Address:
Benderloch, Oban PA37 1QS, UK,Oban
Email:
foodhub@kintaline.co.uk
Phone:
01631 720223
Description:
Our 24 acre farm, just outside Benderloch, is home to our pure bred Jacob sheep flock and our Black Rock chicken Laying flock. We took over the custody of Kintaline Farm nearly 30 years ago, first renovating buildings, creating paddocks, and beginning to grow. The hens and the sheep have been with us from the early days. Over the years we have had a farm & craft shop, grown fruit and veggies, sold feed, raised thousands of utility pure breed chickens and ducks, lots of adorable spotty lambs, a few pigs, and still miss our milking goat herd. These days we are aiming for simpler, and also embracing many of the permaculture practises to create a legacy of Living Larders across the farm, for the benefit of the wildlife, our livestock and ourselves. Our land has been rich in species diversity for grazing but now we will be increasing this, as well as supporting the soil communities. This winter we planted 1500 young native trees and hedgerow saplings, in copses breaking up the paddocks yet more, which will grow to provide highly nutritious fodder for our sheep, shelter for all, habitat for wildlife, and there is lots of fruit and nut species for food for the humans too. In a few years time it will also look amazing. Our sheep are mainly fibre fed, with a variety of quality fibre nuts to support their growing needs in the winter months. Jacobs usually produce twins, and it is not unusual for them to have triplets, and are superb mothers, so they need good nutrition and care. Our chickens are very free range, with all 24 acres to roam over most of the time. We have small flocks of quail, guinea fowl and turkeys, with a larger troup of Muscovies. Our Black Rock hens have been our layer of choice for the last several decades due to their vigour, great egg quality, shell strength, and long life. They are strong rangers so they are all over the herb rich grazing across the farm which so improves the flavour of their eggs.