Animals At Hope Farm
In your cottage on arrival you should find a gift from our girls - 6 eggs [depending on the laying season]. We have Black Copper Marans, Wheaten Marans, Sussex Stars, a couple of crossbreeds and running with them is our latest addition to the flock Neville 2 our young Maran Rooster. We are hoping to incubate some eggs this summer and eagerly anticipate the results. More eggs [for eating] are available from the Farm House at £1 per half dozen which goes towards the hen’s feed. Our birds are fed a balanced diet but are always ready to help by clearing up any left over bread, biscuits, corn, peas or pasta.
Margot and Gerry [Geraldine] are our resident Kune Kune Pig sows. Kune Kune Pigs are a rare breed originating from New Zealand and their Maori name translates as ‘fat and round’. They are very friendly and love a good scratch and guests can feed them if they want to but only root vegetables: parsnips, carrots, turnips etc..., and non-citrus fruit e.g. apples, pears and bananas. Parents - please supervise children round the pigs - their eyesight isn’t brilliant and they could bite little fingers by mistake. We breed yearly and piglets are expected in May.
From Easter until December we usually have rare Zwartble sheep and lambs in our fields. The Zwartble breed originates from the Freisland district of North Holland and is distinguished by its’ dark curly wool with a distinctive white blaze and at least 2 white socks. The curly deep brown fleece is exceptionally fine and alongside the large body mass of the sheep it gives protection from the harsh Easterly winds that prevail in Northern Holland, powering down from Siberia in Winter. Due to changes in Dutch farming practices the Zwartble numbers fell dramatically but have recovered somewhat latterly. There are now 236 registered flocks in the United Kingdom and the future of the breed seems to be assured. [Sometimes there may be other sheep breeds in with them].
We are very fortunate to have a resident pair of breeding Barn Owls.During the summer months they appear in turn from the back of our barn on their hunting expeditions just as the light starts to fade. A good vantage point is the bench seat in the playground.