The farm is home to a variety of animals including goats, pigs, sheep and cows. There are three main reasons we keep animals at the farm: education, therapy, food.
You can read more about why we keep animals here.
When you visit the farm, you will find informative posters with interesting facts about the breeds and details of many of the individual animals. For example, did you know that:
- goats’ eyes have rectangular pupils
- female pigs which have not yet had piglets are called gilts
- the colour of an egg shell is indicated by the colour of the chicken’s ear lobe: red ear lobe – brown shell, white ear lobe – white shell
Some of the animals you can find here
Pigs
Our pigs are old breeds such as Gloucester Old Spot or old-breed crosses and there are often piglets at the farm which are a favourite sight for many of our visitors.
Sheep
We keep Jacob sheep which are an ancient breed of unknown origin but which may have originated from the spotted or piebald sheep of what is now Syria. They have a medium/fine fleece with no outer coat, unlike other breeds which have a fine inner coat and a coarser outer coat.
Goats
We keep both Pygmy goats and larger Anglo Nubian / Boer crosses which are shown in the photo on the right. Our Pygmy goats Pip and Bella are particularly friendly and playful.
Poultry
There are many types of poultry on the farm, including a large brood of hens producing free range eggs which can be purchased from the café. Other birds on the farm include Indian Runner and Khaki Campbell ducks and Chinese geese.
Pets
As well as the more traditional farm animals, we also keep some pets such as guinea pigs and rabbits which are popular with visitors both young and old.
