“Hey Hey” It’s Time To Make Hay

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.

Little Summer Visitor At Odds Farm Park

Treacle & Cosmo at Odds Farm — Treacle & Cosmo

At Children’s Farm Odds Farm Park, one of our miniature cross Shetland ponies, Treacle, has a new friend called Cosmo visiting for the summer; an adorable cream coloured Shetland Pony. Cosmo was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, but now lives in Surrey and will be visiting Odds Farm Park for the next 4-6 weeks on his summer holidays.

Originating from the Shetland Islands in Scotland, Shetland ponies are one of the smallest breeds of ponies, with a maximum height of 107cm. Treacle is now 7 years old and arrived at the farm in 2002 as a foal with her mother Marmite. Now fully grown, Treacle is only 70 cm high and very cute to watch.

Elsewhere at Odds Farm Park, you’ll find everything you need for a fantastic family day out, with plenty of new babies to see, rabbits to pet, and greedy goats and sheep to hand feed! Plus everyday, you and your family can board the Tractor & Trailer Ride for a fun tour around this childrens farm. And, new for 2009, the Tractor & Trailer Ride includes audio commentary.

Odds Farm Park is a children’s farm, easily reached from Berkshire, West London, North London, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. To plan a family day out, visit the farm parks main website at www.oddsfarm.co.uk

Buzzy News At Odds Farm

This Summer children can learn about bees and watch them up close in the bee hive at childrens farm, Odds Farm Park. After the disastrous year for bees in 2008, bee colonies had decreased critically, with many bee colonies wiped out.

Set up on the perimeter of Odds Farm Park by Bob the Beekeeper (from his apiary in Great Kingshill, High Wycombe) the hive ensures children can see the inner workings through a clear glass panel, whilst allowing bees to enter/exit the hive safely away from the farm.

Although the Odds Farm Park hive is one tenth of a fully working hive, it operates in exactly the same way. Worker bees (infertile females) collect the nectar and pollen, drone bees (males) mate with the Queen, and house-worker bees (infertile females) keep the hive clean and organised, feed the young with pollen and make the honey from the nectar. The Queen bee is much larger than the other bees and her only responsibility is to lay eggs and keep order. In fact children looking very carefully may actually see her moving around her bee hive.

A good quality full size hive can produce about 40-50 lbs of honey in a year – and for honey fans, they can buy Bob’s Pure Buckinghamshire Honey from Odds Farm Park’s Gift Shop. The bee hive viewing window, next to Rabbit World, is a fantastic new addition for children on a day out and expected to be both educational and fun.

Odds Farm Park is a childrens farm located near Beaconsfield, easily reached from Berkshire, West London, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire from Junction 2 of the M40. To plan a family day out, visit the farm parks main website at www.oddsfarm.co.uk

A Belter Of A Surprise For Odds Farm Farmers

On 17 June the farmers arrived early at Children’s Farm, Odds Farm Park, to find their Belted Galloway Cow, Honey, had given birth to her third calf, a beautiful girl named Willow.

Weighing about 30 to 35 kilos, Willow is very cute and currently staying close to mum. She will reach her adult weight of 400 to 450 kilos in about 18 months. Being an excellent and very proud mum, Honey is looking after her new calf very well and both are already out in the fields for children to see on their day out. Willow has also been introduced to her sister Toast, who was Honey’s first calf, born in May 2007. Both Toast and Willow have the same dad who is called Mochrum Kingfisher.

This summer there are still plenty of cute calves due to be born for children to see on a day out. At this Children’s Farm, there’s also a jam-packed programme of Daily Activities, Sheep Racing, Tractor & Trailer Rides and the Adventure Maze. There really is so much to do.

Award winning Odds Farm Park is one of the UK’s leading children farms and is easily reached from North London, West London, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. For more information to plan a day out with the kids, visit www.oddsfarm.co.uk.