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Meet Our Animals
We are so fortunate to have a wide variety of species at the ASU that enables us to provide the broadest and most varied education opportunities for our students, and interactions for our guests.
Click on each picture to learn a little about our incredible animals!
PIGS
Our breeding stock pigs are a rare breed called Oxford Sandy & Blacks. They are known for their excellent mothering skills as well as their spotty appearance.
On the farm, we have the sows Pickle, Apple and Chilli, as well as Branston the boar.
On the farm, we have the sows Pickle, Apple and Chilli, as well as Branston the boar.
GOATS
Having kept a variety of different breeds over the years, we have settled on breeding and producing the rare 'Royal Golden Guernsey' due to their gentle temperament with lower inputs than other breeds.
SHEEP
White-faced Woodland Sheep are a native,hill breed and classed as rare-breeds due to their small nationwide numbers.
We have Daisy, Diana, Hetty, Harriett and Henrietta at the ASU.
We have Daisy, Diana, Hetty, Harriett and Henrietta at the ASU.
DONKEYS
Some of our most popular residents are our 3 donkeys: Doris, Mabel, and Willow. Doris and Mabel are standard donkeys standing at around 11 hands and Willow is a Mediterranean Miniature standing at 8 hands
CHICKENS
We house a variety of chickens and enjoy homing rare breeds including 'Speckled Sussex' and 'Buff Orpington'. Both are types of dual-purpose breeds, meaning they can be used as laying hens and meat birds.
TURKEYS
We have successfully raised turkeys for Christmas in previous years and hope to again once the avian flu threat subsides throughout to winter.
Whilst Bronze turkeys are the most commonly eaten in this region, they are still classed as a rare-breed.
Whilst Bronze turkeys are the most commonly eaten in this region, they are still classed as a rare-breed.
Rabbits
Our rabbit breeds include mini-rex, 'mini-lop', and some cross breeds. We are constantly working to improve our rabbit enclosures, as they have quite specific needs and require a lot of space. You may find them in our indoor pens during the winter, but in the dryer months they have large outdoor enclosures
CAVIES
Cavies are commonly known as 'guinea pigs' and are a popular companion. They are small, south American rodents that make a unique 'wheeking' sound. We have a number of breeds of cavy, including 'Lunkarya', 'Abyssinian', 'Californian', and 'Teddy'.
DEGU
'Wotsit' is a degu, a small, south-American rodent that was rescued from a neglectful home in the South of England. Wotsit has become a friendly and interesting member of the unit and currently enjoys eating at her tiny café and dining alfresco on her mini picnic table.
CHINCHILLAS
Native to the South American Andes, Chinchillas have a luxuriously thick coat, the densest of all land mammals, which had them almost hunted to extinction in the 1800s. Our chinchillas are Jill, Jack and Michael Finnegan.
FERRETS
We currently have 3 ferrets: Joker, Cersi, Bella, and Harley. Ferrets are used in agricultural settings for pest control, but our ferrets spend their time being walked and handled by students as well as playing in their exciting enclosure, complete with slides and tunnels.
SNAKES
We house 4 snakes of 3 different species, originating from 3 different continents. The collection currently includes 2 Royal Pythons, 1 Corn snake, and 1 King snake. The snakes are members of our reptile and exotics room, all are very popular with guests.
LIZARDS
We have two species of gecko in our retile and exotics room. Pictured here is Hera the Crested gecko who lives with her partner, Zeus. They are a successful breeding pair. We also have a leopard gecko named Cali. Our other lizard is Odin, the Halmahera Blue Tongue Skink.
TORTOISE
This is Hermes the Hermann's tortoise, a member of out reptile and exotics collection. Hermann's tortoises are found in southern Europe, and should live for 80+ years in captivity.
INVERTS
Madagascan hissing cockroaches (pictured), Giant African lands snails, and a Giant African millipede make up the invertebrates in our reptile and exotic room. Although small, they are hugely interesting and a surprise hit with visitors to our farm.
DOGS
Although we have no resident dogs living on site, the staff run a day kennels for school staff and bring their own dogs in to allow for educational opportunities. Students are able to engage with a variety of breeds to work with and learn about.
Keep up to date with our animals, news and events by following us on social media!
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