Animal Tour
Introduction
Take a trip around the farmstead and see the animals that would have been raised in the 1920s.
Explore
Chickens
The Farm has over 65 chickens in about 15 different breeds. Chickens would have been raised on farms in the 1920s for meat and eggs. Here at The Farm, we just use our chickens for eggs. Our chickens lay several colors of eggs including the classic white and brown but also some colors you might not expect. The Ameraucana, which is not a heritage breed, lay eggs of unique colors from olive green to robin’s egg blue.
The Farm assists in conservation efforts by choosing breeds off the Livestock Conservancy List to have on The Farm. This list includes breeds that are critically endangered, threatened, on watch, recovering and a study. For more information about the Livestock Conservancy,
Turkeys
Sheep
Thelma, Louise and Cocoa are our the three sheep we have on The Farm. They are an Oxford and Suffolk cross breed. Sheep could have been used for meat in the 1920s but more importantly, they would have been used for their wool. Farmers would shear the wool and then clean it to spin into yarn. This yarn would be used to make blankets and clothing to be used by the family. Once a year, usually in late April, our sheep get hand sheared. Visitors can watch the shearing process and talk to the visiting spinners about how they turn the wool into yarn and see the final product.
Ducks
Pigs
Cattle
The cattle raised on our farm are Herefords. Herefords are a heritage breeds and have a long history in this area. Herefords have been raised in Tippecanoe County since the 1880s. Shadeland Farms was home to one of the largest Hereford farms in the United States at the time. Today, we get our Herefords from a nationally known Hereford breeder, Ted Hunt of Hunt Bros. Herefords whose farm is located in Battle Ground, Indiana. These cattle are raised for meat on our farm today, as they were raised in the 1920s.
Standardbred Horses
The Farm is home to three Standardbred horses, Bob, Daisy and Landon. Our horses come from various locations and are retired harness racing horses. Horses in the 1920s had several jobs on the farm. At that time, tractors and other farm equipment were available but many farmers still relied on horses to save money that could be spent on other things, such as a new car and traveling. Horses were used in plowing the fields and pulling carts around the farm. Besides helping with farming, horses were still being used in transportation since not everyone had access to a car. Standardbreds were typically used in harness racing which was common in the 1920s. Today, these horses are living their best life on The Farm, not having to do any work.
Miniature Horse
Donkey
JJ came to us from Indiana Horse Rescue and is a favorite here at The Farm! He is a miniature donkey with lots of personality that loves to greet guests. Donkeys are protective animals that help keep predators away. They were historically also used to transport items on their backs and pull small carts.
Farm Cat
There is another animal that is important at keeping the farm mice free. We have a couple resident cats that live on the farm, but one roams freely for pets from visitors and his name is Goldie. Our other cat Shilo is shy and hides from people upstairs with office staff. All of our cats are spayed or neutered.