Each week, we ask you to share your questions about farming, food or Sacrewell with us on Facebook. The person who writes the best question wins a free tractor ride for a child and accompanying adult, as well as having their question answered on our website. This week, they’ve won a family day pass and the question came from Susan Wallwork’s eight year old daughter Abigail.
There are lots of different mouths to feed on the farm, and every one has their own special diet. Most of our animals stay outdoors and will graze the grass, legumes and other pasture plants found in their paddocks.
Each animal also has their own specific dry food, which for the larger animals is usually a grain mixture consisting of corn, oats, barley as well as added minerals and vitamins. We call this the hard feed order (including the pet yard animals) and it’s about £150 / week.
When you walk down the path, you will probably see the metal baskets filled with hay (or more likely, an empty basket with hay all over the floor after the goats and sheep have eaten their breakfast). We buy the hay (for feed) and straw (for bedding) together and this is around £200 / week.
In addition to this are any special dietary needs: –
Donkeys have Farrier Formula for hoof growth at £37 per 5kg and anti-bacterial hoof treatment
Calves are still on powdered formula milk at nearly £40 per 20kg bag and calf creep pellets.
They also get treats like fresh fruit and veg (watch our donkeys get some turnip treats is this farm camp video from 13:50) from time to time.
This means our monthly food bill alone is around £1200, and on top of this the animals all require regular vaccinations, wormers and sometimes antibiotics plus fly treatments (mainly for sheep and horses) and anything we can’t diagnose or treat on site will require a vet visit.
Sacrewell is run as a charity by the William Scott Abbott Trust with the aim of providing an agricultural education for everyone, from school children to heritage enthusiasts. As a charity, we are always happy to receive support and donations are welcome. You can help us to educate and delight future generations by becoming a member or volunteering on the farm.