Starting a Smallholding: Land, Paperwork, Fencing and Water

Before any animal arrives: check the rules and register your land and yourself where required (in England, a CPH number first), find a farm vet, walk and fix every fence, set up shelter and reliable water, prepare a quarantine pen and start a record book. Start small with one species you've researched well, and add others once the routine works.

Fences, water and paperwork first. Animals second.

The order that saves new smallholders the most trouble.

Smallholding setup at a glance
First	Rules, registration and a farm vet
Then	Fencing, shelter and water for the species you've chosen
Ready before arrival	A quarantine pen and a record book
Ongoing	Daily checks, manure management, grazing rest
Start with	One species, a small group, done well

Step One: Rules and Registration

Farm animals come with more paperwork than pets, and it usually applies even when the animals are pets. Before you buy:

Check you're allowed: zoning, planning rules, deeds and tenancy agreements can all limit livestock at home.
Register the land and yourself: in England that means a County Parish Holding (CPH) number for the land, then herd or flock marks for pigs, sheep and goats, and poultry registration with APHA. Other countries have their own systems (see the box below).
Learn the ID and movement rules for your species: ear tags, movement reports and a holding register are common.
Know the feeding and fallen-stock rules: no kitchen scraps for farm animals in the UK and the EU, and in Great Britain farm species generally can't be buried at home.

Step Two: A Farm Vet and Experienced Neighbors

Find a farm or mixed-practice vet who treats your chosen species and register before your animals arrive. Ask about a health plan. Breed societies, local smallholder groups and courses are a great way to learn handling, foot trimming and lambing or kidding before you need them.

Worming, parasite treatments and other medicines: see your vet or a pet supply store with trained staff. Farm animals are a food-producing species in law in many countries, even as pets, so treatments follow farm rules and need recording.

The Law: Rules Differ by Country

Pigs, sheep, goats and cattle kept as pets usually count as farm animals in law. That means registration, identification and movement records, and food-safety rules for any medicines, even for one pet animal that will never be eaten.

United Kingdom: In England you need a County Parish Holding (CPH) number for the land before the animals arrive, then a herd or flock mark from APHA, approved ear tags (or other ID), movement reporting and a holding register. Keepers of food-producing animals must also keep medicine records, for at least five years. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (DAERA) run their own systems. Start at registering land for livestock on gov.uk.
United States: City or county zoning decides whether you can keep livestock at home. Your state department of agriculture or state veterinarian sets health and movement rules, and many sheep and goats need official scrapie identification when they leave your property or change owner.
Elsewhere: Canada (CFIA and your province), Australia (your state or territory agriculture department), Ireland (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) and New Zealand (Ministry for Primary Industries) all have livestock ID and movement rules.

Kitchen scraps and fallen stock: don't feed kitchen scraps to farm animals; in the UK and the EU it is illegal, pets included. In Great Britain, farm species generally can't be buried at home when they die, even pets; check with APHA or your local council.

Rules change, so check with your national authority before you buy.

Fencing and Shelter

Walk every boundary before anything arrives. Each species tests fences differently: goats climb, pigs push with their noses, sheep squeeze through gaps, and poultry need protection from foxes, raccoons, coyotes, dogs and birds of prey depending on where you live.

Stock netting suits sheep, goats and pigs, often with an electric strand on the inside.
Poultry runs need welded mesh, buried or with a ground apron, and a roof or netting.
Avoid barbed wire near fleece animals and camelids.
Every animal needs dry shelter from wind, rain and summer sun, big enough for the whole group to lie down.

Water, Every Day, All Year

Animals must always have clean water. Site troughs where they're easy to check and refill, out of full sun if you can, on hard standing so the ground doesn't turn to mud. Plan for winter before it arrives: troughs freeze, pipes burst and hoses fail. See water troughs in winter.

Setting Up the Basics

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Stock netting and an electric fence kit cover most boundaries, with welded mesh for poultry. A sturdy water trough and a covered hay rack handle daily feeding and drinking. A few livestock hurdles make a quarantine or handling pen, and a record book keeps the paperwork straight from day one.

Quarantine and Records

Set up a separate pen, out of nose-to-nose contact with your other animals, before newcomers arrive.
Ask your vet how long to keep them apart and whether any tests make sense.
Use separate feeders, water and boots for the quarantine pen.
Watch newcomers daily: eating, drinking, moving and behaving normally.
Record arrival dates, where animals came from, ID numbers, movements and any vet visits or medicines.

Good records are a legal requirement for many farm species and make every vet visit easier.

Manure, Grazing and Neighbors

Remove manure regularly and keep the heap away from boundaries, watercourses and wells; rules on muck heaps near water exist in many countries. Rest and rotate paddocks so grass recovers and worm burdens stay down. Talk to neighbors early about noise and smells, and keep dogs (yours and theirs) away from stock.

Some species mix well and others don't. Sheep and goats can graze together but need separate minerals; poultry and pigs each have their own rules. Each species page covers its own needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What first-time smallholders ask before buying animals.

Do I need a CPH number for a few pet goats?

In England, yes: a CPH number is needed for land where you keep cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or poultry, even as pets. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems, and other countries have different rules.

Which animal should I start with?

One species you've researched well, in a small group: often a few hens, then perhaps sheep or goats. Add others once the routine works.

How long should new animals be quarantined?

It depends on the species and where they came from. Ask your vet, and keep newcomers fully apart until then.

Can I bury a pet sheep or pig at home when it dies?

In Great Britain, farm species generally can't be buried at home, even pets; they go to an approved collector. Check with APHA or your local council, and with your national authority elsewhere.

Can I feed my animals kitchen scraps?

Not in the UK or the EU, where it's illegal for farm animals, pets included. Other countries restrict it too, especially for pigs.

Do I need special fencing for each species?

Often. Goats climb, pigs push, sheep squeeze through gaps and poultry need protection from predators, so plan fencing for the animals you'll actually keep.