Sally Coulthard
THE GOOD LIFE
I love September. The countryside is letting off its last fireworks and the smallholding is bursting with verbena, nigella and sedums – all keeping the wildlife happy. On these last stolen sunny days, autumn seems miles off but, in a few weeks, the flowers will have faded. For foragers, there are still rich pickings – rosehips and blackberries, carpets of blue whinberries on the moors and a storecupboard of sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts and beechnuts. But for hedgehogs, it can be tricky.
The period between now and December is a frantic grab to gain enough weight for hibernation. Some baby hedgehogs – or hoglets – may have been alive for a few months, but they will need to store fat, too. Fortunately, they should have weeks to go before the really harsh weather starts to bite. Especially young hoglets could find it a challenge, though. Some mothers may have managed a second litter in early September. Others may have mated late and only just given
Sally and her family share their plot with sheep, horses, chickens and the odd peacock. Maintaining a vegetable garden, orchards, fields and a wild pond, Sally has perfected the art of smallholding on a budget (sallycoulthard.co.uk)
LOCATION
The Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire
PLOT SIZE
12 acres
EXPERIENCE
Sally has been running her smallholding since she moved to Yorkshire 11 years ago
birth. Once the babies have been weaned, it will be October and there won’t be enough days or food available to enable them to reach hibernation weight. For these autumn juveniles, it is a race against time.
As smallholders, farmers and gardeners, we owe it to them to help. Hedgehogs are not only a countryside icon, they also provide pest control. In one night, a hedgehog can easily scoff 50g-70g of food – given that the average slug weighs less than a gram, it’s easy to see how effective they are at keeping pesky nibblers at bay. But what about the autumn? At this time of year, their food sources may be scarce thanks to larger, more intensively farmed fields, less insect diversity, more agrichemicals and fewer ancient hedgerows.
We can, however, make our spaces more welcoming, providing alternative food sources and places to hibernate. Consider a compost heap – decaying organic matter is full of invertebrates for food, as well as making a cosy nesting place – or create a few quiet spaces such as rockpiles, wood stacks and leaf litters that support insect life and shelter. Or spread rotting organic material such as compost or manure along beds to attract earthworms – another tasty meal.
Alternatively, make small holes in your fences to allow hedgehogs to pass through – they usually need to roam around a bit to find enough food. Cut a small hole – about 12cm squared at the base – or use hedges as boundaries. This way, our prickly pals should make it through the coming months and emerge, sleepy-eyed and rested, next spring.
Some mothers will have a second litter in early September
RUN A HEDGEHOG CAFÉ
FEEDING HEDGEHOGS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS CAN INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WITHOUT RUINING THEIR FORAGING INSTINCTS
WHAT TO FEED THEM CAT OR DOG FOOD (TINNED OR BISCUITS), MINCED MEAT, CHOPPED BOILED EGGS, SPECIALIST HEDGEHOG FOOD (ARKWILDLIFE.CO.UK) AND PLENTY OF FRESH WATER. 100G OF FOOD FEEDS ONE HEDGEHOG PER NIGHT.
WHAT TO AVOID MILK. HEDGEHOGS ARE LACTOSE INTOLERANT AND DAIRY PRODUCTS WILL GIVE THEM DIARRHOEA. BREAD, CAKES AND SALTY PROCESSED FOODS SUCH AS CRISPS AND SWEET BISCUITS WON’T DO THEM ANY GOOD EITHER.
HOW LEAVE IN A SHALLOW, HEAVY-BOTTOMED DISH IN A SHELTERED PART OF YOUR GARDEN JUST BEFORE DUSK. PUT WATER IN A SEPARATE BOWL.
WHEN BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER, PUT FOOD OUT EVERY DAY IN THE SAME PLACE. HEDGEHOGS OFTEN RETURN NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. DURING HIBERNATION – DECEMBER TO MARCH – THEY MIGHT WAKE UP AND NEED A QUICK SNACK. WATER AND DRY BISCUITS CAN BE A LIFESAVER, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE GROUND IS FROZEN.
The Hedgehog Handbook