ANIMAL ADOPTIONS & EXPERIENCES

Kent Life is home to 3 lovely donkeys: Ellie, Dora and George.

Dora, born in 2001, is the eldest of the group. She comes from Romania, where she worked as a donkey before being rescued by the ‘Donkey Sanctuary’. There, she befriended Ellie, our middle-aged donkey born in 2004. Ellie, originally from Blackpool, gave rides to children on the beach. When her owner retired, Ellie and her friends were given to the donkey sanctuary. In 2009, Ellie and her best friend Dora came to live at Kent Life. Lastly, we have George, Dora’s son and the youngest of the bunch. Born at Kent Life on 1st May 2009, he’s a bit of a mummy’s boy and doesn’t like to stray far from Dora. He’s a cheeky lad who tries to be helpful, often holding the lead ropes during walks.

These 3 donkeys are much-loved at Kent Life and are the first animals visitors see when arriving at the farm. They’re also our longest-standing residents, having arrived or been born in 2009. They’ve watched every other animal come to the farm since then.

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Kent Life is home to a small group of Pygmy goats: Ernie, Fleur, Flo, Slim and Shady.

Ernie, the oldest goat in the group and on the farm, was born on 25th March 2004. He joined Kent Life in summer 2018 and loves strolling around the farm, greeting everyone. In summer 2019, the lively pair Fleur and Flo arrived. These inquisitive girls are always keen to know what’s happening, especially if food’s involved! Fleur leads the herd, with Flo as her deputy. In 2024, the energetic Slim and Shady came along. These two girls enjoy exploring the farm, meeting other animals and, true to their goat nature, trying to munch on everything in sight!

Don’t let their small size fool you – this group is bursting with personality and requires just as much care as our larger goats. Like their bigger cousins, they relish tasty treats from the gardeners. Farm visitors often find themselves drawn to this charming bunch.

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Kent Life is home to 3 Lithuanian pigs Aubrey, Angela & Ada.

These lovely ladies arrived at Kent Life in January 2023 from Curly’s Farm. Being pigs, they adore wallowing in mud on warm, sunny days, whilst on cooler days, they snuggle up together in their cosy house. At the farm, we also keep other pig breeds, including native UK rare breeds like Berkshire, Middle White and Oxford Sandy & Black. To keep our pig’s content and healthy, we promote natural behaviours by hiding their food and treats around their enclosures for them to discover.

Each pig living at Kent Life has its own unique personality and are deeply cherished by all.

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Kent Life houses a small group of male Alpacas: Cookie (brown), Wispa (black) and Biscuit (white).

These three lads arrived at Kent Life in 2012, each with their own distinct traits. Cookie is the most outgoing and often the first to investigate new happenings. Wispa, the largest, is quite timid and tends to hang back until he feels safe. Then there’s Biscuit, initially shy but the leader of the pack who soon makes his thoughts known.

This trio loves splashing about in water, even on chilly winter days, or you might spot them rolling in the dust. When the sun’s out, you’ll likely find them sprawled out, soaking up the rays. Alpacas are used to guard sheep from predators, which is why they live with the sheep during lambing season. Biscuit takes this job very seriously (don’t mess with his woolly friends!).

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Our farm is home to a pair of Bronze turkeys.

This rare UK breed boasts stunning iridescent plumage but faces endangerment due to the popularity of faster-growing varieties. Our hen joined Kent Life in 2020, while our male hatched here in 2021. Often unfairly labelled as “ugly,” turkeys are actually brimming with personality and curiosity. Our pair enjoy a peaceful life on the farm, observing their surroundings and indulging in their favourite treat – blueberries!

Despite differences in size and colour among various breeds, domesticated turkeys remain remarkably similar to their wild North American counterparts.

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Kent Life boasts a diverse flock of sheep, comprising both ewes and rams.

Our mixed-breed flock features UK-native sheep, including Herdwick, Suffolk and Greyfaced Dartmoor varieties. This diverse group allows us to showcase some of the 60 native breeds found in Britain. Our woolly friends are always eager to greet farm visitors, especially when there’s a chance of a tasty treat.

Among our most notable flock members is Rachel, our Portland sheep and the only one with horns. Then there’s Kevin, who’s always ready with a friendly ‘hello’ and a sheepish grin. Some of our sheep were born right here at Kent Life, and we’ve had the joy of watching them grow up over the years.

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The Kent Life goat herd comprises 1 male and 11 females.

We keep breeds like Royal Golden Guernsey, Toggenburg and a few crossbreeds. The farm’s goats are mischievous and try to nibble on everything. They love to come over and see what’s happening, and being goats, they’re even happier if food is involved! Like many other goat breeds, they adore climbing. At Kent Life, we build them climbing frames to indulge this behaviour, even using old picnic benches.

All the goats on the farm were either born here, like the beloved Tigger, or arrived as babies and were bottle-fed, like Winnie (most recognisable as she has no horns).

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Hello we are Frankie (light mask) and Freddie (dark mask) the ferrets, we were born in 2018 and came to live at Kent Life in 2021.

We are brother & sister and are the only ferrets that live on the farm. We spend most of the day fast asleep together, but we love coming out to say hello to people who have come to learn about us. Sometimes we go for a walk around the farm that’s if we aren’t naughty as wriggle out our harness.

Did you know that us ferret’s members of a group of animals known as the mustelids, which means we are related to animals such as stoats, Wessels, Otters, Badgers and Wolverines.