Animal Feeding

Hands-on time with the farm animals, usually at feed time

About Animal Feeding

Feeding the animals is the activity most families remember, and it is the one that needs no explanation to a child. What it involves depends entirely on the farm and the season: hand-rearing calves, feeding orphan lambs, throwing out hay to cattle, filling troughs for pigs, or scattering grain for poultry and alpaca. On a working farm it is real work that happens whether or not there are guests, which is exactly why it is worth joining in — you are helping with the morning round, not watching a demonstration.

What to Expect

Feed time is early. On most farms the animals are fed once or twice a day at set times, and guests are welcome to come along if they are up. Expect to be given a bucket or a bottle and shown how to hold it, and expect the animals to be enthusiastic. Hosts will explain which animals are friendly, which are not, and where to stand. Younger animals are usually the ones guests handle — they are smaller, tamer and used to people. Seasonality matters: hand-rearing is concentrated in the weeks after calving and lambing, so the experience in February is not the experience in September.

What to Bring

Gumboots or old shoes you do not mind ruining

Clothes that can get dirty

Hand sanitiser, though most farms have a wash station

A camera

Safety Guidelines

Wash hands thoroughly afterwards and before eating — this is the single most important rule
Never enter a paddock with a bull, or with cows and young calves, unless your host is with you
Let animals come to you rather than approaching them
Keep fingers flat when hand-feeding
Children should be within arm’s reach of an adult at all times

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is feeding?

Usually early — often between 7am and 8am, sometimes with a second round late afternoon. Ask the night before so you are not caught out.

Is it safe for young children?

Generally yes, with supervision, and it is the activity most young children enjoy most. The real risk is not injury but hygiene: farm animals carry bacteria, so thorough handwashing afterwards is essential.

Is it available year round?

Feeding of some kind happens all year, but bottle-feeding young stock is seasonal. Calving and lambing are concentrated in late winter and spring, so that is when hand-rearing is most likely. Check with the farm before booking if this is the point of the trip.