Sarah’s Story
A day in the life of an animal husbandry volunteer at Standalone Farm
Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am a volunteer at Standalone Farm. I’m very proud to be able to say that.
On my first volunteering shift I met my fellow volunteer, Jemima. We went through the mandatory teachings of health and safety, first aiders, who to contact and when, and met Mark the Farmer and lots of his colleagues who work on the animal side of the farm. Everyone was very welcoming; thank you Clare, Max, Jamie, Martin and Trevor.
On the first day we went to feed the sheep – all 200 of them and it was so much fun to see them running down the hill and I nearly got bowled over by them all pushing their way to the feeders. It was great! I get an immense amount of peace, balance and grounding out of being surrounded by animals and if I can interact with them, then that’s even better.
We met the alpacas, pigs, goats, horses, cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys and rabbits. I had met lots of animals before I started this role, but never had I met a turkey. And I fell in love with them. They are so cute, make lots of warbling sounds and they do like a cuddle. The farmer said that Jemima and I could name them, so we opted for Sarah and Jemima! Which are apt names for them in relation to our and their personalities.
On a normal day, we clean out the small animal houses, so Gus, Snowy, Jumpy, Cricket and Hiccup – the rabbits – get the pleasure of having their rooms cleaned out, fresh water provided as well as some breakfast and clean hay for the day. Sometimes, they’ll come over to us to see what we are doing and what we’ve got for them. They are all very cute.
After the rabbits, it’s the chicken houses, turkey house and duck house. These all need sweeping out, water feeders cleaned and replenished with fresh water, extra bedding if required, and of course, serving breakfast! The chickens love breakfast time and run over to us when we go in their house. They have a dust bath which they just plonk themselves in. Mark the Farmer is all up for adding enrichment to all of the animals on the farm, so we are involved in coming up with ideas of what we think each would like … I love this, even whilst I’m at my day job I am still thinking about what the animals would like!
After these are all clean, fed and watered we have our lunch break and then after lunch, we’re off to the other side of the farm to assist with the horses, donkeys and goats. We get to groom the ponies, assist with moving the cows, muck out the donkeys, and so much more. We’ve helped with building a lunging pen for the horses and an outdoor shelter for the pigs. We are made to feel part of the team and I love spending a day of my week here.
We’ve got so many more ideas that we want to bring to the table, and we know that we are valued and respected for the work that we put in. Plus, I do like sweeping, so that’s got me brownie points too!
Thank you to Standalone and the Heritage Foundation for this absolutely wonderful opportunity and may I stay as a volunteer forever!
To find out more information about volunteering with the Heritage Foundation, visit the Volunteering page on our website.