Ardenwood

All of our farm animals are friendly, so feel free to walk up and meet them! As you explore, please be respectful of our animals and do not chase or harass them. Remember, you are visiting their home. 34600 Ardenwood Blvd. Fremont, CA 94555 510-544-2797 awvisit@ebparks.org Trent Pearce East Bay Trent Pearce Regional Park District We also provide Farmyard school programs throughout the year. To find out more or to schedule a program call us at 510-544-2797 or email awvisit@ebparks.org Trent Pearce Text: Jenna Scimeca Design: Nick Cavagnaro Cover Photos: Trent Pearce & Ira Bletz Nick Cavagnaro This brochure is provided as a public service of the Interpretive and Recreation Services Department of the East Bay Regional Park District. CHLORIN E 10/12 r 100% me su East Bay Regional Park District 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, P.O. Box 5381 Oakland, CA 94605-0381 1-888-EBPARKS www.ebparks.org TDD phone 510-633-0460 n Co ED EE FR © iStockphoto Our farm animals are fed regularly each day. Children and adults can help out in our afternoon feedings, Thursday through Sunday at 3pm. Please do not feed the animals on your own. They have specific diets. Too much or different food can make them sick. Po st Eating mostly alfalfa pellets and fresh vegetables, rabbits are different from our ruminant farm animals. They are hindgut digesters. This means rabbits eat some of their own droppings in order to extract all the nutrition from their food. A rabbit’s digestive system makes up 40% of its entire body. 10 0% For thousands of years, rabbits have been a source of food and clothing. Originally rabbits were hunted in the wild. Later, people realized that farming them would be easier and more productive. Today, rabbits have gone beyond farms and into homes as our pets. PROCES S Rabbits Ardenwood Farm Animals Ardenwood Historic Farm If you would like to participate in farm chores, feedings and other activities, check out our Naturalist programs on our website www.ebparks.org/activities. Ardenwood Farm Animals Pigs Welcome to Ardenwood Historic Farm! We have many animals that we care for and in return, these animals provide food, clothes, and more for us. Let’s go visit our farm animals and learn a little about what makes these animals special. Over the years, pigs have received a bad reputation for being the messiest farm animals. They are actually very organized and clean. Pigs divide their pens into separate living, eating, playing, and bathroom areas. They also like mud, but not just for some messy fun. Mud helps keep pigs sunburn-free and cool on hot days, especially since they can’t sweat. June Hyatt Goats Sheep Trent Pearce Look out for that kid! That’s right—just like young children, young goats are called kids. Goats are very useful farm animals. Like cows, goats are ruminants. They also provide meat, hair, and milk. Many people enjoy knitting with soft angora yarn which is made from goats. © iStockphoto Worldwide, people drink more goats’ milk than milk from cows. John Krzesinski Cows Trent Pearce Think about what you had for breakfast this morning. Did you eat sausage or bacon? This and many other cuts of meat come from pigs. These fine swine provide meat on a farm. So the next time your parents tell you your room looks like a pig pen, thank them, because that’s a compliment! June Hyatt Cows are ruminants, just like our goats and sheep. Ruminant animals chew cud and have four-compartment stomachs. Cud is partially swallowed food that gets regurgitated and chewed again.You can tell an animal is chewing cud when it looks as though it is chomping on bubble gum. Farmers raise cows because they provide many necessary things such as milk, meat, leather hides, and other products. Are you wearing leather shoes? You are wearing cow hide! Do you like cheese and yogurt? Those are often made from cows’ milk. Trent Pearce These are our fleeciest friends. Sheep have been around as livestock for a long time. In fact, sheep were one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans about 11,000 years ago. From sheep we get milk, meat, and more importantly, wool for blankets and clothing. As with other farm animals we also get manure, a very good source of soil enrichment for crops and gardens. Chickens Where are the chickens? These fine feathery fowl can be seen throughout the farmyard.You’ll find them scratching and pecking freely at the ground as they look for seeds and insects to eat. We let the chickens out for daily exercise to keep them healthy. Amongst the chickens we have both hens (adult females) and roosters (adult males). On a farm, chickens are a source of meat, eggs, manure, and feathers. © iStockphoto