Lambing Days in Hampshire at Enjoy Pioneer Farm
Their sweet baby faces are irresistible. Big, blue eyes with long eyelashes. Soft, white curly hair. A cute pink nose. And those big, fuzzy ears. These bundles of joy are newborn Dorset lambs at Enjoy Pioneer Farm in Hampshire, where in the cozy Lambing Barn, visitors can hold them till their heart's content.
Carol and Lane Burnidge with son, Martin, 12, live on the 101/2-acre farmstead where for the second year row, have held Lambing Days. For just $4 admission, visitors can come and cuddle a baby lamb on Fridays and Saturdays in March.
Kids can also see chickens and roosters, hold a newborn chick and if they're lucky, even see one peck out its shell and into the big, wide world. Visitors can also make homemade popcorn from Indian corn grown on the farm. Just pick the kernels off the cob and throw them into the popcorn maker.
At 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Friday and Saturday this month, Lane Burnidge gives a shearing demonstration. Families can pull up a hay bale for a seat and get an up close look at how it's done.
Not that it's easily done! Lane has to wrestle a usually uncooperative mama sheep to get her into a position where he can shear her coat by himself. This starts with sitting her up on her hindquarters, kind of like how a human sits. He then uses an electric shearer, cutting away her dirty and dark brown wool to reveal a bright white and soft undercoat. Kids are welcome to feel the sheared wool to see what it's like. Beware, it can be stinky! Don't worry though, they have a hand washing station.
Currently, there are about 30 to 40 lambs of different ages on the farm as they are born year round. Gestation is 146 days (five months) and right now, there are babies being born every other week. The littlest lamb visitors can hold is about 3 weeks old. It's a handful for kids, with lambs almost as big a some of the toddlers that visit the barn. But it fits perfectly in the lap of a parent.
When Emma Halvorsen, 3, of Lake in the Hills, was asked by her mom, Michelle, if she was ready to go home, Emma's reply was, "I want to stay forever!" Although seeing baby lambs was a big draw, the highlight of the trip to her was, "Seeing the chickens."
Ethan Struck, 3, of Marengo, even got to hold a fresh egg just minutes after it was laid. Ethan and his mom, Megan, were first-time visitors to the farm. Megan says she likes the fact that this is the home of the farmers (Lane and Carol), this is their life and people can come and see the real thing. "You can experience what it's like to live here," she says.
Enjoy Pioneer Farm also grows sweet corn, Indian corn, vegetables, perennials, pumpkins and more, which are for sale at their farm stand from April through December. Handmade Christmas wreaths are available in December.
What: Lambing Days
Where: Enjoy Pioneer Farm, 17N400 Big Timber Road, Hampshire
When: Fridays and Saturdays in March from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $4 admission or $20 maximum for families. School groups are welcome to set up an appointment to visit.
Contact: (847) 683-2863 or www.enjoypioneerfarm.com