Our Animals
Ponies/Foals I Pigs/Piglets I Sheep/Lambs I Goats/Kids I Rabbits & Guinea Pigs I Cows/Calfs
Chickens/Chicks I Donkey/Foal I Additional Information

Please scroll down the page for new arrival information.................

Note for pregnant mums: It is safe for pregnant women to visit the farm. You will not come into contact with lambing sheep.

Kids get close contact, like Jasmine and Sunny Jim

Ponies
There are 3 breeds of pony on the farm park, Shetland, Mminiature Old English pony & Falabella.

They live outside in the field or paddock in the summer & eat grass. They come inside at night in the winter when it is cold and eat hay. They also like to eat carrots & pony nuts. It is very important to always provide fresh, clean water at all times.

A male pony is called a stallion and a female is called a mare. When they have a baby they usually only have one and we call it a foal.

In the past people used to use ponies to help them work such as pulling carts and in coal mines. Some ponies are still used for riding but ours have a special job every day letting the children groom them in the pony-grooming event in the Animal Barn.

<top>

Children love to see the Kune Kune piglets

Pigs
Kune Kune pigs (the breed originates from New Zealand where they lived with the Maori people) are our favourites as they have great personalities and come in many different colours!

They live outside in their paddock and have a shelter called a sty. They come in when it is cold because pigs do not like being muddy or dirty during the winter.

In the hot summer months they do cover themselves in cool mud & water because pigs cannot sweat and they need to cool themselves to regulate their body temperature.

They eat many things including vegetables, special pig nuts & like to root around in the dirt with their nose. They also have fresh water in their pens every day.

Link to local ISSTV report on 2009 pig racing and click on movie icon

<top>

We take in orphaned lambs each year from local farmers

Sheep
There are 4 breeds of sheep on the farm park, Welsh Mountain, Ryland, Dwarf and Shetland.

The baby sheep (lambs) live in the Animal barn and the adult sheep live outside in their paddock or in the field.
The baby sheep have special milk 2 or 3 times a day and also eat hay & special weaning pellets. The adult sheep eat grass & hay every day and always have fresh water.
A male sheep is called a ram and a female is called an ewe.

When they have a baby they usually have 1 or 2 and we call them lambs. We breed our own sheep at Farmer Palmers and we also take in orphaned lambs from local farms 2 or 3 times a year for our lamb feeding.

In the food chain sheep provide milk (which can be turned into cheese & yoghurt) and also mutton & lamb meat. Their wool is used to make clothes. Their skins can be made into very soft leather.

Our lambs have a special job every day letting the children feed them during the bottle-feeding events in the Animal Barn.

<top>

Family interaction feeding the goats

Goats
There are 3 breeds of goat on the farm park. White Saanan goats are used for the bottle-feeding. We have 2 pigmy goats out in the paddocks & 1 Bagot goat (black & white with beautiful long horns).

The baby goats live in the Animal barn and the adult goats live outside in their paddock and have a shelter.

The baby goats have milk 3 times a day and also eat hay & special weaning pellets. The adult goats eat grass & hay every day and always have fresh water.

A male goat is called a buck (sometimes called a Billy) and a female is called a doe (sometimes called a Jenny).
A mummy goat usually has one baby called a kid.
In the food chain goats provide milk (which can be turned into goats cheese & yoghurt) and also meat. Their skins can be made into very soft leather.

Our kid goats have a special job every day letting the children bottle-feed them every day during the Feeding event in the Animal Barn.

NEW ARRIVALS - Mother and daughter pigmy goats are keen to meet you!

<top>

Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
There are a number breeds of guinea pigs on the farm including merino & rex. The rabbits are all cross breeds (mother & father are different breeds).

They live happily together in our specially built enclosure in the centre of the Animal Barn. We make sure they have plenty of space & clean bedding every single day.

In the wild they would eat grass & plant shoots. Here they are given grass but live mainly on hay & special rabbit & guinea pig food. They also like carrots. It is very important to always provide fresh, clean water at all times & a vitamin C supplement.

A male rabbit is called a buck and a female is called a doe. A male guinea pig is called boar and a female is called a sow.

When they have babies, rabbits can have a litter of up to 10 and could give birth up to 7 times a year! Guinea pigs usually have between 2 & 4 babies. All the babies are called kittens.
.

<top>

Family friendly cows you can meet

Cows
There are 3 breeds of cow on the farm park. The breed of our milking cows are Friesian; the calves are half Friesian & either Charolais or Belgian Blue. The calf will always take the colour of the father, as his genes are always dominant.

They live outside in the field in the summer & eat grass. They come inside at night in the winter when it is cold and eat hay. They are also fed special cow nuts to help them grow. They always have access to a drinking trough for fresh water.

A male cow is called a bull and a female is called a cow.
When they have a baby they usually only have one and we call it a calf.

In the food chain cows provide milk (which can be turned into cheese & yoghurt) and also meat called beef. Their skins can be made into leather for clothes, shoes & furniture.

Our 2 milking cows have a special job every day showing the public where milk comes from in the cow-milking event in the Milking Demonstration Area.

<top>

Chickens
There are many breeds of chicken on the farm park. These include Orpington’s (originally from Kent), Andalusians (originally form Spain), Brahma, Silkie and Wyandotte.

They live in chicken coups with a run. At night they must be shut in, as the fox would kill them if he could get in. We let them roam free during the day. They scratch the dirt looking for worms & grubs to eat & we feed them corn. They always have access fresh water.

A male chicken is called a cockerel and a female is called a hen.

When they have a baby they lay eggs in a nest and sit on them to keep them warm until they hatch. Baby chickens are called chicks.

In the food chain chickens provide eggs & meat. You can see some of our chicken roaming around the car park and some more near the picnic area.

<top>

We have ponies and Hamerton Toby the donkey

Donkey
James and Pippa with Hamerton Toby, the miniature Mediterranean donkey was born on 22nd May 2003 and he arrived here in 2004. He is very cute and small, his back is only 27 inches high and he is grey dun in colour.

He eats grass and hay every day and must always have fresh water. As with all donkeys, his feet are regularly trimmed by the blacksmith to keep them in good condition.

<top>

Additional Information Useful for Discussion

Additional Duck Facts:
Do you know that the duck's feet cannot feel cold even if it swims in icy cold water? Well, the reason for this is because its feet have no nerves or blood vessels !! Another special thing that the duck has is its waterproof feathers. There is a special gland that produces oil near the duck's tail, which spreads and covers the outer coat of the duck's feathers, making it waterproof. Beneath the waterproof coat are fluffy and soft feathers to keep the duck warm. To keep these clean they preen themselves.

Additional Cow Facts:
1. A cow is a ruminant with four compartments to her digestive system The mother cow makes very special milk for her calf; it is called colostrum. Colostrum has extra vitamins and protein and is very good for the calf.
2. Milk is stored in the cow’s udder. The udder is a large bag with four teats.

The cows go to the milking parlour where the dairy farmer washes their teats. A milking machine with four teat cups is attached to the cow milking never hurts the cow

How much blood needs to pass through the udder to produce one gallon of milk? 500 gallons of blood need to pass through the udder to make one gallon of milk.

Why do cows look like they have earrings? Milk cows usually have their ears pierced with I.D. tags. Each cow has a different number that allows the dairy farmer to track her activities by computer. The cow's milk weight is recorded in the computer as well as any medicines she receives.

Do cows have special teeth for eating grass? Cow's teeth are different from ours. On the top front, cows have a tough pad of skin instead of teeth. They have 8 incisors on the bottom front and 6 strong molars on the top and bottom of each side to grind their food. Cows have a total of 32 teeth.

How many stomachs does a cow have? Some people say that a cow has four stomachs. Actually, a cow has one stomach with four compartments.

What's it chewing the cud? Ruminants regurgitate their food and chew cud. (Cows are ruminants.) It helps them get the most out of difficult-to-digest foods like grass. A cow spends a lot of time eating – 6 - 8 hours per day.

<top>