Meet, feed and cuddle our friendly animals
All the animals on our smallholding have a purpose as well as being great company and fun to have around.
The hens provide eggs, the pigs turn over the ground, the sheep wool is a great mulch and the guinea pigs...are just cute.
We have sheep from our neighbouring farm who act as natural lawnmowers for our 6 acre paddock. In Spring, visitors can enjoy meeting and feeding the ewes and lambs. As their confidence grows some ewes will happily come over and take food from your hands. The lambs are normally more cautious but provide endless entertainment as they run and bounce around the field. At Easter 2024 there was one lamb who won the hearts of our guests and ultimately ours too. In the end we just had to keep Curly Wurly as a permanent resident - he loves food, company and fusses.
Our two guinea pigs, Reuben and Snow, are probably the most popular animals on site. Children love to sit on the wall and have a guinea pig cuddle while the boys enjoy their dinner. The piggies are rather partial to grass and weeds from the garden and are always appreciative of any foraged goodies that the children bring. The best thing...piggie cuddles are not exclusively reserved for the children.
The newest arrivals are the KuneKune pigs, sometimes described as the "Labradors of the pig world". Pickle and Willow are our 2 friendly and talkative KuneKunes. Join us to feed them, top up their water and generally make a fuss of them. They love a belly rub or a scratch on the back.
We have a small mixed flock of chickens including both hybrid, pure breed and rehomed hens. We have Light Sussex, Rhode Rock, Devon Blues, Warrens and Burford Browns. It's easy to lose hours just watching these girls scratching at the ground and going about their day. You can visit the hens with us and if you're lucky help us collect some rather lovely eggs (subject to avian flu restrictions). Devon Blues are known for having an inquisitive nature and our two girls don't disappoint in this regard and are the first to rush up for grain and to see what's happening. The rehomed girls are all retired commercial hens who will now live out the rest of their lives with us - we've loved watching their personalities develop and their confidence build as they've settled into their new home. They love a handful of grain or an apple from the orchard...and will come up to see if you have any treats for them.
Some local ducks are regular visitors to our smallholding. They make a comical group as they waddle down the driveway to see if anyone can be persuaded to feed them. The ducks are more than happy to hang out with you while the grain lasts, if they are in a really good mood they'll even take some from your hand. If nobody is around outside, they have been known to invite themselves into the Cottages and take a more direct approach to persuading guests to feed them.
