A farm just wouldn't be complete without Chickens and Ducks and we have lots of feathered friends at Farmer Palmer's! But which came first the chicken or the egg? According to National Geographic, the old dispute has been settled. Reptiles were laying eggs thousands of years before chickens appeared, and the first chicken came from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken. Therefore the answer is the egg came first.
Farmer Palmer says...
•A male chicken is called a cockerel. A female is a hen and a baby is a chick. They make a Cock-a-doodle-doo sound.
•What are the differences between the hens and the cockerels?
•Where would a chicken find a worm?
•On average, a hen will lay an egg every other day.
Farmer Palmer's animals are traditional farm animals, together with popular pet animals like guinea pigs and rabbits. They are taken care of by our dedicated team in the Animal Barn in line with Defra's Farm Animal Welfare Council's Five Freedom Advice.
Donkeys
Hamerton Toby, the miniature Mediterranean donkey is very friendly, although he does like to get his own way.
A herd of Red Deer live at Farmer Palmer’s and you and your children can meet and feed them in our Deer Feeding experience (check timetable to see if this event is running).
We have several cows on the farm park. You can sometimes see them grazing out in the fields. Our daily animal events are advertised at the front desk, you’re welcome to take a photo of the timetable.
Farmer Palmer’s is home to lots of sheep. Each year, many of our ewes have lambs. You can see the babies out in the fields skipping and jumping. Their mums are very protective and caring.
Our ponies adore praise and are eager to please, most of the time. In the summer they live outside in the field or paddock and eat grass and a little pony food. In the winter they come in and eat hay. They must always have fresh, clean water.
Pigs do not like being muddy or dirty during the winter. In hot summer months they cover themselves in cool mud & water to regulate their body temperature – because pigs cannot sweat!