Small Breeds Farm Herefordshire
LARGE Animals
OUR Larger ANIMALS
Discover the animals at the Small Breeds Farm Park Set in a glorious rural environment you have a unique opportunity for a close encounter with many rare, miniature and very special friendly animals.
Boer Goat
Capra Aegagrus Hircus
The Boer goat has been selectively bred by humans as a meat animal. Due to careful breeding Boer goats have a high resistance to disease and are well adapted to arid, semi-desert conditions that are common in South Africa.
Jacob Sheep
Ovis Aries
The Jacob sheep is another domestic breed though the origins of which are not known. They are a hardy breed that has had very little human intervention and so retain many of the characteristics of native breeds.
Valais Blacknose Sheep
Ovis Aries
The Valais Blacknose is a domestic breed originating from Valais, Switzerland. They are a large, tough animal with a thick fleece that protects them from the harsh weather and are well-adapted to grazing upon the snowy, stony pastures where they originate from.
Angora Goat
Capra Aegagrus Hircus
The Angora goat is a domestic breed that originates from Asia minor. Its unique hair is called mohair and has been selectively bred by humans to be used in clothing since the fifth century BC.
Alpacas
Vicugna Pacos
The alpaca was domesticated thousands of years ago and is the ancestor of the still wild vicuña. Alpacas are still kept today in large herds that graze the plains at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 metres across the Andes, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile.
Pygmy Goats
Capra Hircus
The Pygmy goat is a very friendly and intelligent animal. They originate from Africa where they are bred as meat goats. You may notice our goats are rather ‘round’ in shape. This is completely normal. Goats are ruminants which means they have a 4 chambered stomach.
Ryeland Sheep
Ovis Aries
Ryeland sheep are one of the oldest English sheep breeds and were first recorded as having been bred by monks in Leominster, Herefordshire seven hundred years ago. They are naturally hornless, or ‘polled’ and neither males nor females will develop horns.
Miniature Mediterranean Donkey
Equus Asinus Asinus
The miniature Mediterranean donkey is a breed that originated from the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia. They are tough and hardy with strong hooves that can cope with the rocky and sandy terrain of the islands from where they originate.
Ouessant sheep
Ovis Aries
The Ouessant sheep is a domestic breed that originates from the Ile d’Ouessant, a small island off the coast of Brittany. The Ouessant boasts a very thick, protective fleece that protects it from harsh weather. Its small stature means it requires less vegetation to sustain it and so can comfortably thrive on a small island.
Micro Pigs
Sus Scrofa Domesticus
The micro pig is a label given to a number of small domestic pig breeds. They can weigh anything from 32kg to 140kg. Like all pigs they possess a very strong snout which they use to dig into the ground in the search of food.
Miniature Horses
Equus Ferus Caballus
The miniature horse is a domestic breed that has been selectively bred over successive generations to produce an animal that usually stands no higher than 34–38 inches at the withers (shoulder). Despite their small stature, miniature horses are incredibly strong for their size.
Hebridean sheep
Ovis Aries
Hebridean sheep are a primitive breed. These sheep are a multi-horned breed. Both ewes and rams may have two, four, or even more horns. Over the centuries, Hebridean ewes have been selected by natural systems for hardiness in all weathers, ease of lambing and good mothering instincts.
Golden Guernsey Goat
Capra Aegagrus Hircus
The Golden Guernsey goat originates from the small island of Guernsey. Many of them were slaughtered during the German occupation of Guernsey in WW2, aside from a small herd which provided the foundation for the breed we see today.