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 (cranberries, both dried and fresh)
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 Feel free to clean out your cupboards and pantry and bring outdated or stale food. Farmer Mary can use outdated cans of food for the pigs so bring it along!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 emu eat 21 percent protein dry dog food and the peacocks love dry cat or dog food.
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.
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!
Snowy days and bored kids? Rent a temporary pet!
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!
Here Farmer Mary’s son, Alex, helps take a rental cage to a car.
Currently these two guinea pigs are our most popular. They go, usually as a pair, for $45 for a week. Their names are RAINBOW and OREO. They like to be brushed and don’t mind hairstyling fun!
Winterpast Farm will be open all day Friday (9-5) Saturday (9-5), Sunday (1:00-5) and Monday 9-5. Take advantage of the WCPSS snow day Friday and get out of the house a while if the roads are clear.
Come snuggle brand new baby goat, BILLY who was born last Sunday. Lots of baby bunnies also born last weekend. You can hold one in your hand to keep it warm while you walk around the farm if you like.
Walk the forest path and help discover big green emu eggs.
Hug a nice pig.
Try to determine which animal made which tracks in the remaining snow.
Read the “your visit” tab for tips on what foods to bring for feeding the animals. Please let Farmer Mary know you are coming so she can meet the gate. Texting is always best 919-244-1800.
it snowed in the night and this morning Farmer Mary found this odd footprint.
Quite quickly she realized it belonged to BA BA the black sheep who had crisscrossed the front yard and was greatly enjoying the snow!
BA BA had a face full of snow so he had obviously been trying to figure out if this new substance was good to eat.
The birds were all up on pens, not liking to get their feet cold. When Farmer Mary opened a pen containing ducks, the goose, and lots of chickens, only DORIS the goose ventured forth. Her feet make large webbed footprints with a bit of drag between.
BA BA had been everywhere! He is obviously loving the snow. He had spent time playing with each swing.
This odd track is just an extension cord under the snow leading to the heat lamp in the maternity pen.
Lots of buckets of really hot water (filled in the bathtub) need to be brought out to every pen and the pasture this morning, this afternoon and tonight. Sometimes the sun helps melt the frozen water. You are welcome to visit today.
BA BA had obviously spent some time this morning in front of the maternity pen asking MIDNIGHT the goat if her new son, BILLY, could come out and play. MIDNIGHT said no. After all BILLY is only two days old!
Come track different animals and take some truly unique photos on a snowy day at Winterpast Farm.
Join Farmer Mary for fun outdoors!Call or text her at 919-244-1800 (texting always best) to let her know you are coming.
While there hold BILLY, the one day old goat and hold some of the brand new baby bunnies..gotta keep them warm! Wear a hoodie with front pocket and Farmer Mary may let you carry a baby bunny around for a while in your pocket!
maybe we can build a snow bunny or pig or goat at Winterpast farm!
