Frying Pan Park field trip

we drove out to Frying Pan Farm Park yesterday to have a little field trip. It is a working replica of the "old way" of farming. In other words, a complete misrepresentation of modern factory farming methods....but don't let me get started on that. Let's just say that I'm glad the animals that live on this farm live on this farm and not on a feedlot. 

I've already told Clover before that cows eat grass, and cows that get to live outside and eat it are "happy cows". So when we showed up here and she saw the cows munching out on the pasture she said "those cows are happy!". 

 

we arrived later than I wanted because of traffic (unfortunately you have to drive on busy commuting roads in order to get there), but we beat the big groups that showed up as we were leaving. less people to have my kids embarrass me in front of. Mine were the only ones trying to fidget every lock and latch open, jump in with the animals, run away, and reach in the chicken coop. The farm has cows, chickens, sheep, at least one goat, pigs, tractors, turkeys, and peacocks. I think they might actually house some pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys there. 

The animals all had their adorable little spring babies. We watched the lambs and piglets nurse. The workers there do cow milking for you to watch, but not until the afternoon. I could definitely relate to the mother pig who was laying down napping while two of her tiny little piglets rooted around on her and comforted themselves. Lol.

 

Violet had a bonding experience with the adorable little lambs. They ran up to check her out and started begging to have their heads rubbed. She was stoked. Not long after that she tried throwing herself through the fence

 

I love this shot of her hand under the sheep's mouth. 

 

As I tried taking a picture of Clover, Violet was charging the cows. Most of the time I was chasing Violet and Clover was escaping or not following me when I called her, and then getting left behind. At least three times I lost track of her and had to search. 

 

Violet had no fear of anything at the farm and was trying desperately to get in to play with the cows. 

 

Time to go rescue the girl. One of the fences had a big gap under the bottom rail, and Violet managed to start sliding halfway under it and into the pasture before I  could stop her. Can you imagine me jumping the fence and running after my crazy, fluffy headed child as she exploded towards the cows on all cylinders? Lol. 

 

Trying to take off the padlock

 

Trying to bust the chicken coop open. 

 

Reaching into the coop. I didn't realize what she was doing until I had started taking the picture. One of the moms got freaked out. Lol. My kids freaked a lot of parents out with their antics, actually.