Endangered Animal Spotlight: Cleveland Bay Horse

Davis Farmland has a new horse out on our hayride! For those who haven’t met her yet, Dakota is the new Cleveland Bay Mare on the farm. We’ve never had this particular and endangered breed here before and there’s lots of interesting history about these amazing horses.

The Cleveland Bay is currently on the Critical List, with about 1,000 left in the world and about 180 left in North America. This breed of horse is bay in color with black points and no white (except the occasional star) and therefore pretty uniform and distinct-looking. The breed originates from Yorkshire, England and is England’s oldest breed of horse.

Cleveland Bays have tremendous strength, stamina and speed and were used for transportation as coach horses (by Queen Elizabeth Herself) and farm work. As time went on and transportation became more industrialized, the demand for these horses diminished. The purebreds themselves were not great sport horses but they can be cross-bred with several other breeds and produce excellent sporting horses.

The breed first came to the United States in the 1800s and their status has been Critical since the early 1900s. A fun fact about these horses is that they are still used and bred by the Queen of England.

For more information on this breed visit: Cleaveland Bay or Albc-USA.

Gross Gub Challenge Weekends!

We’re into September with our Survivor Mega Maze off to a great start!

This year you really get to experience Survival Challenges at Davis Mega Maze. Not only are there more challenges inside the maze than EVER, but you can win immunity from admission by competing in our Gross Grub Challenge on Saturdays and Sundays!

Roll the Dice of Fate to determine which of these grotesque dishes you will have to eat to win

• Pickled Herring
• Crickets
• Blood Pudding
• Head Cheese
• Pickled Turkey Gizzard

If you complete this Survival Challenge you get to roll the Victory Die which will determine if you win a FREE day at Davis Mega Maze, other awesome prizes or even NOTHING AT ALL!!!
Out Wit, Out Last, Survive!

Endangered Animal Spotlight: Karakul Sheep

Karakul sheep originated in Asiatic Russia and came over to the United States around the 1900s. Male Karakuls (rams) grow horns but the females (ewes) do not. They are generally used for the fat they store (to make candles and such) and for their wool.
The Karakul is characterized by its broad tail which stores excess fat. Most breeds of sheep store this fat throughout their entire body, making the Karakul different from any other breed. They are called “fat-tailed” sheep because the base is so wide and their tails can weigh up to 8 or 10 pounds.

Karakul sheep are born with a soft coat of wool that will mature into a layered coat. The newborn lambs have such beautiful, silky-soft curly black wool that it is coveted for Persian Lamb Skin. Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of Russian leaders with round curly black hats or 1940’s movie stars with black curly collared jackets. These are Persian Lambskin from Karakuls. As the sheep mature, the outer layer of wool becomes long and coarse and the inner layer stays very soft. Karakuls are generally black in color and grow to have long and silvery wool. Even after their wool turns silver, the sheep keep their black faces, Roman noses and adorable flop ears. These unique features create higher demand for the Karakul wool, which is used to make oriental rugs.

The breed is considered threatened, which means there are fewer than 5,000 left in the world!

Farmland is not alone in the effort to preserve this amazing breed of sheep. Several organizations world-wide are working to re-build the population of Karakuls. You can check out the American Karakul Sheep Registry and find more of these fascinating sheep right here in the U.S. You can also learn more about this breed’s conservation by visiting the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory website.

Spotlight on Farmland Farmers!

Farmer Tom: 3^rd season Outside Farmer

What is your favorite thing about Davis Farmland?

“I think it’s very cool that Farmland is a sanctuary for endangered animals and it’s also such a great place to bring kids and play.”

How has working here benefitted you the most?

“I’ve met so many great people working here. I’ve learned a lot about animals and about all kinds of animals. But I really understand now how much work it takes to maintain a farm. People don’t realize how hard it is to keep a farm going every day.”

Who would you recommend Farmland to and why?

“Everyone and anyone with young kids; the spray park is so awesome. Definitely the best reason to come is the employees; the people who work here have fun interacting with the kids and families and you don’t get that anywhere else.”

Farmer Hillary: 1^st season Food Service Farmer

What is your favorite thing about Davis Farmland?

“I love that kids can feel safe and have fun here. They get a little freedom from their parents’ watchful eye because their parents know the facility is so safe. Kids get to just be a kid and have fun here!”

How has working here benefitted you the most?

“Working here I’ve learned how to work as a team with everyone else on the farm; even people who I may not work directly with every day. It’s also been really rewarding working with guests because I feel like I’m making a difference by being here. When you are doing a great job you can see it on guests’ faces and it makes you want to keep making their day better.”

Who would you recommend Farmland to and why?

“I would recommend Farmland to everyone with kids. I tell all my little cousins’ friends about this place and they love coming here to interact with the animals. They love to feel like they’re helping the animals when they brush them with those little brushes. Whenever they visit, they always have a blast!”

Barnyard Babies

Out with the cold and in with the NEW!

Spring may be winding down into summer but here at Davis Farmland our baby booming season is far from over. We’ve got lots of moms who are overdue to deliver and even more baby animals trotting, jumping and squealing on the farm!

Our first litter of kittens is here! These four little kitties are playful, spunky and adorable. Check them out in the kitten house and remember they will be up for adoption and looking for a happy home like YOURS!

And here’s something to SQUEAL about… We’ve got piglets! Arnold (all red), Charlotte (mostly pink) and Pork Chop (pink stripe) were born on March 24^th to Mrs. Pigglesworth and are in the Showcase just beyond the Aviary. These little oinkers also love to go for walks on the lawn!

Facebook fans may also remember reading about some of the newest babies on the farm; Prancer and Peaches, the San Clemente twins born on May 26^th to Delilah.

The chick house is a flutter with brand new baby turkeys born on May 25^th. These rare breeds of baby turkeys are sure to gobble gobble their way into your heart.

Don’t forget to enter our Name the Baby Contest to name a set of Nigerian Dwarf Goat twin boys born to mom Betsy and dad Desi Arnez on May 27^th. (You could win a season pass for 4!)

Hope you get to come see all that’s new at Farmland and check out all the cool babies we’ve got boppin’ around on the Farm.

A Hero's Weekend at Farmland!

WE Salute OUR local heroeS, May 15^th & 16^th.

Firefighters, EMTs, Police Officers and Armed Forces personnel are the heroes that we depend on in the worst of times. We would like to thank our local heroes this weekend for the spectacular job they do keeping us safe every day.

As a special thank you, firefighters, EMTs, police officers, armed forces personnel and their families are admitted FREE with ID for Heroes Weekend. (Free admission applies to general admission and is not valid with any groups, packages, coupons, or other discounts.)

Climb on a fire truck, put out a pretend fire, explore the inside of an ambulance and a police car. On Saturday you can even check out the inside of an Army Hummer! Meet Smokey the Bear and talk with real heroes about what they do in your town! Event times are 11-3 each day.

Join us this weekend for these fun activities and show your appreciation for our local heroes.

Also see our other scheduled events!

Poitou Pete Turns 18!

We are so lucky, to be celebrating Pete the Poitou's 18th birthday this year! Eighteen may not seem too old, but when you consider his ancestor's journey...well, we're pretty proud.

Pete the Poitou is the oldest breed of ass in the world. Originating in the Poitou region of France, the full name of these donkeys is Baudet du Poitou.

When we found Pete the Poitou, there were just over 200 left in the world and less than a dozen in Northern America. Dating back to Roman times, the only use for Poitous was breeding with a particular type of horse (Poitevin) to create the largest, most powerful draft mule in the world. (Mules are infertile work animals that are the result of breeding a male donkey with a female horse.)

There is little demand for mules anymore because of the invention of motorized vehicles. This means there is little demand for the Poitou; making them highly endangered. Poitou numbers fell to only 50 world-wide by 1975, but are now on the rebound.

Pete is a gelding, or a fixed male. He was fixed because he was not needed as a breeder in his bloodline. When animals get this rare, they are very closely monitored to prevent inbreeding.

Davis Farmland is not alone in the fight to preserve the Poitou Donkey. There are organizations dedicated to the conversation of this breed in England, France, and Australia as well as all over Europe. To check out more information on the Poitou Donkey visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory website.

You really need to see Pete to appreciate his strikingly odd appearance. From his giant ears to his flowing dreadlock coat, llama-like legs and small tail that looks like a duster. So come on by and wish Pete a happy birthday by visiting him at Farmland this year!

Booming with Babies!!

Spring is in full BOOM here at Davis Farmland: that is, booming with BABIES!! Who are our newborns and who is still expecting? We've got the scoop right here!

We're preparing to open Farmland and we've already got babies galore! Our Facebook fans helped us to name Lulu the Llama who was born on December 30th, 2009 and was the first baby on the farm for 2010. She is a beautiful blonde and spends all her time with mother, Lala.

You Facebook fans may also remember Crackle's babies born on March 22nd. These triplet Nigerian Dwarf Goats are all girls and will be named by the Community Treasures Silent Auction winners in April. Our African Pigmy Goat Dusty is also a new mom! She gave birth to twins on March 26th: a beautiful girl and a bouncing baby boy.

Our sheep births certainly take the cake so far this year! We had two newborn Tunis Sheep on March 25th and have had 7 Jacob Sheep babies between March 28thand 30th: 2 boys and 5 girls!

So far we have lots of new ladies for the farm this season and there will surely be more! We have a St. Croix ewe that is past her due date and about a dozen more moms who should be having babies over the next several weeks. So STAY TUNED for more baby news and be sure to come visit us at Davis Farmland when we open on Thursday April 15th!