A FESTIVE FARMYARD

Who said that Christmas was a relaxing time? It took us three weeks to transform the Straw Den into Father Christmas’s Barn, with lots of debate on the lighting; is it going to be too dark? Are the trees too large? Is it wheelchair accessible? Is there enough air flow for the animals? However judging by the numerous positive comments, it does appear that it was worth all the hassle. If you are planning to visit the Christmas Barn, please remember as from the 19th to the 23rd the Barn will be open until 7.00pm - we are expecting these evenings to be quieter than the weekends. Please remember that you do not have to bring a child to have a look at the Barn, you are welcome to just call in and have a look; best to choose an afternoon when it tends to be a little quieter. And don’t forget, adults are free! The Ministry decided that December would be a good time to come and check if they could find any signs of E-Coli lurking about on the farm. I did explain that we are not fully stocked at present and as there are no visitors to pass E-Coli on to, would it be better to take the swabs nearer to when we open? Allegedly the ‘powers that be’ know best! Well, at least the results have come back showing no signs of E-Coli on the farm. Another department of the Ministry requested that we test the ducks for Salmonella as we sell the eggs; so armed with swabs and plastic bags this fully qualified vet from the Ministry crawled around the duck enclosure collecting fresh samples of ducks’ poo. The vet was trying to catch the droppings as they flew from a duck’s rear end. It’s given us a new idea for a new Activity next season! What a year it has been for us at Longdown - our main highlight of the year being recognised by The Queen for what we have achieved at the farm, including the work that we do with our ‘special needs’ friends with their training, and the continued educational programme. This year we have had more schools visit us than ever before. With the addition of our special events activities, our attendance figures have increased this year, but probably what’s more important to us is the encouraging comments that our visitors pass on to us. So a very big ‘thank you’ from all of us at Longdown. There have been some companies and individuals that have supported us through the year with certain types of sponsorships (even if it’s forgetting to invoice us!). We are extremely grateful to the Barker Mill family, R&M Electrical, Forward Securities, Countrywide Stores and, of course, The New Forest Tractor and Engine Club….. and anyone else I may of forgotten. Work has already started for the changes that we intend to make to the farm for the next season, with builders, plumbers and electricians all armed with their ‘action list’ Watch out for your season ticket renewals which will be coming through the post during January, where we will be offering a large discount on the price of our season tickets for 2013. Farmer Bryan, Dawn, Kerry and Charley wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hopefully we will see you all next year PS—the Farm Produce Shop is open again from Wed 2nd Jan. See website for more details.

TERRIFIC TRACTORS AND PIE-EYED IN THE PIGSTY!

Our Vintage Tractor Rally was a great success – well, at least on the Saturday with record numbers of people attending and enjoying the sunshine, and the exhibitors showing off their pride and joy. The craft stalls were kept busy and the atmosphere was terrific; just like a good old country show. The forecast for the Sunday was simply diabolical: wet and windy all day. Now, I do not have much faith in modern technology and computer forecasting, but unfortunately, this time, the weatherman was spot on - it rained and rained and rained; the yards flowed like a river! However, those who did turn up, really did enjoy themselves and had an added bonus of being able to watch a sow farrow down (give birth) in front of them - a total of 7 piglets popped out whilst they were watching. I was a little surprised when I received an invitation to join Dame Mary Fagan (Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire) to a reception. Normally I only receive invites to Farmer club meetings or the local gardening club! Evening suit was the dress code. Dawn soon put me in my place when I asked if she could wash a pair of overalls, and followed on with a statement that haunts me: “You know that you will have to wear a tie?”. Now it takes a wedding or funeral for me to put on a tie, and normally it’s ripped from my collar at the first available opportunity! However, I did as I was told and dressed up for the occasion and was pleased that I made the effort, as it was a very enjoyable evening. It was staged as a thank you to all the New Forest Show members who had made the Queen’s visit to the Show such a memorable occasion - and guess what? I kept my tie on all evening! Once a year, all the cattle, including calves, have to be tested for Bovine Tuberculosis. This dreadful disease has hit the headlines in recent months, as all farmers who keep cattle are very concerned at the alarming rate that TB is spreading throughout the country. It won’t be long before it will affect all the cattle in the New Forest. There is no vaccine licensed to control this disease, so permission has been given to cull badgers in certain areas of the country, as they are believed to be the main carriers. There is a great deal of public debate on the matter at the moment, unfortunately there’s not enough data and true facts available for a judgement to be given. At least all our cattle have been given a clean bill of health for another year. Pigs and goats are leaving Longdown gates each day to all parts of the country and their new 'forever homes', as we reduce our stocks for the winter season. Other open farms are keen to take on some of our goats as they know that they are ‘people-friendly’. Likewise, smallholders are keen to have our pigs. Some animals have travelled to Wales and the West Country, others have headed East to London and Essex, but please do not worry; we will still have plenty of animals left on the farm! Ashurst Community Group held an ‘Apple Day’ where apples are pressed to make into juice or cider. This meant that there was a surplus of apple pulp, which was binned up for the pigs’ breakfast. As the pigs love this pulp, and I was feeling very generous whilst I was feeding them the next morning, each animal received double their normal dietary requirements. It wasn’t until an hour or so later that I noticed that there were no pigs in the outside run! Then it suddenly dawned on me that this pulp was still fermenting! Well, there were 50 or more pigs flat out indoors making some horrific snoring sounds! That lunchtime there was still hardly a pig to be seen for the pig feeding session, and as the staff frantically tried to wake them up, I kept quiet……..

As we close during the whole of November, we will be working hard to make sure that Father Christmas likes his new surroundings in the Straw Den area, which will be where the Longdown Farm Christmas Barn is sited. He has requested lots of animals and plenty of things to keep the children occupied - and most of all a nice warm Grotto. Hopefully we can sort all this out before he arrives on December the 8th. See our website for further details.

SUMMER'S END AND AN ITCHY SHIRE

Where did those summer holidays go? Seems that they go quicker every year! Despite everything else that was going on this summer, we were kept very busy at Longdown, with lots of new faces and just as many of our regular visitors. Judging by the majority of comments that we have received, it seems that most of our visitors have been happy ……. well, we did get a complaint from one lady who felt that the smell from the pigs was offensive, so I offered to provide her with some air fresheners! Welcome to the real world of farming! Our pigs have been busy farrowing throughout the summer with 10 litters being born, much to the delight of the visitors. We have had to create temporary accommodation for them – no different than the NHS! Before the little piglets get too old (or to be more precise, before their teeth get too sharp!), we allow the visitors to stroke them in the animal handling sessions, which has been very popular over the holidays. We so enjoy seeing the children’s (and adult’s!) faces light up when they get the opportunity to get so close to these delightful little pigs. Poor Billy the Shire has been plagued by the dreaded mite once again. These horrible little creatures burrow into his legs through his hair, which then causes him to itch. Unlike us, he is unable to scratch with any fingers, so he finds the nearest upright and wallops his leg against it until he either bleeds or the upright gives way! We seem to be constantly replacing fence posts when he has one of his ‘itchy sessions’. Sarah, our vet, decided that it would be best to trim his feathers (the long silky hair on his legs) out completely. However, Billy used his 1100kgs to resist, stamping on the floor with his size 20 feet, then leaning on Sarah until she ended up a heap on the floor! It became a battle of wills with Sarah: five foot nothing, against Billy, 18.2 hands. So in desperation, a large syringe with a sedative was produced. With Kim and Conor on the lookout, the vet quickly trimmed all four legs before the giant woke. He is on the road to recovery now, even if he does look like a freshly clipped poodle! A new influx of students have arrived from Brockenhurst and Southampton colleges and our task is to get them into a work mode and to get them to work as a team. We have set them some interesting challenges - let’s hope that they can come up with the goods. It’s always interesting to watch these students on their first few weeks doing their utmost to keep clean. After a few weeks with us, they soon learn to accept that a little bit of dirt doesn’t harm anyone. With our summer staff heading back to universities all over the country, we have hijacked Katie from the Gift Shop to help with the animal work – quite a challenge for someone who cherishes her well manicured nails! However, she seems to be coping very well at present. We wish all our young summer staff success in their various university courses. Forty of our goats have been transferred up the M3 to Kent where they have the job of clearing the shrubs and overgrown brambles from a power station. Goats are browsers—not grazers, so are absolutely ideal for this task. Don’t ever buy a goat in the hope of getting yourself a cheap lawnmower, as they will make a beeline for your best shrubs and flowers well before they even consider taking a nibble at the lawn! Hopefully, this is a new outlet for our larger goats, as we have an on-going agreement to provide other sites in the country with over three hundred goats. We just hope that they are behaving themselves!

In my last blog, I mentioned my absolute privilege of meeting the Queen. Well, I was talking to a six year old boy about this, and he asked me: “Farmer Bryan, if the Queen married you, would you be called King Farmer Bryan?” …..That’s why I love my job. We are setting up for our annual vintage tractor weekend on the 22nd &23rd September. Hopefully the sun will shine on us that weekend. There will be lots of bygone sights to see including vintage tractors, engines, a working Victorian kitchen and a saw mill. The children love the working crane and, weather permitting, there will be the popular tractors v children tug of war as well as a tractor parade. Crafts too, so lots to see and do. Hope to see you soon. Farmer Bryan

BRYAN MEETS HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

After months of preparation, we set up our “mini farm” at the New Forest Showground—truck loads of hurdles and equipment, straw and feed then finally the animals. It took seven of us four days to set it up—with me changing my mind every few minutes, however it was well worth all the effort. By the time the gates opened on the Tuesday, we were happy with what we had achieved. We had been sworn to secrecy about our “special guests” months beforehand. Several security briefings, dress code, correct procedure and I was told not to give a farmer’s embrace when shaking Her Majesty The Queen’s hand. No need to bow as this is not a formal occasion, no new dress and hat for Dawn as The Queen wanted to see us at work! (Phew, that saved me a fortune!). There seemed quite a lot of concern on how I would greet her, with one Buckingham Palace official stressing that the correct term being “Mam” - that rhymes with ham. I soon quashed that terminology when I dreamt one night that I greeted her with “Good afternoon, Ham”!! Dame Mary visited us the day before the royal party and she stressed that The Queen loved children and animals, therefore she would spend four minutes with us to discuss our work. Four minutes, I thought—is all this preparation worth four minutes? I can now confirm that those four minutes without doubt were the longest four minutes of my life!! As The Queen was introduced to me, all my rehearsed formalities went out the window, as I took her hand and said, “Good afternoon and how are you today?”. The smile that beamed from this magnificent lady was so contagious and soon we were chatting away as though we were best of friends. What probably surprised me most of all was her genuine interest in the work that Dawn and I have created at Longdown over the years. She enquired on the work that we have done with special needs children and adults, and told us that it’s important that we continue the good work. The visit was unrushed and she spent time watching the children bottle-feeding the goat kids and holding chicks and rabbits. Charley presented The Queen with a picture that she had drawn. As she studied it, she bent down and said, “That’s wonderful”. Charley was overwhelmed. Prince Philip was interested in the micro pigs—”Who on earth would want one of these as a pet?”, he asked. When I replied, “the rich and famous”, he made it clear they must be mad. Someone pointed out that you can get “mini chops” from them and with that Prince Philip burst into laughter, commenting that it would be ideal for those on a diet.

As it was the last Official Engagement of the Jubilee Tour, Dawn and I and all the staff at Longdown Activity Farm were flattered and highly honoured that The Queen spent those four minutes with us in recognition of the work that we do at Longdown. Alan Titchmarsh, the Show President, spent a long time at our farm display, and along with his wife, Alison, we shared our passion in educating our children. My favourite quote for this week:- A young five year old was so excited to hear that I had met The Queen that he asked me, “Farmer Bryan, if you marry The Queen, will you become King Farmer Bryan?”

TINY TEARAWAYS & A BIG INSPECTION

The Micro pigs are undergoing an extensive training programme at the moment, as Conner spends any spare minute that he has encouraging them to sit, stay and walk on. That’s the easy bit, because when it comes to going for a walk with their brand new harnesses attached, Thelma decides to turn left, Louise goes to the right, and poor Conner ends up on the floor! Although these little pigs are small, they are very strong—and they have very determined little characters. You have to give him his due, Conner he does not give up too easily, which is just as well. Lola our Pygmy goat kid, who is being hand reared at the farm, has been a great hit with all the visitors, especially when she goes on one of her ‘walkabouts’. Kim has taught her how to jump over bales and do backward flips, I’m convinced that it won’t be long before this goat will be found in the Tearoom helping herself to ice creams! She is going to find it hard when she has to join the rest of the Pygmy goat herd and become a real goat. We had to decide when was the best time to shear the sheep, so as Tim sheared away at the Grey Faced Dartmoors on a hot and sunny afternoon, we thought that we had timed it just right, but two days later it rained and the wind blew. The poor old ewes where not impressed, nor was Tim when he took the fleeces to be weighed and priced, to be told that they weighed in at 5kgs each, which was valued at 55 pence a kg! I am convinced that the rain will go away in time for the summer holidays—well, we’ve all got to stay optimistic, haven’t we?! The Tourist Board does an annual inspection on most tourist attractions each year, this is called a VAQAS report, where a mystery shopper visits the site, then gives a detailed report on what he finds on his visit, including good and negative comments. Well, this year on his visit, it was probably the wettest day of the summer with over 5omm of rain falling. The car park was afloat, and the Farm itself was soaking. I was dreading the moment when we met up to discuss his report. He started by saying: “Why would so many people want to visit a farm on such a wet and horrible day?” He then pointed out that all the visitors that he had followed were so busy feeding all the animals, and having a good time, that they didn’t even notice that it was raining outside. In fact the assessor passed us with flying colours, stating that he will be back again before too long as a visitor..….phew! It’s not very often that you hear me swear about our visitors, but we recently had some of a very unwelcome type. A few weeks ago a group of youngsters decided to visit the farm in the early hours of the morning, break into the soft play area, and wreck the vending machine to steal its contents. Not satisfied with just smashing the glass, they then kicked the broken glass around the play area, and then urinated around the walls. I have suggested to the police that when these youngsters are caught (we have them on camera), I will be only too happy to provide some community service placements for them! We are hand-rearing a New Forest foal, as its mother died of colic after eating several bags of lawn mowing cuttings that someone left in a car park in the forest. The heated grass would have fermented in the animal’s stomach and caused a long and agonising death for the poor mare. I am pleased to say that her foal, Toby has adapted to calf milk substitute, and is now looking extremely healthy and enjoying his stay at Longdown. He has made friends with Billy on one side, and the donkeys on the other side, and is really quite a little character. See him in the stables. What a build up and lots of planning, and all for a three day show. Yes, the New Forest Show is nearly here, and as we have been asked to run the animal tent again, we have spent lots of time considering how we can improve the display that we had last year. We are trying to make it as interactive as possible, and gradually our plans are forming together. It looks like it’s going to be a really good show, so please call in and see us, we might even get you helping out! School holidays start on 24th July, so we have plenty of events planned, starting with The Creature Teachers and their amazing animals on Friday 3rd August. My favourite is the beautiful barn owl who will sit patiently on the visitors’ outstretched hands for a wonderful photo opportunity. Check our website for further details of all events.

A Baby Bonanza and Duck Decisions

We have enjoyed a bit of a baby bonanza these last few weeks: Bubble and Squeak, our two Kune Kune sister pigs, have given birth to a total of 15 piglets. They decided that they wanted to share their litters, so all the piglets take turns on both mums at mealtimes, and as piglets like to suckle every 45 minutes day and night, the mums are delighted to share the burden. Our Pygmy goats have been busy delivering their kids, which have produced a big ‘ahh factor’ for the visitors. Even I would admit that they are very cute! Unfortunately, one of the Mums was immune to her kid’s cute factor, so Kim and Rachael have had to step in as surrogate mothers, and train the little one to drink powdered milk from the bottle. Jack’s first midwifery practice came sooner than he expected: we heard a panic stricken voice come over the radio: “I think Kerry cow’s waters have broken”. When there was no response, another call: “The feet are showing”, then in desperation, the next call came through: “HELP”. By this time, Kerry had pushed her 85lb baby boy out with very little effort, and Jack was looking over it like any proud dad. By the time the rest of the staff arrived, he was rolling his sleeves down explaining that he had managed this one all on his own - easy work, no problem! Not to be left out, the grumpy geese have also produced four little goslings, who are being guarded by a very protective Daddy—as Kim found out the other day! We sell quite a few ducks to people who either like duck eggs, or have a pond that they’d like to stock. Recently, a gentleman and his wife arrived to discuss the purchase of one male duck, as their old duck had been taken by the fox. They wanted to be sure that the duck was going to settle in with its new wife, so we explained how to introduce them, what to feed and what not to feed them, and the sort of housing required. The discussion then went into how to protect them from the fox. After an hour of intense questioning, the couple went off to discuss the proposed purchase with their neighbours, and to our surprise, the following morning the couple returned with their neighbours, and a list of new questions. They requested that we went through all the facts again, and after another hour of debate, they had a vote to decide if they wished to purchase the duck. We were asked to count the votes – all four. I am pleased to say that the vote was unanimously in favour of taking the duck home with them. Currently over 500 school children are visiting the Farm each week. Loaded down with their packed lunches and welly boots, they skip into the farm like newborn lambs, however by the time that they have had their 2½ hour tour, they are on their knees, struggling to carry the now empty lunch boxes back to the coach. It wouldn’t surprise me if half of them are asleep by the time that they reach the A35! Our local animal feed supplier, Fred Norris, has taken early retirement at the age of 95, so Dawn and I thought it would be nice to go out for lunch with him. What a gentleman he is still. I have known him since I was knee high (that’s just a few years ago), and we spent a few hours reminiscing about the good old days when farming was the main occupation in the forest. He really could tell a tale or two about the local farmers, and the antics that they got up to when they were young - things haven’t changed much have they? We wish Fred a very happy retirement - he tells me that he is thinking of breeding rabbits in his spare time……..! There has been a lot of concern over Billy this last month or so, as he spends a lot of his time lying down. He is a great favourite here at the Farm, and is much loved by staff and visitors alike. (And yes, OK, I have a soft spot for him too). We have put a sign on his stable stating that he is getting old, which is true, and this is why he is resting more these days. However, once we removed his new shoes, he galloped out into the field like this year’s foal – he is a bit of a drama queen really…... Finally, These irresistible twosome are our Call duck ducklings that recently hatched. They too, have the ’ahh factor’

SUPER STUDENTS AND PETITE PIGGIES

Our Wednesday’s group of students, who have learning difficulties, were getting all excited because an assessor was coming to the farm to decide if they were gaining anything from working one day a week at the Farm. Bear in mind that when this group first started their training in September, they had not had any contact with animals, and most of them found communicating with other people a stressful challenge. The morning that the assessor arrived, I watched them rushing around the farm to make sure that their well rehearsed display was going to plan: animals being moved, chicken houses cleaned, and a good healthy hen was caught. Then the real thing: this group of students had to demonstrate to the assessor how they could sell a chicken (they didn’t know that the assessor had no knowledge of chickens). As the questions were asked, each student answered the finer facts of poultry keeping confidently, going into great detail about what the chicken should eat, how the house should be cleaned, and more importantly, how to identify different ailments in the chicken. I know that Jo, their tutor, was pleased, but I was chuffed as well because we were able to prove that if you give these students a chance, they can develop so many skills just working alongside the animals. In my opinion every parent should attend a First Aid Course, even if it’s just a one day emergency First aid course. If nothing else, it gives us a little more confidence in dealing with an accident. Like riding a bike it soon comes back to you when required, and our staff who have attended a First Aid Course, run by Steve & Sue Gravells, always come back singing their praises. Who would want a goat as a pet? When our visitors see the young kids, you often hear: “I want one”. We show them Abs - our grown up Anglo Nubian goat, who is the size of a Shetland pony! Now if that doesn’t put them off, we explain that adult goats can quite easily jump a 5’ fence, and devour the neighbours’ prize roses in less than 10 minutes! Or that they will de-bark any tree that you have, and, of course, they are browsers, not grazers; so they will not keep your grass down. After all that said, we do sell many goats throughout the country as ‘land clearers’. And brilliant at it, they are too. Planning is in progress for the New Forest Show. Yes, we have been asked back to run the animal tent once again. We have some new ideas in the making, so we are looking forward to another great show, Good Friday was the busiest day that the farm has experienced in the 30 years that it has been open, with people swarming in all day. By the time the evening came, the staff were on their knees, and I heard the goats muttering: “No more feed please”. Despite the volume of people, everyone seemed to have a good time, and the atmosphere was a really happy one. The whole of the Easter holidays were busy, despite the catchy weather, and everyone seemed to enjoy the fun Easter egg trails that we planned. All ten hidden golden eggs were eventually found each day—I don’t know who was more excited when an egg was found—the adult or the child! Great fun! Finally, I have given in, and purchased a pair of miniature pigs. I have always been a little reluctant to purchase these small pigs, as I have not been convinced that they will stay small. Having visited a breeder in the West Country, and checked out his breeding stock, I viewed two cute piglets. I was still uncertain how small these little girls will stay, but after a lot of bullying from staff and family, I finally gave in and purchased them. Come and see them here at the Farm. Look forward to seeing you soon. Farmer Bryan.

Piglets, a sulky shire and a handsome donkey!

It’s amazing what a little bit of sunshine does! Visitors flocked to the Farm during the warm March days and everyone seemed to be full of the joys of spring. However, it’s not only the visitors that kept us busy: 65 new goats arrived awaiting to be trained to drink from bottles. Poor Rachael looked very stressed when I told her how many young goats were arriving! These little kids have to be fed 3 times a day, with each goat taking 2 or 3 minutes to down its 300ml of milk. This is quite a task, but Rachael coped with a little help from her friends. I had been expecting Hannah the sow to give birth to lots of young piglets, as normally she produces between 12 to 15, so when she started farrowing and 4 piglets popped out, I thought that she was having a rest before the next 10 or so were delivered. I went back an hour or so later to check - but no sign of any more. I then did my James Herriot bit, and did an internal swipe, assuming that there were more piglets further inside, but nothing was found. I left her for a few more hours, and when I returned Hannah was up (which is a sign of a complete farrowing) with just a total of 4 piglets. With lots of milk, these piglets will soon be up to pork weight!
The Greyface Dartmoor ewes are lambing now, and as each lamb is born, we check it out to make sure that there are no
deformities associated with the dreaded SBV virus that is affecting so many flocks throughout the South of England. Thankfully, this virus is not spread to humans, but it is extremely distressing to shepherds lambing their flocks, and having to put down the lambs that are born with deformities. Billy the Shire has had some new shoes put on, and he is not very happy about this. For years now, Billy has had his feet trimmed every 6 weeks, but when Ed the blacksmith visited this month, he asked if he could put some shoes on Billy as he had entered a farrier’s
competition to shoe Shires. Poor old Billy was not impressed – in fact, he sulked for several days afterwards! The tractor and trailer is having a “spruce up” ready for Easter when, hopefully, the ground will be dry enough to start the bumpy rides again. We have attempted to make the seats a little softer to make it more comfortable for those of you with the less padded backsides! We have found a new husband for our donkeys, Tilly and Fi Fi. Samuel, a handsome jack donkey, arrived the other day and it was love at first sight! I have never seen Kim so excited either— you would have thought that I had found a husband for HER!! If all goes to plan, we should have some donkey foals in time for Easter next year as the gestation period is 12 months. Our alpacas have moved on to a new home in East Sussex and hopefully we will see some more on the Farm during the summer when we will create a new area complete with a field shelter—this will be situated below the picnic area. Easter is always a busy time for the film crews and we have been inundated with requests to film the animals in time for Easter publications. Don’t miss our fabulous Easter trails on 6th to 9th April—lots of fun for all the family. Children wearing their own Easter bonnet on Easter Sunday (only), will get
entry for only £4.00 each.
See you soon and ‘Happy Easter’ from Farmer Bryan and all at Longdown Activity Farm.

Down on the Farm - A New Season Starts

I think my blood must be getting thinner, as the cold days during February were tough going for me. I’m only too pleased to see the end of them. What with the burst pipes throughout the farm and the challenging temperatures for our newborns, it was a pretty horrible month. What made it even worse was the geese didn’t lay me an egg on the 14th of February, like they normally would!
The soft play area has had a spring clean, and a top up of over a thousand plastic balls, so all nice and clean.
We have moved the mini tractors to a smaller site giving way for an all weather, large Go Kart area. Hopefully that will keep the older children (dads) happy as they bomb around the new track on the new fleet of John Deere pedal tractors! The smaller ride-on ones are pink, so it’s going to be heaven for many of our young
farmers! Sharon, who has worked hard to create a cosy tearoom, seems to be happy with the new seating arrangements that we have provided. The tables and benches have certainly tidied up the room allowing lots more people to sit comfortably, and we really have spoilt them by putting in an excellent heating system. It’s amazing what can be done with an old milking shed!
We have said goodbye to some of our key staff as they have moved to pastures new to further their careers. Replacing them is quite a challenging task. With so many applications for each position, it has been extremely difficult to select the type of staff to fit the role, however, we have now employed five new candidates and they are settling into their positions well. It’s not easy for someone to come in from the outside world, and be suddenly thrown into the feeding of sixty-plus hungry goats all demanding the same attention of the 250-odd screaming children wanting to feed the goats at the same time. They also have to contend with me telling them that they must keep smiling, which they do through gritted teeth.
To create our new riding area we have brought in 120 tonnes of wood bark, and put it in deep enough to make any falls off the ponies less of a problem. Although, falling from a 28 inch pony doesn’t come under a ‘high risk’ assessment in my book! Still, that is what the Health and Safety recommends…..
Before we opened on the 11th February, there was a flurry of births. It was all planned (well some of it was): 25 ducklings, 50 chicks, 35 goat kids, 12 calves, a litter of Kune Kune piglets, and not to be left out, the Grey Face Dartmoor ewe gave birth to a set of twins. As for Guinea pigs, I am not sure what Kerry was thinking about when she put her breeding programme into practice! She seemed to have a bit of a ‘moment’. Normally, the first week of opening, we would have ten or so baby guinea pigs (pups) on the ground, but this year I gave up counting when I reached over 60.
Our first weekend of opening was extremely cold, so it was surprising how many people ventured out to look around the farm, but as the half term week went by it got warmer, and soon we reached saturation point. Well, at least the car park did, we struggled to accommodate all the cars; we even took over the church car park (thank you Reverend Kate).
Our ‘ We Love Ponies’ day was a great success. Lots of children and adults had a go at grooming, children enjoyed the riding, and just learning more about ponies. After Easter, we will be hosting pony riding lessons for the younger children.
It’s nice to be open again, seeing and hearing all the happy children, and the, sometimes grumpy, adults!