play by the rules and just because they are pets does not exclude them. Your sheep should have a flock number and your pigs will have a separate number. This as Maesfen has said is not your holding no.

 

[Dunlin]

Thanks for the comments, I shall let my landlords know that they are breaking the law with the ear tags being left off the animals, I know that it was DEFRA who said they could leave the tags off but they had to go on the animals if sold or destroyed so whether that's right or wrong I don't know but it was a DEFRA agent that said that so they are simply following their own words. With regards to wording of flock number, herd number, holding number, I am just trying to help my landlords out, sorry if I have got it slightly wrong. I know they have all the paperwork for the animals and they have done a lot of it online and when they rescued the pigs and sheep the first thing they did was contact DEFRA to make sure they were doing everything correctly so please don't think bad of me or them

 

[jrp204]

Why would anyone think bad of you? I certainly don't. Trouble is with DEFRA they can come down on you like a ton of bricks if things aren't done properly regardless of what even one of their staff says. We would always do things by the book it's easier.
In a perfect world tagging until sold/killed is fine but if the animals escaped it would be very difficult to trace the owners.

 

[Dunlin]

Yes, the other boar piglet did escape earlier this year but thankfully was found very close by munching someones front garden!! I did tell my landlords about the tags though and they don't have a problem doing anything by the book at all, they just presumed because the DEFRA agent said it was fine to not tag them until sold or pts they left them off. Farm vet is out soon anyway for worming and feet trimming so will get them all tagged there and then. I'm glad you told me as none of us were any the wiser although in hindsight I suppose, yes, of course it makes perfect sense with regards to the escaping!

Oh and don't worry about the thinking bad of us thing it was nothing personal towards you or anyone at all, I am just very wary on this forum as some people jump to conclusions and brand people as cruel or not fit to own animals, I'm constantly in a state of paranoia when posting on here!

 

[Zero00000]

You could also contact http://www.happyendingsrescue.org/

They travel to collect animals too.

 

[Dunlin]

Thank you Zero, I'll give them a call tomorrow

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am in Dorchester and need grazing for 3 rescue KuneKune pigs and 2 sheep, ideally within 5 miles of Dorchester. They are pets and very friendly. Our land has been sold off to the wind farm project and we have to be out by December 31st!!! Horrible short notice.

The pigs and sheep have shared their current field with 2 Welsh ponies so are fine around horses and ponies.

Please PM me if you know of anything, I have put up signs locally in shops but due to the horrible short notice I'm so worried they'll all have to be PTS as there seems to be no land out there.

try here http://www.symondsandsampson.co.uk/rural/land-farm-sales
go to some of the farmers ask if u can rent some.

 

[Dunlin]

Thank you Leviathon will get onto that tomorrow as obviously we would prefer to keep them all rather than rehome or dispose.

 

[Jaycee]

Just a thought, Kingston Maurward have a small animal park, maybe try them, or Farmer Palmer (Lychett Matraver/Poole way? Hope you get them sorted soon x

 

[Dunlin]

Thanks Jaycee,

I tried Kingston Maurward and Farmer Palmers but they have no room.

I'm waiting to hear back from 2 animal shelters at the moment so I hope they have the room. Finding grazing around here is ridiculously difficult, I'm really pleased I don't have a horse as people seem to think they can charge insane amounts!