13 people met at the gate into Ambury Park at the end of Kiwi Esplanade, and we walked a short distance
to meet Mother Mallard duck with her 8 ducklings who all hid under a car. From here we observed the Clydesdale
horses.
Moving along and into the farm area we entered the aviary area. Children had fun feeding
wheat and oats to the hens. Opening the nesting area where a hen walked away from her freshly laid egg.
Some of the children were able to feel the warm egg.
Wandering along, we meet the Kunekune pigs
with the short nose. Around the corner we walked into the goat paddock. The fun started. Male and female
goats could smell the oats. We all touch the goats and people started to feed oats out of the palm of
their hands.
Moving away from the goats we stumbled over a hen with her chicks. While the hen
was feeding, I was able to pick up a chick for the team to handle. That was fun. Then came the sow with
her piglets. Mother pig was resting away from her brood, so we noted that her nose is quite different
from the Kunekune pig. The two white rabbits were resting, but soon moved towards us when I showed
children how to put oats through the wires.
It was fascinating in the cowshed. Leaning how to
put cups on the teats to collect the milk. On the board was the names of 4 cows, how much milk each cow
had given, what calf each cow had given birth to, and the calf's name.
After hand washing, we
had a game or two and something to snack on. We walked back to the cars at the gate, where people thanked
Jane and May very much for the interaction with animals and chickens.
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