3 replies to this topic

[Eve]

So... Things are going slowly, but we have to fit in our farm life with our 'other' life!
Plenty of fencing, gateways, coops, arcs, are in... Plenty of more to go!
We have 24 hens, 1 cockerel, 13 chicks, 3 ewes, 4 pigs (2 breeding sows and 2 meat)... In the next two weeks or so we should have 3 more in-lamb ewes, a boar, an in-pig sow and possibly another gilt.
We have employed an accountant and our business is now registered, web site is being built, logo is being finalised, getting my head round the pd form which we plan to put in just before Easter...
So, I'm now trying to work out our 5 year business plan, which brings me to the SMD...
I have the john nix book, I was on the understanding that I needed to comply with at least 1 full time worker to fulfil the 'need' to be on-site... That seems to equate to 275 hours per year, I start getting confused when I read "sows (including weaners up to 30kg) - 2.25". Does that mean that one sow with all her off-spring over a year (until they become "other bacon pigs - 0.25") will only equate to 2.25 hours per year, which would mean I would need 122.22 breeding sows to get to 275 SMD! 😱
I understand that the sheep and chickens will add to my count, and you can add 15% for maintenance ... But my 18 acres will not support anywhere near that number, nor do I want that kind of number! Please could someone help clarify what I need to do to satisfy the SMD and the fulfil the 'need' to be on-site.
Many thanks 😘

[shepie]

More like sow 4/ pig 2 /ewe 4 /lamb 2 and it's more like 2250 man hours / year

[Eve]

Yes, you're right 275 standard man days adds up to 2200 man hours per year....
But the only references I can find in the john nix book, that I could use are:
Ewes (lowland) - 0.50
Rams - 0.50
Winter finishing store lambs - 0.30 ... Does that just mean a lamb?!
Sows (including weaners up to 30kg) - 2.25 .... Is that 2.25 per sow & all young or 2.25 for sow and 2.25 for each off spring until they are over 30kg when they move to 'bacon pigs'?
Boars - 2.00
Other bacon pigs - 0.25
Laying birds, free range - 0.06
Pullets reared - 0.005
Broilers - 0.002
Grazing only - 0.40 (per hectare)
Hay for sale - 1. (per hectare)
Set aside - 0.20 (per hectare)
Re-seeding - 0.6 (per hectare)
+ 15% for repairs/maintenance
I can't find any SMD for turkeys, worms, etc or indeed allowances for marketing...
If I'm allowed to allocated the 2.25 to each young then I have no problem, if not I have a big problem!
To be fair the John nix book is all based on commercial farming, not traditional small scale, so it really doesn't apply as far as I can see! For instance, if I hatch, raise and sell 200 pullets in a year that only equates to 1 SMD!
There is another sentance that worries/confuses me...
"For all other livestock, average numbers on the farm at any one time during the years hold be used (I.e. Average of numbers at the end of each month)." (Pullets & broilers go on heads sold)
I'm so confused!

[shepie]

2.25 for upto 30 kg then they drop to .25 for the other 4 months so 1.25 for pig 7-8 months but you need them all year round
Sure they just say if you have 4 sows two litters of ten / year pigs =
160 hrs / year
Sows 4 x4 16
Boar 4
Total 180 from pigs
We had to go with nix figures to get 3 yr and hold enough stock for 1man to get 3 yr temp then it was border line so you do need lots if you going the straight farming route
They didn't count the camping or pork sales etc into it
Depends where you are though , turkeys are special care and take time you may have to work with an agent