Animal fun at Kington Small Breeds Farm

Animal fun at Kington Small Breeds Farm

I honestly don’t think there is a better day out for a toddler than visiting somewhere with animals. They get to see the real life versions of all the animals from their books, they can stroke them’ hear them and if they are lucky they even get the opportunity to hold and feed them. A day out with animals is a full on sensory experience for your little one. Zoos are great fun but can be a bit pricey and I am not ashamed to say sometimes I class a trip to a garden centre to look at the fish and the rabbits as a fun day out. Leo loves animals and a family trip to a farm always brings a smile to his face. Last weekend my mother in law and I took Leo to Kington Small Breeds Farm and Owl centre , we had such a fabulous day and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Our day at Kington Small Breeds Farm.

small breeds farm

Where is it?

As Leo and I were in Mid Wales for the weekend we only had to travel 30 minutes to get to the farm, Kington is in Herefordshire for those of you who haven’t heard of it. The sat nav took us right to the gates, admittedly we did have to go on a bendy country road for the last bit of the journey but we made it in one piece.

Entry.

I thought the entry to the Small Breeds Farm was really reasonable. Admission fees are £9 for adults and £6 for children. The farm is open every day 10.30 – 5 and 10.30 – 4 in the winter months. We were more than happy to pay £24 for the three of us as there was a lot to see and , for a family day out, I personally felt this was a great price.

small breeds farm

Leo and Nanny off to find some animals.

What animals are there?

There are so many different animals living at the Small Breeds Farm. There are the usually finds of rabbits, guinea pigs and mice but then there are also several different breeds of goat, sheep, cows, horses and pigs – there’s a full list of the animals here. What makes the Small Breeds Farm even more adorable is the fact lots of the animals are miniature! Leo loved this as they were not too intimidating when he was stroking them through the fence and I loved it as, well, they are just looked super cute.

There are also some bigger animals there including some of the goats , the pigs and there are even some beautiful reindeer there too. The deer weren’t that interested in being stroked but they were so beautiful we were all just happy to watch them gracefully wonder around their enclosure. I did find it slightly terrifying when we were wondering around and came across 3 alpacas just having a walk about the farm! They were very good natured though and didn’t try and chase us so that was a relief, I saw one lady sat on the floor next to one that was having a sleep so they must be very comfortable around humans.

small breeds farm

How cute is this guy?

The Small Breeds Farm is also home to one of the finest collections of owls in Europe. There are about 24 different owls living in the Owl Garden and they really are all stunning and kind of mesmerising to look at. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos here as we visited this part of the farm first and Leo was too keen to get to the goats and he zoomed around the garden in record time. It would definitely have been interesting to stop and read about all the different breeds though and also capture some photo’s of these beautiful birds (this is coming from someone who has a bird phobia!). As well as the owls there is also a bird enclosure where you can see lots of different breed of chickens, pheasants, ducks and many more. The ducks weren’t interested in being fed, I guess there had been a lot of visitors over the weekend and they were full!

Small breeds farm

Fluffy Angora goat

What is there to do?

Small breeds farn

Pygmy goat love

small breeds farm

Yes, he is kissing a sleeping sheep!

Small breeds farm

Feeding the Angora goats

Small breeds farm

Leo is a lot braver than me, those goats were trying to jump the fence to get that bucket.

What I loved the most about the Small Breeds Farm is that you were actually allowed to go in to some of the enclosures and get up close and personal with some of the animals. Leo and I had a lot of fun stroking and playing with the lively Pygmy goats and the miniature Angora goats were just so soft and cuddly, I now want one as a pet. Leo was a bit naughty and broke farm rule #1 by going up and kissing the animals. I know I should have stopped him but he was just so in love with them and I didn’t have the heart to, if he had gone near their mouths I definitely would have intervened though. It’s safe to say I gave his face a good scrubbing when we got back around to the sinks. I have never been to a farm where you have been allowed to just go in the pens with the animals and have a good old run around a play with them.  It really was a joy seeing Leo being so gentle and friendly with the animals and telling me they were his ‘best friends’.

small breeds farm

Aww little cuties

As well as being able to go in with the animals, there are also big buckets of feed available for £1 which you can feed to most of the animals on the farm. The greedy goats ate most of our first bucket but we got another one and managed to feed some of the other animals too. I would say it is definitely worth buying a bucket or 2 of food as it really made the walk around the farm really enjoyable and I think being able to feed the animals made the experience much more fun for Leo too.

Is it pram friendly?

Small breeds farm

My little farmer boy

The farm itself isn’t actually too big. There are indoor pens for when the weather is bad and for the animals that don’t live outdoors as well as all the enclosures outside. I saw lots of people easily navigating their pushchairs around inside and on the paths outside too. Some of the farm is obviously on grass but it is very well maintained and you certainly wouldn’t need an off roading pram to be able to push your little one up to the fences to see the animals. As Leo is 3 now we rarely use the buggy on a day out anymore, we just let him run wild around the place and he loved every second.

Can you eat there?

Small breeds farm

The menu from the Tea Room

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of picnic tables at the Small Breeds Farm. You can either eat outside sitting at one of the many picnic benches or there is an indoor picnic barn if you are visiting on a rainy day. We decided to eat in the on site tea room and the food wasn’t bad at all. The menu was made up of usual toasties, soup and jacket potatoes and there were lots of yummy cakes to choose from. They also did a children’s lunchbox deal, 5 items for £4.95, so Leo had a cheese sandwich, drink, crisps, apple and some mini cheddars. Sometimes food can be a bit extortionate when you go to places like this but I definitely didn’t feel like we were breaking the bank – my mother in law and I both had a toasty, 2 coffees each AND cake! The gift shop is in the tea room and is full of adorable owl gifts for grown ups as well as lots of farm related toys and books for the little ones. We bought Leo a little dancing owl toy and I treated myself to an adorable owl mug, it fits about a pints worth of tea in it and I love it.

Is it worth a visit?

Yes! If you are ever in the Mid Wales/Herefordshire area and are looking for something to do with the kids then you really need to visit the Small Breeds Farm in Kington. The animals are so cute, you can really interact with them and your little ones can pretend to be Old Macdonald for the day. We spent just over 3 hours there and we all had a lovely day out full of animal fun.

small breeds farm

Do you like taking your children to farms? Have you visited the Small Breeds Farm in Kington? What did you think? Does anyone else want a pet goat or is it just me? I would love to know what you think 🙂

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10 Comments

  1. Cheryl @ ReimerandRuby
    September 16, 2016 / 8:20 am

    You can’t go wrong with going on a Farm or Zoo on a kids day out, they always turn out fun and pleasurable. Have not been to this Farm, but it’s lovely to see that the animals are very friendly. Your little one is so brave too for feeding the animals, even cuddling and kissing them, he’s so cute. Lovely photos. #PicknMix
    Cheryl @ ReimerandRuby recently posted…Grannie’s Heilan Hame Holiday ParkMy Profile

  2. September 16, 2016 / 4:47 pm

    When I saw your link my first thought was ‘Hey! I know that place! We’ve been there!’ and my second thought was ‘I wonder if it’s Wendy?’ And yup, I was right, haha. We also loved the small breeds farm when we took Gray before Rhyd was born. He was a little nervous of the goats but at the time there were fairly new chics in one of the indoor pens, he couldn’t get enough of them and the lovely staff even let him hold one! xx #picnmix
    Claire recently posted…DIY Budget Birthday Bundle for Little GirlsMy Profile

  3. September 19, 2016 / 6:52 pm

    I love those goats – so cheeky and cute! I remember a goat eating all of my packed lunch on a school trip to a farm once – carrier bag and all! Looks like a great day out. Thanks for sharing on #fortheloveofBLOG x
    A Mum Track Mind recently posted…The Flora Lunchbox Challenge with A Mum Track MindMy Profile

  4. September 20, 2016 / 8:08 am

    Oh my goodness what a brave and cute little fella. Kissing a sleeping sheep, that is just too adorable! Going to the Farm is one of or favourite things to do. It’s so much fun with a toddler. Its really like stepping into a magical world for them #dreamteam

  5. September 21, 2016 / 9:06 am

    This post made me smile so much, not only do we have little boys with the same name, Kington is my home town so I was surprised to see the small breeds on this post. It is very much in the middle of nowhere. I have been going since I was a child and know how hard the owners and staff work and love the animals. My nan lives three doors up the road you could have had a cuppa with her 😉 #dreamteam
    Jade The Parenting Jungle recently posted…Why A 5 Year Old Does Not Listen. Explained By A 5 Year Old… #Kidsreasoning #LittleslogicMy Profile

  6. September 23, 2016 / 11:59 am

    We love farm visits too! The tiddlers all seem to love them, especially all the bits where you can get up close to the furrys. Leo looks like he’s having a smashing time, and I love how all the animals look so well looked after. Beautiful photos. Thank you for linking up to the #DreamTeam x
    Annette, 3 Little Buttons recently posted…#DreamTeam Linky 21My Profile

  7. Janet
    September 25, 2016 / 10:36 am

    Looks like you all had lots of fun here, Wendy! I love your pictures they are so clear and capture some really special moments. It’s great that the food wasn’t priced to highly either as sometimes it works out more expensive than entry. Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes Janet 🙂
    Janet recently posted…Should I worry so much about bullies?My Profile