Animals

PIGS

The Farm has had many different breeds of pig over the years. Currently, we keep three crossbred Pietrain sows that breed every year. We usually have 2–3 litters per year. Litters are born between March to October when it’s not too cold.

Please visit our Instagram for regular updates.

DONKEY

We welcomed Willow the donkey in 2022 along with her fluffy 4-month-old foal named ‘Bear’. Willow is 7 years old and was born in Ireland. Willow gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Ash, in February 2023. Ash will be at Hackney City Farm for a year so please come and say hello!

Please visit our Instagram for regular updates on Willow and all our other animals.

GOATS

We have a small herd of pedigree Anglo-Nubians that we breed from and milk every year. Nubians have large roman noses and big floppy ears. They love to be groomed and petted by visitors. Our first goat kids arrived in early 2017. Goats are very prolific breeders; they usually have twins or triplets. Our Nanny’s become pregnant in late November and give birth at the end of April.

Sheep

We have a small flock of pedigree Kerry Hill sheep. Our first lambs were born in 2019. Kerry Hill sheep have a distinctive and unique coloration, with a white face bearing black markings around the mouth, ears, and eyes.

Kerry hills are very good mothers but notoriously aloof when it comes to their human keepers. They would much rather graze in the fields than be petted! Ewes become pregnant at the end of October each year and give birth in March as spring approaches.

DUCKS

The Farm keeps a large flock of Ducks. There are 30 ducks of various breeds. Depending on the breed some Ducks lay Seasonally and some lay all year round. We keep Indian Runners, Aylesbury’s, Cayuga’s, Silver Appleyard’s and Mallards. Duck eggs are large and have a waxy shell. They come in many colours such as Black, Blue, Spotted and white depending on the breed. Depending on how the ducks are feeling, these are also sometimes for sale in the farm shop.

GEESE

The Farm keeps a small gaggle of purebred West of England Geese. We have three females and one male. West of England are a British rare breed that originates from the county of Devon. They are an auto-sexing breed, which means the colour of their feathers determines their gender. Females have a large grey saddle and grey feathering on their neck and head. Males are primarily white with the odd grey feather. Females lay between 20-30 eggs per year between February to June.

CHICKENS

The Farm keeps a large flock of chickens. There is a variety of small to large breeds. We keep a flock of 40 laying hens that produce eggs each day which you can buy in the farm shop. Prolific laying breeds include; Light Sussex, Speckledy, Rhode Island Reds, Blackrocks, Bluebells, Leghorns, Marans and Commercial Hybrids. We also keep many examples of rare breeds and show birds, including: Buff/black Orpington’s, Brahma’s, Silkie’s, Cream Legbar’s, Ancona’s and Wellsummer’s.

Animals for sale

We have some animals for sale as pets not for slaughter. Please contact cj@hackneycityfarm.co.uk

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