Our livestock

At Vermont Farm we have a diverse range of livestock.

Pigs

We currently have five pure bred Saddleback sows for breeding stock and one Saddleback boar. They are continually housed outside in grassy green fields all year round and have custom made pig arks built on the farm for them to sleep and shelter in. They have straw in the arks at winter to keep the warm from the chilling winds and to all protect the piglets when they are born. The pigs are fed on a mixture of organic bagged feed, organic wheat and pea mix for the vital proteins and minerals needed for their diet and surplus vegetables and fruit from the farm shop.

Lambs

We currently have three flocks of sheep. All three include nine pedigree Shropshire ewes. We have three pure bred pedigree Shropshire rams called Fox, Hector and Columbus. Twenty four Shropshire yews and two rams where brought from the mainland in 2006. There are outside all year round with a pig ark for shelter during the winter months. They mainly eat grass and bagged nuts.

Beef

We have a 9 strong herd of Jersey Cows, 5 of which will be sold in the shop as non organic but will still be fed organic nuts and pasture the same as the organic animals. However, the offspring of the remaining four will be Aberdeen Angus-Jersey cross and will be our first organic beef animals. They are expected to be in the farm shop in 2011. All animals are kept outside all year round on well pastured grass.

Chickens

We currently have two types of chickens on the farm; the laying birds and the meat birds. We have 200 laying chickens and 250 meat birds. Both arrive as day old chicks from the UK and kept under heat lamps for 4-5 weeks before being allowed to range free in the field. The layers will start producing tasty eggs at 21 weeks. The meat birds are raised in the field for 12 weeks before they are large enough to sell in the shop. Both are feed on pasture and bagged nuts.

Turkeys

This year we have raised 65 organic Traditional Norfolk Bronze Turkeys. They are brought in as day old chicks form the UK and kept under lamps to keep them warm for the first month. They are now ready to be released into the field as free range. They are housed outside and have a diet consisting of grass and bagged nuts.

Geese

Just for the Christmas season we have 12 free range geese. As with the turkeys and chickens they are brought over from the UK as day old chicks and raised under lights until they are big enough to be let out onto grass. They are fed a wheat/pea supplement for proteins and minerals to insure a delicious Christmas dinner.