Instead of shopping, why not bring your family, friends,or even just yourself and stroll the pasture and forest at Winterpast Forest and just breathe in and out a while? No elevator music, just the emu drumming, the chickens clucking, the donkey braying and other nature noise….try it; we think you’ll like it!
FARM OPEN SUNDAY 11-6
Let Farmer Mary know if you plan to visit. 919-244-1800 (texting is always best)
Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts! YOU may be the one to see the first emu egg of the year!
OPEN Friday 10-6, Saturday 9-6, Sunday after 11
Come stroll ten fenced acres and walk off that pumpkin pie!
Meet really nice turkeys and other animals.
Winterpast Farm appeals to all ages. It is a great place for family and friends to enjoy time together outdoors. are unique photos (where else can you go and hold a live baby turkey, look for an emu nest, stroll a pasture with a llama, feed a three legged pig, meet a goose named Doris, feed a peacock family, hold a bunny……and more??
See “your visit” tab for visit tips and text Farmer Mary at 919-244-1800 to arrange your visit this holiday!
Farmer Mary packed up all three of her turkeys, Mom, Dad and Baby, into her car to take to St. David’s School in Raleigh this morning for a talk about turkeys. TURKEY LURKEY, the baby turkey, goes to alot of parties and events, but this is the first time for THOMAS and his wife..The turkeys settled well in the car this morning, singing along to classical music on WCPE. Farmer Mary has found that classical music really calms her animals during transport.
Every Tuesday the upperclassmen have a student led morning assembly and this morning the topic was turkeys! Farmer Mary shared facts and history and then students were allowed to come close and pet or pose for photos with the turkeys. THOMAS the male turkey puffed up his feathers whenever a student wearing red came close.
Seniors were happy to hear they can do their service hours at Winterpast Farm!
Farmer Mary is happy to talk with you about bringing her turkey trio (or other animals) to your school or other event.
DID YOU KNOW??
We eat females at Thanksgiving because the males get so big they couldn’t fit in your oven?
Turkeys can run 20 mph.
Turkeys can see 360 degrees.
Winterpast Farm will be open for visits over Thanksgiving holiday.
Open hours:
Wednesday 9-6
Thursday (Thanksgiving) 9-5
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-5
When you plan a visit to Winterpast Farm you can bring along food to feed the animals.
Some things they like include:
Apple slices
Carrots (big, small, they esp love the ones with greens still attached! New visitors may like to hold a long carrot as they learn how to feed the animals)
grapes
kale
Cabbage
collards
Celery
Peppers
Cereal- any is fine, but Cheerios type plain is best and the most popular
Crackers
Bread (whole wheat is best, and sturdy slices are easier to hold out for feeding, or to throw to the ducks and turtles in the pond)
Popped popcorn
Raisins, dried fruit of any sort
green beans
Almost anything but meat or cheese, and please, nothing moldy. Feel free to clean out your cupboards and pantry and bring outdated or stale food. Farmer Mary can use outdated cans of food for the pigs so bring it along! Some frequent farm visitors bring food when they clear out their refrigerator before vacation.
This fall bring your pumpkin innards to feed the pigs after you carve your Halloween pumpkin!
If you have extra oranges, Farmer Mary gives the bunnies and Guinea pigs orange slices regularly for the vitamin C.
If you are clearing out your garden bring the vines and too big beans and other veggies..someone will eat it!
Favorites of the animals (this can change a bit!)
LUCKY the Llama: apples, carrots, grapes, celery, sometimes orange slices, green beans
Bunnies:apples, carrots, celery, kale and other greens, crackers, raisins, veggies
Guniea pigs:same as bunnies
Peacocks: bread, crackers, kale, apple slices, grapes, dry dog food
goats: apple slices, carrots, celery, kale sometimes, crackers, bread, veggies
MABEL and CLAIRE the Donkeys: apple slices, carrots, sometimes celery, crackers
Ducks and chickens:crackers, bread, corn, cereal, apple slices (if thin)
DORIS the goose: carrots, apple slices, kale, lettuce, bread, crackers, cereal, corn
EMU: dry dog food, apple slices, kLe, grapes, crackers, bread
Dislikes: onions, leeks,
They will eventually eat sweet potatoes and squash of any sort, but may not take it from your hand. These can be left in bunny and guniea pig cages for them to snack on.
Farmer Mary is happy to take unwanted dry cat and dog food. She often has a rescue pup living at the farm.
The food visitors bring are just treats for the animals. Farmer Mary regularly heads to Tractor Supply or Southern States for feed for all her animals.
and the emu eat high protein dog food.
Did you know you can rent a pet from Winterpast Farm? For $35 (for most small animals) you get the animal, cage, feed and everything you need for a week. Farmer Mary mostly rents guinea pigs and bunnies. She has also rented baby goat on a bottle to a girls slumber birthday party, a variety of farm animals to a country style event, a piglet to a family who was considering buying a pig (that family learned alot, had fun, and did not buy a pig pet!) She has rented a goat to be jokingly exchanged for a bride at a wedding, a baby goat, ducklings, chicks, a hen…just ask! Families and individuals rent for a wide variety of reasons:
Considering adding a furry friend to your household? Rent first and try it out instead of buying!
Dad out of town on a business trip? Miss him a bit less with a new furry friend to take care of.
Grandkids coming for a weekend or for a holiday? Rent a nice bunny and be their very favorite Grandparent!!
Stepkids coming for a stay? Rent a pet to help ease the transition.
Homeschool family studying animals…check with Farmer Mary and rent something interesting to watch develop!
TEMPORARY CLASSROOM PET option works like this. You rent a pet and then ask your child’s classroom teacher if s/he would like a temporary classroom pet; it might be one day, two..or all week. Meanwhile the child is “king of the classroom”, the parents who provided the animal are considered great, and the entire class enjoys a temporary furry or feathered friend. And, the family probably learns they don’t need to buy a pet..why buy when you can take it back to Winterpast Farm and, later on, rent something else?
This rental all helps pay to feed and house all the many many former pets who now live at Winterpast Farm.
Even if you don’t rent a pet, pass on the news to friends and let’s help recycle existing pets instead of creating more!
