our friendly farm animals

At Alstede Farms we have a very diverse variety of livestock in our animal pastures located throughout the farm, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, donkeys, ponies and mini horses, waterfowl, bunnies, and poultry. Having a wide range of animals helps us to provide a more educational farm experience for all of our guests, and definitely adds a level of enjoyment to both the guest experience as well as the enjoyment of our staff. We love seeing what our friendly, cute, and sometimes very silly animals are up to throughout the day.

The proper care of our animals is a top priority for us! We have several staff members with extensive livestock and animal care training. We also have a veterinarian that is on call for us 24/7.  Each of our pastures have protected turn in areas where our livestock can enter and leave at will without restriction and without any limitation on how long they wish to be inside. These are bedded and cleaned on a regular basis. Each pasture also has heated water troughs that prevent their water from freezing even on the coldest of nights. Our animals are fed twice per day, morning and late afternoon and feed are provided to them both inside and outside based upon the type of weather we are having.

Some of our animals receive additional housing attention, as you may have noticed if you have visited our farm:
At our farm store, we have built a goat walk for our goats, to allow them to climb high above our heads and enjoy the view, as well as treats from our guests. Goats are known for their enjoyment of climbing on anything and everything, and they loved the goat walk as soon as it was built! They are very smart, and have learned to wait patiently, and sometimes quite eagerly, at the top of the goat feeders, while our customers and guests fill the small feeding cups and send them to the top of the goat walk! If you drive by our farm store or stop in any day of the week, you will see them enjoying themselves! (sometimes they can even be seen lounging at the top, enjoying a nap in the evening.)

Our ducks and geese that are kept by our farm store enjoy splashing in a pool of fresh water all day, and we have many free-range ducks and geese located in the back of the farm, near the Alstede home, that enjoying living by the two large ponds we have located there as well.

Little Miracles

Each season we rear an average of about 8 or 10 new babies of various types, usually during the cold weather of winter, with perfect vitality…which is a real compliment to the attentiveness of our staff and our animal care policies and procedures. We have had some of our animals on the farm for over a decade, and we have raised many healthy new generations of livestock each season. Occasionally, with new moms especially, our staff will even go as far as bottle feeding the newest little ones through the first nights, to help get them started on the right foot. (or hoof!) Our staff, including the Alstede children, is very dedicated to their welfare and well-being.

We certainly welcome any questions that you and your family may have regarding our livestock care standards. Please feel free to contact us at any time, we are always happy to share stories of our livestock experience!