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!

Down on the Farm

Naomi House visit local farm

One of the children enjoys playing with baby chick

A lot of respite activities take place within Naomi House or jacksplace for example hydrotherapy, music therapy and messy play. However it is not uncommon for respite activities to take place outside the hospices, the most recent of which was at a local Farm.

During one particularly busy week in Naomi House all of the children, accompanied by staff visited Longdown activity farm just outside the New Forest.

An impromptu visit, the children instantly received a very warm welcome from all of the staff at the farm and nothing was too much trouble. To their delight the staff kindly shut off an area of the petting zoo to the public so the children could have it all to themselves. This gave them a priceless opportunity to play and feed the animals, including goats, calves and baby chicks. Many of the children also jumped at the chance to feed the horses carrots, which the farm provided.

Visiting Longdown activity farm was a valuable experience for all of the children and for many of them was like nothing they had done before. It was also a great opportunity for the children to have fun with their friends in the safe surroundings of the care team. All of the farm's facilities had fantastic disabled access which enabled each child to roam throughout without a worry.

Around 90% of the funding Naomi House relies on is provided by its supporters whether it be individuals, companies or volunteers. This is just one of the examples of what their hard work helps to achieve.

All the children and Naomi House staff thoroughly enjoyed their morning at Longdown activity farm and are keen to pay them another visit in the near future. Claire Floyd is a member of the play team and helped to organise the farm visit. She said, “All the children had a great time and the staff there we’re all fantastic, they could not have been more helpful

Open again

What a winter! Snow freezing conditions followed by more than our fair share of rain, without exception all our animals were grateful in having a roof over their heads during the coldest days, even Billy (the Shire) was reluctant to gallop round the feild on several occasssions,the goats simply refused to take one stepoutside.

A major part of our winter has been taken up by hostingofficials from The Health and Safety Executive andvarious other decision makers. who have had the delicate task of deciding if children should be permitted to contact with animals at open farms, after hours of discussions and debates, throughout the country, I am pleased to be able to confirm that commonsense has prevailed, and the entire group supports open farms fully, as long as they are prepared to follow a strict code of practice, which is already fully adhered to at Longdown Activity farm, so in a nutshell it is business as usual, you will notice a few changes, such as more hand wash pointsand the removal of 'Hand Gels' and some animals will now have to be doubled fenced, we fully supporrt the HSE's decision.

Our Grey Faced Dartmoor sheep are dropping their lambs at an alarming rate, we didn't want them to start until March, but it seems that the Ram was in a hurry, so far all the ewes have produced twins, and all mums are doing an excellent job in looking after the, meaning that we have not had to bottle feed any as yet, however we now have 50 plus goat kids needing their bottles of milk twice a day, due to the colder weather we have kept the smaller kids under heat lampsuntil they are strong enoughto join the others.We are often asked why we do not encourage bottle feeding of lambs, yet we pratice baby goat feeding, the reason is simply that it is extremley difficult sourcing lambs from flocks that are completley free of Toxoplasmosis, therefore they would incur a high risk to pregnant mums,in our opinion it's simply not worth taking that chance.
We are waiting for Hannah (large white pig) to produce her litter, shedoes have a habit of pretending to be close, so that she is moved into the Farrowing unit, here she gets special treatment and a few extra nuts a day, over her last 5 births she has been 3 weeks late, possibly just making the most of her home comforts.

The first batch of calves have arreived, 15 Aberdeen Angus cross calves, yes they are the all black ones with eyelashes that all the girls love, and Becky who looks after the calves is already insisting that we keep the 'cutest one'

Hope to see you soon

Farmer Bryan