Meet Armani

Armani is our Anglo Nubian goat. She originates from Britain, developed from milking stock crossed with hardy goats from the middle east. Anglo Nubian goats are known for their high butterfat content in their milk and is prized by produces of fine goat’s cheese, their middle-eastern heritage allows the Anglo Nubian goat to adapt to very hot climates and they have a longer breeding season than other dairy goats and is now found in more than sixty countries, known in many of them as the ‘Nubian’.

Over the years Armani has developed some bad habits, like if you are standing closer to her pen and turn your back on her, she’ll reach over the gate and start eating your clothes and, she is a big fan of sweets so for those of you that have pick and mix bags, keep the well away from her as she’ll pop her nose in to see if there is anything she likes, Jelly Beans are her favourite!

Meet Boris

Then we have our Bearded Dragon; Boris, and no they don’t breathe fire…. well not yet anyway

The name "bearded dragon" refers to the "beard" of the lizard, the underside of the throat which turns black if they are stressed or see a potential rival. They are adept climbers, spending time on branches and in bushes and near human habitation. 

They have the ability to change color during rivalry challenges between males, in response to ambient temperature changes such as turning black to absorb heat, and other stimuli. Males grow up to 60 cm (24 in) long, and females up to 51 cm (20 in). Bearded dragons also produce a mild venom originating from primitive venom glands. Although generally harmless towards humans, it is effective towards smaller-sized animals.

The Beard dragons are like our other animals and do eat daily, they mainly eat insects and have a mix of plant based food, mainly leafy greens and they love dandelion leaves which we pick of our village green for them. Also a key element of their diet is calcium which we have to supplement for them as none of the food we feed them contains enough of it, so to do this we coat the insects in a calcium powder before we put them into the enclosure, they also require UVB light to process this calcium so we have UVB blubs in the enclosure to help aid them in digestion of the calcium but to help them even more, when it is sunny we take them outside to the ferret park and let them have a run around in the sun, where they absorb the natural UV light from the Sun which is much more effective than that from the bulb.

Billy & Bunter

Billy and Bunter our Barn Owls have been with us for just over 2 years. They came to us very young after being abandoned and are very tame. They live on a diet of chicks and are fed daily.

Barn owls do not hoot they make a screeching sound. Barn Owl feathers are super soft! This helps them to hunt silently, but they are not very waterproof and get soaked if it rains

Meet Cornflake

Our fantastic, and friendly Corn snake, Cornflake is a North American species of rat snake that subdues its small prey by constriction. Corn snakes found throughout the southeastern and central United States. Their docile nature, reluctance to bite, moderate adult size, attractive pattern, and comparatively simple care make them popular pet snakes. Though superficially resembling the venomous copperhead and often killed because of this mistaken identity, corn snakes are harmless and beneficial to humans. Corn snakes lack functional venom and help control populations of wild rodent pests that damage crops and spread disease.

Our snakes aren’t like a lot of our animals, they don’t eat daily, instead they eat weekly, on a Friday we normally feed them after we close, and we feed them small mice that we buy frozen as in England we aren’t allowed to feed pet snakes live food, so on a Friday morning we must get two mice out of the freezer and defrost them ready for eating in the evening.

Meet Digby

Digby is our Miniature Shetland Pony, he’s a Stallion and originates from the Shetland Isles, Scotland.

Shetland ponies originated in the Shetland Isles, located northeast of mainland Scotland. Small horses have been kept on the Shetland Isles since the Bronze Age. People who lived on the islands probably later crossed the native stock with ponies imported by Norse settlers. Shetland ponies also were probably influenced by the Celtic Pony, brought to the islands by settlers between 2000 and 1000 BCE. The harsh climate and scarce food developed the ponies into extremely hardy animals.

Shetland ponies were first used for pulling carts, carrying peat, coal and other items, and plowing farm land. Then, as the Industrial Revolution increased the need for coal in the mid-19th century, thousands of Shetland ponies traveled to mainland Britain to be pit ponies, working underground hauling coal, often for their entire (often short) lives. Coal mines in the eastern United States also imported some of these animals. The last pony mine in the United States closed in 1971.

Today Shetlands are ridden by children and are shown by both kids and adults, also more recently starting to be used by young jockeys now making appearances at county shows and game fairs.

Breakfast, Hard feed, hay and apples as a treat

Fun Fact

When Digby goes out at night into the field the first thing he does is drop to the floor and roll over in the dust

Meet Eric, Ernie, Morecambe & Wise

Meet our Pygmy Goats. Pygmy Goats originate in Africa, they were developed from the west African dwarf goat and a landrace of central Africa and they were taken to Europe by the British during the colonial era then later imported to the US. They then became very popular as backyard pets for keeping grass down in large gardens and small paddocks.

They are adaptable to most climates so can be kept across the globe, they require a shed to provide shelter in bad weather and need access to open areas always, they also need a companion but it doesn’t have to be of the same species, they also require clean water as they won’t drink dirty water. They enjoy having things to jump on and have been known to jump on to small vehicles.

They are very friendly and affectionate animal, especially if you have food.

Females weigh between 24 to 34 kg and males 27 to 39 kg, they stand between 41 to 58 cm tall.

Our pygmy goats are very cheeky and love to go on people’s prams if they are unattended as they see it as a small climbing frame that they must have a go on, so if the goats are about make sure you keep an eye on your prams as you may be taking a goat home with you!!

Ferrets

Our ferrets are fed twice a day on wet cat food and sometimes dried biscuits too. The average ferret lives to be 6-7 years old.

The majority of “working” ferrets are used to eradicate vermin, but they have other less obvious purposes. Their ability to worm their way through confined spaces has led several institutions to use them for running wire.In the 1960’s, aircraft manufacturer Boeing used ferrets to string wire through planes!

Our ferrets love to play in their large tunnel tubing and, be outside as much as they can, they also like to dig holes in the soil. They can be quite mischievous!

Our ferrets are called Slinky, Bandit, Rascal, Eddie and Nibbler.

Meet George, Pepper & Tinkerbell

Meet our fantastic donkeys. George, Pepper and Tinkerbell. Donkeys were probably first domesticated by pastoral people in Nubia, and they supplanted the ox as the chief pack animal of that culture. The domestication of donkeys served to increase the mobility of pastoral cultures, having the advantage over ruminants of not needing time to chew their cud, and were vital in the development of long-distance trade across Egypt. The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. Of the more than 40 million donkeys in the world, about 96% are in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as pack animals or for draught work in transport or agriculture.

The donkeys live outside at night so they have grass as their main diet but when we bring them in during the day for donkey rides, they get a hay net and some apples.

Donkeys can be quite stubborn and ours are no exception to that, as an example if we are doing donkey rides George doesn’t like going first, he likes to follow the girls and can be quite a cheeky fellow and diverts of course when he sees some nice grass he wants to have a chew on.

Meet Geraldine

Geraldine is our Mangaltisa pig, they originate in Hungry, and they were developed in the mid-19^th century by crossbreeding a Hungarian breed with a European wild boar. They grow a thick woolly coat like that of sheep, the only other pig breed noted for its woolly coat is the extinct Lincolnshire Curly-coated pig of England.

The Mangaltisa pig produces very little lean meat so it has been widely replaced by modern domestic breeds in the commercial market to get better quality lean meat cuts but is still used for sausages and minced meat.

In hungry this pig is still very common and easily found and farmers produce and rear about 60,000 Mangaltisa pigs each year. Pig hair can be used in paint brushes, so if you buy hog hair paint brushes, it is made from pig hair.

Her diet consists of a mix of pellets, vegetables and hay to provide fibre.

Meet Golden

Meet Golden “Big Cow”, our Holstein cow. Holstein’s originate from Dutch provinces, the Dutch breeders bred and oversaw the development of the breed with the goal of obtaining animals that could best use grass, the area’s most abundant resource and over the centuries, the result was a high-producing, black and white dairy cow.

In Europe, the breed is used for milk in the north, and meat in the south. Since 1945, European national development has led to cattle breeding and dairy products becoming increasingly regionalized. More than 80% of dairy production is north of a line joining Bordeaux and Venice, which also has more than 60% of the total cattle. This change led to the need for specialized animals for dairy (and beef) production. Until this time, milk and beef had been produced from dual-purpose animals. The breeds, national derivatives of the Dutch Friesian, had become very different animals from those developed by breeders in the United States, who used Holsteins only for dairy production.

Breakfast, In the morning we bring Golden in from the field and she will have a basket full of hay and then a bucket of pellets, like the ones you can buy from the shop to feed our animals. But be warned if you feed Golden, you will need to wash your hands after, she’s a bit slobbery.

She is also a very destructive cow, at the beginning of the year (2017) she went on a wander and sat in the boy’s toilets, and as she is a bit on the big side, she couldn’t get back out so we had to cut the wall down for her!

Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs are great small pets as they are good natured and easy to care for. They are the most popular small pet in many countries

South America (Peru) Guinea Pigs were kept by the Incas and were found in houses when the Spanish conquistadors conquered South America.

Our Guinea pigs you can handle in our Hutches and Aviaries corner. They have their food given twice a day, along with fresh vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. Also, the farm staff will go on the hunt for some fresh dandelion leaves for them to munch on.

The Guinea pig was first domesticated as early as 5000BC for food by tribes in South America. Even to this day they are still considered a source of food in some countries and cultures. It was the Spanish, Dutch and English that first introduced them into Europe as exotic pets among the upper class and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth 1.

Guinea pigs have a similar diet to that of rabbits, grass is their natural diet but pets are fed on soft pellets and hay. Dietary wise Guinea pigs are like humans are require Vitamin C in their diet or they will develop scurvy.

Guinea pigs shouldn’t be raised as a single they are a pack animal and are prone to loneliness so they like to have company, in Switzerland owning a single guinea pig is considered harmful to its well-being and forbidden by law.

Meet Lenny

Meet Lenny, our very friendly, very popular English Springer Spaniel. As the name suggests, he is from England, the purpose of the breed is to serve as hunting dogs, the larger spaniels, the springers, are mainly used for flushing or ‘springing’ the game birds into the air for the falcons and hawks to bring back to their handler, whereas the smaller spaniels, the cockers, were used to hunt smaller birds like the woodcock.

The typical lifespan of a springer spaniel is about 12 to 14 years. They are an affectionate and excitable breed. Nowadays the breed has split into separate show and working lines. Show dogs tend to have longer furred coasts whereas the working dogs have a shorter coarser coat.

Lenny, our springer spaniel lives with Roger in the main farm house and comes out during the day to say hello to everyone, but when he comes out he occasionally takes a trip down the paddocks and has a swim in the pond and comes back all wet and smelly.

Lenny has a bowl of dog food twice a day and if he’s lucky some of the staff will sneak him some sausages from the kitchen out as a treat, which is very naughty of the staff but I’m sure Lenny won’t be complaining any time soon!

Meet Lucky & Julie

Lucky and Julie are our Tamworth pigs. The Tamworth pig is a domestic pig that originates in Tamworth, UK. It’s among the oldest of pig breeds and as with most of the older pig breeds, it is not suited to modern production methods and is now classed as a threatened in the US and Vulnerable in the UK, with as few as 300 registered breeding females remaining.

The litter size of a Tamworth is normally around 6 – 10 piglets and they can farrow twice a year with having a gestation period of 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days, +/- 2 days.

We feed our pigs morning and night, they get half a bucket of pig feed, and then we keep them topped up with hay to add a bit of fibre to their diet, but as they are pigs they will eat just about anything just like us humans, both meat and veg.

Meet Mary & CeeCee

Mary and CeeCee are our fabulous Kunekune pigs. The Kunekune pig is one of the most well-known types of domesticated pig in the world, however it is actually classed as a rare breed with less than 2,000 pure bred Kunekune’s in the world - at one point they even faced extinction! Domesticated Kunekune’s originate from New Zealand but it is thought their wild ancestors came there from Asia in the 1800’s, on trading ships and whaling boats. The Maori people of New Zealand gave them their name ‘Kune Kune’, which means fat and round.

Here at Greenlands we have two female Kune kune pigs, CeeCee & her daughter Mary. Kune pigs are not a very active species, so you will most likely find them sleeping, wallowing in mud, or looking for her food.

Fun Facts:

• In the 1970’s the species faced extinction, with only nine pure bred Kunekunes left in New Zealand!
• Unlike other pigs, they can survive on grass alone!
• Some Kunekunes have wattles (small fleshy tassles) called ‘pire pire’, hanging under their chin!
• They are one of the smallest species of domestic pig, and are often referred to as ‘teacup pigs’ or ‘mini pigs’, even though they will grow to be up to 100kg!
• Pua in the Disney film Moana, is actually a KuneKune pig!

Meet Max & Elliot

Next, we have our Horsefeild Tortoises; Max and Elliot.

The Russian Tortoise commonly known as the Horsfield’s Tortoise. This is a threatened species of Tortoise.

The Russian Tortoise is a small species with a size range of 13 – 25cm, although the females grow slightly larger than the males to accommodate more eggs.

We feed the Tortoises little pellets that we soak in water and provide them with plants like dandelions and lettuce, although they aren’t fed in huge amounts due to the lack of nutritional value.

A key part of the care for Tortoises is soaking them in warm water and this is done a few times a week and this ensures that they are drinking properly.

Meet Oudoo

Meet Oudoo, our lovely little Border Terrier. The border terrier originated on both sides of the Cheviot Hills in Great Britain. These hills form the border country between England and Scotland. As hills are abundant in this area, farmers' stock was terrorized by the powerful hill foxes.

To hunt and kill these foxes, the farmers and shepherds needed a plucky terrier with enough length of leg to follow a horse but small enough to follow a fox to ground. The dogs had to be strong and tireless with a weather-resistant coat to withstand the mists and bone-soaking rains of the hills. This small, hardy, working terrier could be found in the homes of almost all border farmers, shepherds and sportsmen in this region.

Oudoo lives with Lenny and Roger in the main farm house, and comes our during the date to say hello to everyone. She loves being fussed over!

Oudoo has a bowl of dog food twice a day and if he’s lucky some of the staff will sneak him some sausages from the kitchen out as a treat, which is very naughty of the staff but I’m sure she won’t be complaining any time soon!

Meet Pascal

Pascal is our resident Yemen Chameleon. He is certainly a very interesting little guy, if you can spot him!

How much weirdness can you handle in one animal? Chameleons have it all:

• Chameleons are a very unique branch of the lizard group of reptiles.
• There are around 160 species of chameleon.
• Chameleons live in warm varied habitats from rainforests through to deserts.
• Almost half of the world's chameleon species are native to Madagascar, they are also found in Africa, and southern Europe to as far as Sri Lanka in Asia and have been introduced to Hawaii, California and Florida.
• Special color pigment cells under the skin called chromatophores allow some chameleon species to change their skin color
• Chameleon change color for camouflage but this is not always the main reason. Some show darker colors when angry, or when trying to scare others. Males show light multi-colored patterns when vying for female attention. Desert varieties change to black when its cooler to absorb heat, then a light grey to reflect heat.
• Chameleons have amazing eyes. The bulging upper and lower eyelids are joined and the pupil peaks out from a pinhole sized gap.
• The chameleons' eyes can rotate and focus separately on 180-degree arcs, so they can see two different objects at the same time. This gives them a full 360-degree field of vision.
• Chameleons actual eyesight is great they can see small insects 5-10 meters away. They can also see in both visible and ultraviolet light.
• Chameleons feed by ballistically projecting their tongues often over twice the length of their body to catch prey, forming a suction cup as it hits its target.
• The chameleons tongue can reach its prey in just 0.07 split seconds, with the projectile acceleration reaching over 41 g's of force.
• Chameleons usually eat large insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, and stick insects, some bigger species also eat other lizards and young birds.
• Chameleons are not deaf but they do not actually have ear openings.
• Many species of chameleon have horn-like bumps or crests on their heads.
• Species of chameleon can be as small as 15 mm (0.59 in) or as large as 69 cm (27 in).

Meet Our Rabbits

In our hutches, we have 3 different breeds of rabbits;

Our first breed are our Continental Giant Rabbits, which is one of the largest and oldest breeds of rabbit, with records suggesting they may have been around as far back as the mid-16^th century in Europe. They have been known to weight more than 35lbs and their ear length is about 25% of the body length. Their average lifespan is anywhere from 4 to 5 years. These as you can imagine were originally bred for their meat and fur but over time they have become more popular as pets due to their friendly and docile nature.

Our second breed is our Netherland Dwarf, first produce in the Netherlands in the early 20^th century. It was a cross between a small polish breed and a smaller wild rabbit, after several generations the resulting animal was what we now call the Netherlands dwarf which are available in a wide range of colours and patterns. The breed was first imported into the United Kingdom in 1948.

Due to their size they aren’t recommended as pets for children as they don’t like to be handled or picked up to cuddle with and they have very fragile bones so been handled roughly can lead to serious injury so large rabbits are recommended for young children as they tend to be a lot hardier.

Our third breed is the lop ear, this breed was developed in England in the 19^th century through selective breeding and is believed to be the first lop breed developed by humans. The English lop is characterized by its distinctively long lop ears, bald head and large body size and will live for about 5 years.

The does weigh between 10 – 15lbs and bucks are slightly smaller and weigh 9 – 12 lbs.

They are a relatively inactive breed which make them good pets for children.

The ideal age for them breeding is around 10 months old and are very prolific producing litters between 5 -12 kits with a gestation period of between 28 – 35 days.

When they grow up the ears grow rapidly in the first 16 weeks of life and then the body grows to catch up, so when they are young they look out proportion

Diet; Rabbits have a sensitive digestive system and can be fussy eaters, they require good quality pellets, vegetables and an unlimited supply of hay. Foods high in sugar like fruit or root vegetables should only be given in small quantities.

Join us this Mothers Day and build your own bear with a loved one, starts 11am 

Choose a 16" bear to stuff, then choose a heart to go inside. Choose a name for the birth certificate and make the teddy bear promise.

There will be crafts to make, juice and biscuits for the children, along with a hot drink for mum.

Includes full day entrance onto The Open Farm, where you can join in our daily itinerary, bottle feed lambs, meet out micro pigs, cuddle a bunny and much more.

To book telephone 01524 784184 option 3.

Or book online at  https://www.trybooking.co.uk/JMI

Visit our Build Your Own Bear shop at Greenlands Farm Village.

We have a wide range of bears to choose from including Peter Rabbit and friends, Shaun the sheep and Timmy. Also available are farm animals, flamingos and much more.

You choose a bear, stuff it, choose a heart and then choose a name for the birth certificate. You then make the teddy bear promise.

Contact us to enquire about our party packages.

Join us this Mothers Day for a special day to remember.

Free Open Farm for mums who visit the farm with a full paying child. Join in our daily itinerary and get a hands on experience with our animals.

Book Afternoon tea in The Loft Tearoom and enjoy delicious open sandwichs, homemade scones with jam and clotted cream and delicious cakes made by Esther. Available to book for Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st March from 10am.  Childrens afternoon tea also available with delicious sweet treats to enjoy.

Visit Wellies cafe for our specials for the day and mums get a sweet treat and a free glass of prosecco with a main meal.

To book for our Afternoon tea please either telephone 01524 784184 option 3, visit our booking page on the website https://www.greenlandsfarmvillage.co.uk/news-and-events/event-booking.

Or book online for Saturday 30th March https://www.trybooking.co.uk/JKM or

Sunday 31st March  https://www.trybooking.co.uk/JJL

Starting Saturday 15th February Live lambing on everyday throughout the February holidays.

Join us on the Open farm and bottle feed our lambs at 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Visit our lambing barn and see our expectant mums to be and, you may be lucky and see one being born.

Join in our daily farm itinerary where you can get a up close and hands on experience with our animals.

Open everyday from 10am.