Our Animals

We have a great collection of animals that we enjoy sharing with you. For the larger events, we bring all of them to visit, but if you only want us to bring a selection for you, that can be arranged as well.

We love all animals and all of ours live here with us on our farm.  That way we have daily contact with them and can keep them happy and healthy.

At the moment we have:

Alpacas

Originally from the Andes mountains in South America, the three main countries of origin are Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Our little guys are descended from fine-fibered Chileans.

FACT: Alpacas are valued for their luxurious fiber - in fact it was so treasured by the Inca Indians 6,000 years ago that they only allowed members of the Royal family to wear it!

Miniature donkeys

Miniature donkeys are not just a smaller version of full-size donkeys - they are their own breed and originated in the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

FACT: Male donkeys are called "jacks" and females are "jennets", or "jennies".  Baby donkeys are called "foals".

Miniature horses

These are horses that were bred down in size from their larger cousins, although they have been around for so long that they are almost thought of as a separate breed.

FACT: Miniature horses came to America from Europe where small horses, called pit ponies, were bred to work in the coal mines; pulling cartloads of coal.

Pygmy goats

These goats have a square frame, and their legs and head are short compared to the length of its body.   Despite its size, the pygmy goat is a true dairy goat.

FACT:

A pygmy goat can provide a very generous quart and a half of milk a day for up to ten months.

Chickens

Descended from jungle fowl in South East Asia, it was thought originally that they were a direct line from the red jungle fowl, but the presence of yellow legs (absent in red jungle fowl) indicates that the red was probably crossed with grey jungle fowl very early in their evolution.

FACT: The chicken is the closest living relative of the prehistoric tyrannosaurus-rex! Isn't that cool?

Sheep

Sheep go back a lot farther than you might think!  In fact, way, way back!  They were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in Central Asia, although the spinning of their wool was only invented about 3,500 B.C.  Sheep were a valuable part of the economy in the Middle East and there are many references to sheep in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.

FACT: President Woodrow Wilson grazed sheep on the White House South Lawn.  The wool obtained from the sheep was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.  The flock included "Old Ike", a tobacco-chewing ram.

Rabbits

This is another species that has been with us for thousands of years.  In fact, the oldest known bones of a rabbit-like creature were discovered in India and were dated to be
55 million years old!

FACT: Rabbits are to be found on every continent on the globe except Antarctica.

Vietnamese pot-bellied pig

The potbellied pig is a direct descendent of the old world wild pig family - the wild boar.  Although many people keep them as pets, they are happiest with others of their type.

FACT: If you stroke the belly on a pot-bellied pig for a few minutes, they will go into a trance-like state and fall over on their side!

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