Daily life on a farm explained
Did you ever dream when you were a child of owning a farm, feeding all the animals, surrounded by miles upon miles of beautiful countryside and getting away from noisy towns?
In France, farmhouses are numerous especially in regions like Normandy and Brittany where you find plenty of cattle in the fields. In general, there is more livestock breeding in both those regions compared to the Beauce, France’s cereal producing region. In fact the area around Chartres is one of Europe’s richest cereal-producing regions, particularly for wheat and corn.
Nevertheless, you should be aware that taxes are relatively high as farms are important properties (given their size and their land), a point worth remembering. Usually surrounded by vineyards or cereal fields, the owner of a farm will need to have plenty of time to spare, as looking after animals is a time consuming business.
Having cows and horses:
Milk producers are faced with problems with prices. Plenty of farmers demonstrate in France as retailers buy their milk at very low prices and resell it at extremely high prices. Thus you may not make a lot of profit if you launch this activity, though nothing prevents you from developing a passion for cows if you so wish. Have a cowshed built if you have no suitable outbuilding on your French property. Don’t forget the bull among your cows and at least a male among the mares if you plan to extend the herd. Anticipate the fact that your cowshed – or your stable – should be extendable because at a certain time when cows (or horses) turn out to be very numerous, a birth could happen every day!
But you are not compelled to have a huge field if you don’t want lots of animals. For 2 or 3 horses, 700 to 1,000sqm of land are sufficient. If you cannot afford that much land, put them in stables and walk them (try several times a week).
Rearing fowls:
For this type of livestock, a huge amount of space is not required. A very small barn attached to a 15-to-20sqm courtyard is sufficient, and you can mix different sorts of farm birds: hens, cockerels, geese, guinea fowls, ducks… If you can, create a space for hens to lay eggs. You might come across some several days after, thus enabling you to avoid buying them at the supermarket. These eggs will probably be better quality than standard ones bought in shops, and at least you know exactly where they come from! Be cautious because unfortunately, farm birds attract foxes, who dig holes around the hen run and catch them. Less dangerous for your birds, badgers come just to eat eggs.
Please keep in mind that farm life is very different to urban life. Amenities may not be close by, but the calm and tranquillity of a life in the country is pure bliss!