Smallholding & Farm Sitting Services Nationwide UK
Experienced Live-in Smallholding Sitter & Farm Animal Care
Finding someone experienced enough to care for a smallholding while you're away can be difficult, particularly when your property is home to several different species of animals, each with their own feeding arrangements, routines and requirements.
At A3 House & Pet Sitting, I provide professional, independent live-in smallholding and farm sitting services throughout England, Wales and Scotland.
Established in 2008, my service combines a lifelong background in animal care with practical experience of livestock, horses, poultry and domestic pets.
Whether you have a small rural property with a few goats and chickens or a larger smallholding with horses, sheep, alpacas, donkeys and family pets, I provide attentive, knowledgeable care tailored to your established routines.
Your animals remain in their familiar surroundings, with one experienced sitter responsible for their daily care and your home.
Practical Smallholding Experience & Livestock Knowledge
Having grown up on a smallholding, I understand that caring for farm animals involves considerably more than simply providing food and water.
Different species have different nutritional, handling, housing and welfare requirements. Their routines can also change according to the season, weather conditions and individual circumstances.
My experience began in childhood and includes practical involvement with goats, cattle, sheep, poultry and other smallholding animals.
I also hold a BSc (Hons) in Equine Science from Aberystwyth University and a National Diploma in Equine Studies from Walford College.
Alongside my smallholding background, I have worked professionally with horses, including at Westpoint Stud and subsequently at a yard responsible for 18 Shire and Gelderlander horses.
This combination of agricultural and equine experience allows me to provide knowledgeable care for rural households with a mixture of animals, rather than specialising exclusively in conventional domestic pets.
Today, I use that experience to help smallholding owners arrange reliable care when travelling for holidays, work or other commitments.
Smallholding Animals I Can Care For
Every smallholding is different, and I am accustomed to working with properties where several species require attention throughout the day.
My experience includes caring for:
Goats: Feeding, fresh water, checking general wellbeing and maintaining established housing and turnout arrangements.
Sheep: Routine feeding, water checks, observing behaviour and condition, and following agreed field management routines.
Alpacas: Daily feeding, checking water supplies, monitoring general wellbeing and maintaining familiar routines.
Donkeys: Feeding, turnout, stable or shelter care and monitoring individual requirements.
Cattle: Routine care and monitoring of privately kept cattle, subject to the animals' handling requirements and agreed responsibilities.
Pigs: Feeding, fresh water, housing checks and established daily care.
Chickens and other poultry: Feeding, fresh water, egg collection, cleaning and secure evening housing.
Ducks and geese: Feeding, water management, housing hygiene and daily checks.
Horses and ponies: Feeding, turnout, rug changes, mucking out and established stable or field routines.
Domestic pets: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and other household animals living alongside your livestock.
I understand that even animals of the same species may have very different requirements.
Before accepting a booking, I discuss the number of animals, their individual routines, handling arrangements and the practical workload involved.
What My Smallholding Sitting Services Include
The daily responsibilities involved in looking after a smallholding depend on the animals, facilities and management systems already in place.
I follow your established instructions rather than expecting your animals to adapt to unfamiliar arrangements.
Depending on your requirements, my smallholding sitting services can include:
Preparing and providing feeds, forage and supplements according to your instructions.
Checking and replenishing drinking water, buckets and troughs.
Opening and securing poultry housing at the appropriate times.
Collecting eggs and maintaining poultry housing hygiene.
Carrying out agreed cleaning, bedding and mucking-out duties.
Checking field-kept livestock and monitoring their general condition.
Turning animals out, bringing them in and maintaining established routines where appropriate.
Checking gates, fencing, shelters and animal housing for obvious problems.
Monitoring appetite, behaviour, movement and general wellbeing.
Administering agreed routine medication in accordance with veterinary instructions.
Maintaining animal feeding areas, equipment and housing hygiene.
Contacting your veterinary surgeon or nominated emergency contact when necessary.
Particular requirements, including specialist handling, intensive livestock management or additional seasonal responsibilities, are discussed individually before booking.
My role is to maintain the agreed daily care of your animals and property while you are away, rather than undertake unrestricted agricultural or commercial farm management.
Live-in Farm Sitting – Keeping Your Animals at Home
For many smallholding owners, arranging a holiday involves more than finding someone to look after a dog or feed the chickens.
Livestock need regular attention, water supplies must be maintained, poultry may need securing each evening, and different animals often follow entirely different daily schedules.
My live-in farm sitting service allows your animals to remain at home, following their normal feeding, housing and care arrangements.
By staying at your property, I can carry out the agreed daily routines without relying on a series of separate visits from different carers.
Your home also benefits from being occupied, with agreed household responsibilities attended to throughout the booking.
As an independent sitter, I personally undertake the bookings I accept. You know who will be looking after your animals and property, rather than having someone allocated to you by an agency.
Caring for Mixed Smallholdings, Horses & Domestic Pets
One of the challenges of owning a smallholding is finding suitable care for every animal when you're away.
You may have horses requiring feeding and turnout, goats needing attention, chickens to let out and secure, and dogs and cats living in the house.
Arranging several different carers can be complicated, particularly when responsibilities overlap.
At A3 House & Pet Sitting, I can provide one experienced live-in sitter for the whole household, whatever combination of animals you have, subject to their individual care requirements.
My equine qualifications and practical livestock background are particularly valuable for properties combining horses with other farm animals.
For further information about stable management, turnout and specialist equine routines, please see my Horse Sitting Services page.
Smallholding Care Throughout the Seasons
Smallholding routines often change throughout the year.
Winter may involve additional feeding, frozen water supplies, bedding requirements and more frequent attention to housing and shelter.
During warmer weather, access to fresh water, ventilation, shade and the general condition of animals and their surroundings can require particular attention.
I understand the importance of adapting daily checks to prevailing conditions while maintaining the owner's established management arrangements.
Any specialist seasonal responsibilities, such as lambing, kidding, calving or other breeding-related care, must be discussed in advance to establish whether the necessary level of supervision and expertise can be provided.
My priority is to maintain appropriate, consistent care and identify concerns promptly rather than undertake unfamiliar procedures without suitable arrangements.
Looking After Your Rural Property While You're Away
Smallholding sitting involves responsibility for the property as well as the animals.
Many rural homes have additional outbuildings, animal housing, gates, yards and equipment that form part of everyday life.
During your booking, I can attend to agreed household and property responsibilities, including:
Keeping the home clean and tidy.
Collecting post and accepting deliveries.
Watering plants where required.
Checking that agreed gates, doors and outbuildings are secured.
Reporting obvious maintenance problems or damage.
Monitoring the property during my normal daily activities.
Living at your property provides a reassuring presence while you're away, particularly in rural locations where neighbouring properties may be some distance apart.
Independent, Insured & Experienced Smallholding Sitting
A3 House & Pet Sitting has provided professional house and animal sitting services since 2008.
I operate independently, maintain business insurance for my sitting services and have a clear DBS check.
My background includes professional equine qualifications, extensive practical animal care experience and a lifelong familiarity with rural properties and livestock.
Before accepting a booking, I discuss your animals' routines, feeding requirements, accommodation, veterinary arrangements, emergency contacts and any particular responsibilities involved.
I also provide regular updates and photographs during your absence, allowing you to see how your animals are getting on.
My aim is to provide dependable, knowledgeable care while respecting your animals, your home and the routines you have established.
Nationwide Smallholding & Farm Sitting Across the UK
I provide live-in smallholding and farm sitting services throughout England, Wales and Scotland, travelling directly to clients' rural properties.
My nationwide coverage includes:
The Cotswolds & South West: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and surrounding rural areas.
The West Midlands & Welsh Borders: Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire.
Central & Eastern England: Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The South & South East: Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex.
The Midlands & North: Derbyshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland.
Wales & Scotland: Rural smallholdings, equestrian properties and mixed-animal households throughout both countries.
Whether you need a smallholding sitter in the Cotswolds, a live-in farm sitter in Yorkshire or experienced livestock care elsewhere in the UK, I would be pleased to discuss your requirements.
Travel expenses are calculated according to your property's location and explained in advance.
Smallholding Sitting Prices & Booking Enquiries
Every smallholding is different, so quotations reflect the responsibilities involved.
The number and type of animals, their individual care routines, housing arrangements and the daily workload all influence the cost of a booking.
For example, caring for a few field-kept animals and poultry involves different responsibilities from managing several stabled horses alongside goats, sheep and domestic pets.
I provide personalised quotations based on the practical requirements of your property and the location of the booking.
My services are charged per calendar day, with travel expenses explained in advance.
To enquire about smallholding or farm sitting, please get in touch with your proposed dates, location, number and types of animals, and a brief outline of their daily routines.
Arrange Experienced Live-in Smallholding Sitting
Whether you're planning a holiday, travelling for work or need dependable care for your animals while you're away, A3 House & Pet Sitting provides a professional, personal service supported by practical smallholding experience and formal equine qualifications.
From goats, sheep and poultry to horses, alpacas, donkeys and domestic pets, I understand the varied responsibilities involved in caring for a mixed-animal household.
For more information about my experience caring for horses and other animals on rural properties, please visit my Smallholding & Equine Sitting page.
A3 House & Pet Sitting — experienced, independent live-in smallholding and farm sitting throughout the UK.
