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Meet Our Animals
We are so fortunate to have a wide variety of species at the ASU that enables us to provide the broadest and most varied education opportunities for our students, and interactions for our guests.
Click on each picture to learn a little about our incredible animals!
PIGS
Our breeding stock pigs are a rare breed called Oxford Sandy & Blacks. They are known for their excellent mothering skills as well as their stunning appearance.
On the farm, we have the sows Pickle, Apple and Chilli, as well as Branston the boar.
On the farm, we have the sows Pickle, Apple and Chilli, as well as Branston the boar.
GOATS
Having hosted a number of goats over the years, we have turned to rearing rare-breed Golden Guernseys. They are a native dairy breed, originally imported from the Channel Islands. Ours are called Fizz, Cola and Ginger.
SHEEP
White-faced Woodland Sheep are a native,hill breed and classed as rare-breeds due to their small nationwide numbers.
We have Daisy, Diana, Hetty, Harriett and Henrietta at the ASU.
We have Daisy, Diana, Hetty, Harriett and Henrietta at the ASU.
TURKEYS
After the success of last year's seasonal turkey rearing, the ASU have a new flock being lovingly reared for the holiday period.
Whilst Bronze turkeys are the most commonly eaten in this region, they are still classed as a rare-breed.
Whilst Bronze turkeys are the most commonly eaten in this region, they are still classed as a rare-breed.
CHICKENS
We house a variety of chickens and enjoy homing rare breeds including 'Speckled Sussex' and 'Buff Orpington'. Both are types of duel-purpose breeds, meaning they can be used as laying hens and meat birds.
RABBITS
Unlike rodents, rabbits have no pads on their feet, only fur, and they have 4 front incisors on their upper jaw. Similarly to rodents, their teeth never stop growing. Our rabbit breeds include 'mini rex', 'mini lop' and some crossbreeds as well.
CAVIES
Cavies are commonly known as 'guinea pigs' and are a popular companion. They are small, south American rodents that make a unique 'wheeking' sound. We have a number of breeds of cavy, including 'Lunkarya', 'Abyssinian', 'Californian', and 'Teddy'.
DEGU
'Wotsit' is a degu, a small, south-American rodent that was rescued from a neglectful home in the South of England. Wotsit has become a friendly and interesting member of the unit and currently enjoys eating at her tiny café and dining alfresco on her mini picnic table.
CHINCHILLAS
Native to the South American Andes, Chinchillas have a luxuriously thick coat, the densest of all land mammals, which had them almost hunted to extinction in the 1800s. Our chinchillas are Jill, Jack and Michael Finnegan.
FERRETS
We have 4 ferrets, Ronnie, Cersi, Bellatrix and Harley. Ferrets are used in agricultural settings for pest control, but our ones spend their time being walked and handled by students as well as playing in their exciting enclosure, complete with slides and tunnels.
SNAKES
Pictured here is our resident male Royal Python, Loki. We also house Pandora, the female Royal python, and Athena the corn snake. The snakes are members of our reptile and exotics room, all are very popular with guests.
LIZARDS
We have two species of gecko in our retile and exotics room. Pictured here is Hera the Crested gecko who lives with her partner, Zeus. They are a successful breeding pair. We also have a leopard gecko and mourning geckos. Our other lizard is Odin, the blue Tongue skink.
TORTOISE
This is Hermes the Hermann's tortoise, a member of out reptile and exotics collection. Hermann's tortoises are found in southern Europe, and jeuveniles like Hermes have lovely black and yellow carapaces which will fade as he ages.
FROGS
In our reptile and exotics room, we have our only amphibians, the poison dart frogs. This specific species is from Costa Rica in Central America. Captive dart frogs are not poisonous.
INVERTS
Madagascan hissing cockroaches (pictured), Giant African lands snails, and a Giant African millipede make up the invertebrates in our reptile and exotic room. Although small, they are hugely interesting and a surprise hit with visitors to our farm.
DOGS
Although we have no resident dogs living on site, the staff run a day kennels for school staff and bring their own dogs in to allow for educational opportunities. Students are able to engage with a variety of breeds to work with and learn about.
Keep up to date with our animals, news and events by following us on social media!
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