Meet the animals
Can you name all the different animals we have here at Newham Grange? Find out more about all our animal friends below.
Which is your favourite animal to see when you visit? Most of our animal families are now available to sponsor, so why not show them some love! Visit our sponsorship page for more information about our sponsorship packages.
Chickens
Chicken facts
- A chicken is a domesticated bird. They are usually kept by humans for their meat and eggs
- There are 24 billion chickens worldwide.
- Most breeds of chickens can fly for short distances and some roost in trees if these are provided.
- A male chicken is called a rooster or cockerel. A female chicken is called a hen. A young chicken is called a chick. Like other female birds, hens lay eggs which can hatch into chicks.
- When raising chickens, a farmer needs to build a chicken coop (like a little house) for the chickens to roost (sleep) in. They also need a run or yard where they can exercise, take dust baths, eat, and drink. The chickens also need to be protected from predators such as foxes, which is often done with fences.
- Chickens can also be farmed intensively. This lets farms make a lot of chicken meat, and eggs, but this is not as good for the chickens
Cows
Cow facts
- Young cows are generally known as calves.
- Adult females are generally called cows.
- Adult males are generally called bulls.
- Cattle means a group of calves, cows and bulls.
- Cattle are herbivores that eat vegetation such as grass.
- Cattle stomachs have four chambers which help break down what they eat
- There are well over 1 billion cows in the world.
- Cows are sacred in India.
- There are an estimated 300 million cows in India.
- Cattle are red/green colour blind.
- In the sometimes controversial sport of bull fighting, bulls are angered by the movement of the cape rather than its red colour.
- Cattle are farmed for a number of agricultural products including meat and dairy products.
- Meat from adult cattle is known as beef.
- Meat from calves is known as veal.
- Cattle trained to be draft animals are known as oxen (ox).
Donkeys
Donkey facts
- Donkeys are the smallest member of the horse family.
- A young donkey is a ‘Foal’.
- A male donkey is known as a ‘Jack’ and a female a ‘Jenny’.
- Donkeys can live up to 35 years! The oldest recorded donkey was 60 years old!
- A donkeys favourite pastime is rolling!
- Donkey are very strong and intelligent.
- Donkeys do not like rain as their coats are not waterproof!
Duck
Duck facts
- A male duck is called a drake and female ducks are called hens. Baby ducks are called ducklings.
- Ducks feet has no nerves or blood vessels, meaning that their feet do not feel the cold! This enables ducks to swim in icy water, and walk in ice and snow.
- There are around 40 breeds of domestic ducks, with the most popular being the White Pekin.
- Ducks normally migrate between 200 and 4,000 feet in the air, but are capable of reaching far greater heights. A jet plane over Nevada once struck a Mallard at an altitude of 21,000 feet! This is currently the highest recorded flight of any duck!
- Depending on the species, a duck can live between 2 and 12 years.
- Ducks have webbed feet, acting like peddles under the water. This is what makes them such good swimmers.
- Ducks have three eyelids!
- The feathers on a ducks back are waterproof.
- Some ducks can fly up to 332 miles in a single day!
Goat
Goat facts
- Goats can vary in size from 35 lbs pygmy goats to 230 lbs.
- Goats’ pupils (like many hooved animals) are rectangular. This gives them vision for 320 to 340 degrees (compared to humans with 160-210) around them without having to move and they are thought to have excellent night vision.
- Goats are known for their willingness to eat almost anything! Behaviourists think goats chew these items to find out more about them and to see if they are edible.
- For centuries, the young of a goat have been called kids. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the word kid was extended to children.
- Pygmy goats are pregnant for between 145 and 153 days.
- Goats give birth to one or two kids; each weighs about two to four pounds at birth, but can stand and nurse within minutes. They can run and jump within four hours of birth.
- Each kid has a unique call, and along with its scent, that is how its mother recognizes it from birth – not by sight.
- Like human kids, goat kids like to snuggle.
- The ‘kid pile’ is a common sight as they curl up with each other for companionship and warmth.
Guinea Pigs
Guinea pig facts
- A young guinea pig can run when it’s only 3 hours old!
- Baby guinea pigs are called ‘Pups’.
- Guinea pigs can live up to 7 years and longer! The worlds oldest recorded guinea pig was 14 years old!
- On average guinea pigs can grow to be 10 inches long and weigh up to 3 pound!
- Guinea pigs can’t sweat!
- Guinea pigs are mammals which belong to the rodent family.
- Guinea pigs have no tails!
- A male guinea pig is a ‘Boar’ and a female is a ‘Sow’.
- Guinea pigs can jump up and down when they are happy!
- Guinea pigs are exceedingly good swimmers!
Horses & Ponies
Pony Facts
- Ponies are small horses.
- Ponies have thicker manes and tails than horses.
- They also have proportionally shorter legs, thicker necks and shorter heads.
- Well trained ponies are good for children while they are learning to ride.
- As well as for riding, ponies are used in driving and working roles.
- Young ponies are called foals.
- Shetland ponies are small but very strong.
- Pound for pound, ponies are stronger than horses.
- Miniature horses are even smaller than ponies.
- Hackney ponies were first bred to pull carriages.
- Ponies are easy to look after, requiring half the food that a horse would if it was the same weight.
Llamas
Llama facts
- Llamas are members of the camel family.
- Llamas can live up to 20 years!
- Llamas are smart and easy to train.
- Llamas communicate with each other by humming.
- Llamas can carry 30% of their body weight for several miles.
- Baby llamas are called ‘Cria’
- Llamas spit when they feel threatened!
- Some llamas do not have eyelashes!
- Llamas have 3 chambers in their stomachs!
Pigs
Pig facts
- Pigs are intelligent animals.
- Like humans, pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and other animals.
- A pig’s snout is an important tool for finding food in the ground and sensing the world around them.
- Pigs have an excellent sense of smell.
- There are around 2 billion pigs in the world.
- Humans farm pigs for meat such as pork, bacon and ham.
- Some people like to keep pigs as pets.
- Wild pigs (boar) are often hunted in the wild.
- In some areas of the world, wild boars are the main source of food for tigers.
- Feral pigs that have been introduced into new areas can be a threat to the local ecosystem.
- Pigs can pass on a variety of diseases to humans.
- Relative to their body size, pigs have small lungs
Rabbits
Rabbit facts
- Baby rabbits are called ‘Kits’.
- A male rabbit is called a ‘Buck’ and a female rabbit is a ‘Doe’.
- Rabbits can’t vomit!
- Rabbits purr like a cat when they are happy!
- Rabbits can live up to 10 years!
- Rabbits have very good memories!
- Rabbits have 28 teeth!
- Rabbits can run up to 35 miles per hour!
- Rabbits can jump over 3 feet high!
- The worlds largest rabbit recorded is 4 feet 3 inches tall!
Sheep
Sheep facts
- There are over 1 billion sheep in the world.
- China has the largest number of sheep in the world.
- Adult female sheep are known as ewes.
- Adult male sheep are known as rams.
- A group of sheep is known as a herd, flock or mob.
- Young sheep are called lambs.
- Sheep have a field of vision of around 300 degrees, allowing them to see behind themselves without having to turn their head.
- Sheep are herbivores that eat vegetation such as grass.
- The digestive system of sheep features four chambers which help break down what they eat.
- Sheep like to stay close to others in a herd which makes them easier to move together to new pastures.
- In 1996, a sheep named Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from a somatic cell.
- Domesticated sheep are raised for a number of agricultural products including fleece and meat
Wallabies
Wallaby facts
- Wallabies are mammals.
- The rock wallaby is a small kangaroo.
- There are 15 species of rock wallaby.
- They live exclusively on rocky terrain and can leap utpo 4 metres (13 feet) but cannot climb trees.
- During hot weather they can spend most of the day in the shade, searching for grass in the early morning and evening.
- On cooler days they spend much of their time eating.
- Wallabies communicate a warning to others by thumping once or twice on the ground with their feet.
- Female wallabies can produce two different kinds of milk at the same time, one for her baby and another, richer blend for her older offspring.
- Wallabies can swim.
- Wallabies are pink and furless at birth.
Newham Grange Farm
Wykeham Way
Middlesbrough
TS8 0TG
Opening times
Monday: 10am to 5.30pm
Tuesday: 10am to 5.30pm
Wednesday: 10am to 5.30pm
Thursday: 10am to 5.30pm
Friday: 10am to 5.30pm
Saturday: 10am to 5.30pm
Sunday: 10am to 5.30pm
Telephone:
01642 515729