HOME FARM Live your Good Life

JUST like 70s TV sitcom The Good Life, many people in town houses have dreamed of being self-sufficient – and have kept animals in gardens.

Consumers increasingly like to know where their food comes from. So the trend for keeping poultry, pigs, goats and bees has spiked in recent years.

A spokesman for garden shed and garden buildings company Billyoh.com said: “If you have the space, keeping chickens and goats can be very rewarding. This is particularly so when they start to produce eggs or milk.”

If you fancy your own micro farm, here are our tips on livestock.

1. Geese

Renowned as excellent watchdogs, geese live mostly on grass – great for keeping your lawn trimmed.

A quarter of an acre of grass is sufficient for a pair of geese. An old shed will do as accommodation and a plastic tub will be sufficient as a pond.

2. Chickens

Chickens are easy to care for. Make

OUR vet Brian Faulkner, from Petplan, has 16 years of experience and is a freelance working all over the country. Send your questions to Brian at: Petplan, Great West House, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9DX or via Petplan’s Facebook page facebook.com/

Petplanuk. sure they have fresh water, food and a clean shelter. In a 5ft x 8ft space, you can keep three hens which can provide at least a dozen eggs a week.

They will polish off kitchen scraps such as pasta and veggies. You must provide them with a secure house so they are safe from foxes.

3. Bees

After the initial investment of the hive and other equipment, bees are cheaper to keep than most other animals. All you have to provide is sugar water as a back-up food source, but for the most part your bees will be foraging for their own food. They are low-maintenance too. You can expect about 20-30lbs of honey a year from just one hive.

4. Mini goats

Pygmy and dwarf goats are ideal for back gardens. They grow to about half the size of a typical goat breed, so in just a 15ft x 25ft space you can set up an area for a pair of mini goats.

You need solid fencing to keep them in and some sort of shed. They must be taken in overnight. Keep prized plants out of reach because they eat everything. Owners must comply with laws on identifying goats and registering the land they are kept on.

I HAVE two female rabbits who live outside in a hutch. One has a tooth that has grown so long it’s beginning to curve and stick out between her lips. Can a vet fix this?

Yes this is definitely something your vet should do. The tooth needs to be trimmed using a sharp burr – it will shatter if you use blunt clippers. This can expose the sensitive parts, which would be very painful. Furthermore, your vet will check the less visible teeth for similar problem growths as these can lead to painful ulcers.

If you have a story about wildlife email us at pets@people.co.uk