Hay Making at Odds Farm
Hay Making at Odds Farm
With the warmer days now here, Odds Farm Park have just undertaken their Hay Harvest, used to feed all the Furry Friends at this childrens farm during winter. Hay is basically long grass that has been cut and dried so it can be stored and then fed to the farm animals in winter when it is too wet and cold for them to be outside.
This year, due to perfect weather conditions, with hot sun and a firm breeze, it took just 3 days to cut the grass in the three Odds Farm Park fields, dry out the leaves and stalks, bale the hay up and cart it into the barns. Considering it usually takes 6 days, this was an excellent result for all at Odds Farm Park! If it rains during the harvest we can risk losing the whole crop, so the quicker the harvest is completed the better.
Modern farming methods also speed up the harvest as the bales used today are much larger, enabling them to be collected and stacked in the barn faster. One big bale equals 12-15 traditional small bales and, due to their weight, they have to be moved by a tractor. For the childrens farm in winter, one or two bales are used each day to feed all the farm animals.
On a family day out at Odds Farm Park, visitors will meet horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs. In addition to many baby animals to see, there is also a daily programme of hands-on children’s activities, enabling visitors to get really close.
Odds Farm Park is an award winning childrens farm near Beaconsfield and is a member of the National Farm Attraction Network. Just minutes away from Junction 2 of the M40, the farm is easily reached from Berkshire, West London, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
