We began in 2018 with a small flock of five Exmoor Horn sheep and we’ve enjoyed adding more sheep to our flock over the years. We also have a dog and seven chickens. Not to mention the diverse range of other animals in our small holding including a friendly feral cat, bees, bats, birds, voles, mice, moles, toads, hedgehogs, foxes, rabbits, stoats and deer.
Sheep
Exmoor Horn sheep are a traditional breed ideally suited for life in the south west. Shropshire sheep are a lowland breed which are ideal for use in orchards as they don’t nibble the trees. Our latest additions are Dorset Poll crossed with Suffolk, good sized sheep with good fleeces too. We save some of the wool, so it can be spun or used for felting. We sometimes have a small number of sheepskin rugs available for purchase.
Poppy
Our Springer Spaniel was born in May 2018 and keeps us well exercised, she loves running round the fields and through the woods nearby. She also enjoys walks on the moors and along the beaches of Devon and Cornwall. Poppy is an enthusiastic member of our welcoming team!
Chickens
The chicken run is home to six chickens; we have Welsummer chickens, La Fleche (a rare French breed), Araucana and two hybrids. La Fleche hens lay white eggs and Araucana lay blue eggs. Most of the time they are kept safely in their run, but for a special treat they are allowed to look for slugs in the flower borders!
Wild birds
We have seen an amazing number of birds in our grounds including: blackbird, robin, wren, chaffinch, bullfinch, jackdaw, sparrow, thrush, nuthatch, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, buzzard, starling, dunnock, long tailed tit, goldcrest, crow, rook, greater spotted woodpecker, marsh tit, lapwing, snipe, goldfinch, heron, greenfinch, collared dove, grey partridge, small owl, barn owl, tawny owl, sparrowhawk. The marsh tit (pictured on right) is on the RSPB Red List, indicating that its numbers have declined dramatically in the past forty years. Just one of the species we are supporting as part of our ‘Partners in Action’ work with A Rocha UK (the conservation charity). We saw fieldfare feeding off our fallen apples in the winter of 2022, another bird on the Red List. In November 2023 we were able to join with other ‘Partners in Action’ at the annual retreat at Scargill House in Yorkshire.