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Keeping Animals in the Outer HebridesWhat sort of things are different here to keeping animals in the Hebrides compared to the mainland? If you want to go self-sufficient, it is not necessary to have to keep animals. There are many who don't. It is quite a commitment to the animal's welfare and some feel it's enough to grow their own fruit and vegetables without having the added strain of animal upkeep. Some animals do better here in the Outer Hebrides than others. If you have a look at the what the native cattle, sheep and ponies are like, you can see that their coats are a lot longer and shaggier than say, their counterparts down in the south of England. The same goes for poultry. They are very hardy and can withstand the sometimes harsh conditions. In fact, with the Highland cattle, they are best left outside in all weather conditions and do not do well kept indoors.
HorsesWe have kept horses on our place for quite a while now. My partner has always had either ponies or horses or both. We currently have two cobs on our place.In the olden days, many crofts had a pony on their croft to work - to bring in peats from the moor or pull small carts. Nowadays, most people keep horses for the pure pleasure of it. There are several challenges to keeping horses here in the Outer Hebrides: *All-weather riding -the weather in winter means you might not be able to ride or exercise them much. There are no indoor all-weather riding facilities or a riding school on Lewis. There is a riding school in Benbecula, but I am not sure if they've got an indoor school. If anyone keeps their horses there, please let me know to ensure the facts are accurate on the website! *Grazing - due to boggy ground conditions, you will need more land to graze just one or two horses compared to the mainland, especially in the winter time. A lot of horses here do come down with mud fever in winter. Many of the crofting districts have grazing committees and they don't really like horses on the common grazings as they can be rough on fencing. Where we are, the only part of the common grazings the horses are allowed on to is the peat moor, which is unsafe for horses (unless they are native ponies such as Shetlands, Highlands or Eriskays). The heavier the horse, the more land you need - this is a general principle. So the guideline I feel would be that whatever the current SSPCA/RSCPA guidelines of number of acres per horse, at least double it here. *The farriers are not resident in the islands. There are currently two farriers visiting the islands - one of whom is based in Skye. It can be difficult getting them right away if your horse throws a shoe. There is now an equestrian supply shop in Stornoway called Boots 'n' Saddles. If they don't have it in the shop, they'll order what you need! In Lewis and Harris, there are two horse clubs. One is the Western Isles Pony Club and the other is the Lewis and Harris Riding Club. Click on the links below for more information on these groups. Lewis and Harris Riding Club PoultryKeeping a few hens is quite easy. They don't require as much intensive attention as the larger animals, especially horses! There are a lot of resources on the net for keeping chickens but I'll include a few tips that are helpful for local conditions in the Outer Hebrides.Housing: It needs to be solid, strong and waterproof. A lot of the henhouses sold on Ebay won't withstand the first gale that comes along. Siting is important, also because of the gales - if you can plant a shelter belt around at least two sides (west and south, the prevailing winds), so much the better. Chickens are prone to draughts at nighttime, so the better protection you have, the less likely you'll find them keeled over in the coop in the morning. There are certain breeds that do extremely well up here - the Scots Grey for example. They are now on the 'rare' breed list and I'm not sure why they've gotten to that point. They are very hardy. We have a few here and the gales don't seem to phase them. Very often, when it's blowing a gale and bucketing rain, they are outside with the ducks while the rest of the chooks are taking shelter. Their eggs are so easy to incubate - as one breeder said "You just have to blow on them and they develop". The only thing I can think that perhaps why people stopped keeping them is that they are very good fliers! They like to roost quite high - in our shed, they roost on perches 6ft high! Predators: Just because there are no foxes in the Outer Hebrides, doesn't mean there aren't any predators! Our most common predators are: mink (from a now defunct mink farm let loose in the 1950's), sea eagles, dogs. Mink are particularly bad in certain parts of Harris, Lewis and Gt. Bernera. Our area hasn't seen mink in a long time. There has been an ongoing 'mink project' for years now to eradicate them. Not only do they attack domestic fowl, but they get at the eggs of ground nesting wild birds too. Ducks: they seem to be easiest to keep up here! When it's pouring rain and you're stuck inside, they are very often outside our window, playing and having a good time. Also making the place into a mudpit! If you enjoy birdwatching, you'll see that a lot of wild birds up here are the waterfowl (swans, wild ducks, geese) and sea birds. The main thing to keep your ducks protected is from dogs, especially from Border Collies that may be running loose. Domestic ducks generally don't or can't fly, so they don't have that protection to get away from predators as some breeds of chicken do. News: A very nice woman called Gill of Skye Fancy Fowl on Skye is a breeder of various and rare breeds of poultry, ducks and quail. You can get hatching eggs, actual birds or free-range eggs for eating. All her animals are well-cared for and she gives good information on animal welfare on her home page as well as being available for help and information on caring for your birds. As her birds are pure-breeds and well-cared for, expect a higher price than the other supplier on Skye (who provides laying hybrids). The extra money is worth it for the quality you receive in the birds. Skye Fancy Fowl
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