Background Information for Interactive Exhibits Hobby Farm What is a hobby farm? A hobby farm is a farm that is operated not as the sole income for the operator/owner. In Michigan, many farms are hobby farms. In fact, over half of the farms in MI operate at a loss, rather than a profit. Most hobby farms are family farms, 85% of farms in MI are operated by a family or an individual. Many hobby farms have come about because they have been passed down from one generation to the next. Many smaller hobby farms have also come about because when a larger farm company comes in and buys up what used to be a large farm, they do not want the farmhouse and the barns. They often just want the fields for crops and grazing. In these cases, they sell the structures enough acres to make a small farm. In MI, just about half of all farms are 5-50 acres. What kinds of animals are found on hobby farms? Hobby farms include many different types of animals. You name the livestock or the small animal breeds and they can often be found on a hobby farm – goats, sheep, cows, alpacas, cattle, equine, pigs, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, buffalo, rabbits, donkeys, mules. Hobby farms often specialize in smaller animals and rare breeds. These farms are where you can find the less common breeds of livestock, this can include bee farms. Why do people have a hobby farm? Hobby farmers have their farms for many reasons and income is usually not the primary one. Hobby farmers love being closer to nature, they like the hard work, they like seeing the product of their hard work and they love their animals. They sometimes just have the animals for companionship and the fact that they enjoy raising them. Raising animals on a farm bring us closer to the food we eat as well. When you raise an animal, you understand everything that goes into that process. The meat or plants you eat are not just found at the grocery store. They started with the birth of an animal or with the planting of a seed in the ground. Getting them from that point to your plate takes a lot of hard work and hobby farmers understand this. Many hobby farmers get food from the animals they raise on their hobby farm. Goats and cows provide milk, chickens provide eggs, etc. As the name suggests, hobby farms can also be used as a hobby, for instance bee keepers making honey to sell, or sales of alpaca fur for knitting.
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Background Information for Interactive Exhibits · 2017-03-24 · Background Information for Interactive Exhibits Hobby Farm What is a hobby farm? A hobby farm is a farm that is operated
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Background Information for Interactive Exhibits
Hobby Farm
What is a hobby farm?
A hobby farm is a farm that is operated not as the sole income for the operator/owner. In Michigan, many farms
are hobby farms. In fact, over half of the farms in MI operate at a loss, rather than a profit. Most hobby farms
are family farms, 85% of farms in MI are operated by a family or an individual. Many hobby farms have come
about because they have been passed down from one generation to the next. Many smaller hobby farms have
also come about because when a larger farm company comes in and buys up what used to be a large farm, they
do not want the farmhouse and the barns. They often just want the fields for crops and grazing. In these cases,
they sell the structures enough acres to make a small farm. In MI, just about half of all farms are 5-50 acres.
What kinds of animals are found on hobby farms?
Hobby farms include many different types of animals. You name the livestock or the small animal breeds and
they can often be found on a hobby farm – goats, sheep, cows, alpacas, cattle, equine, pigs, turkeys, chickens,
ducks, geese, buffalo, rabbits, donkeys, mules. Hobby farms often specialize in smaller animals and rare breeds.
These farms are where you can find the less common breeds of livestock, this can include bee farms.
Why do people have a hobby farm?
Hobby farmers have their farms for many reasons and income is usually not the primary one. Hobby farmers
love being closer to nature, they like the hard work, they like seeing the product of their hard work and they
love their animals. They sometimes just have the animals for companionship and the fact that they enjoy raising
them. Raising animals on a farm bring us closer to the food we eat as well. When you raise an animal, you
understand everything that goes into that process. The meat or plants you eat are not just found at the grocery
store. They started with the birth of an animal or with the planting of a seed in the ground. Getting them from
that point to your plate takes a lot of hard work and hobby farmers understand this. Many hobby farmers get
food from the animals they raise on their hobby farm. Goats and cows provide milk, chickens provide eggs, etc.
As the name suggests, hobby farms can also be used as a hobby, for instance bee keepers making honey to sell,
or sales of alpaca fur for knitting.
Exhibit Animal Information: Picture Guide to the animals of the Farm (as of February, 2017)
(Note: Both male and female hoofed animals can have horns)
Nubian Goat: Spot, Black with white spots
Nubian Goat: Dobie, Black and tan
Nubian Goat: No name, Blackish stripe down back
Nubian Goat: Snap (sister to snip) 1 horned
surgically removed other is also snapped
Nubian Goat: Snip (sister to snap) 1 horn is
snipped at end
Pygmy Goats: Born - 19 Apr 2007
Goat: Johnny, White w/ long fur
Melvin, dark brown
Simon, white
Theodore, light brown
Anthony, black and white
Dwarf Pygmy Goats
Sugar (white), Saffron (reddish brown), Cagney &
Lacy
Katahdin Sheep: Born - 22 Mar 2003, Bob
Polypay Sheep: Brownie (brown), Benny (white
with black freckles), May 2012
Fainting Goat: Ringo, 2011
Chickens
Chickens vary year to year and throughout the
season.
Turkin (NOT a mix between a turkey & chicken,
but rather a breed of chicken with a long “naked”
neck.)
Buff Orpington
Silkie Chickens
Exhibit Animal Information:
Katahdin sheep are a breed of hair sheep developed in the United States. The breed is ideal for pasture lambing
and grass/forage based management systems. They have demonstrated wide adaptability. They were derived
from breeds that originated in the Caribbean and British Islands and the state of Maine was their original
home. Katahdins are docile so are easily handled. Weight of a mature ewe ranges from 120 to 160 pounds; a
mature ram will weigh 180 to 250 pounds. Mature ewes usually have twins, occasionally producing triplets or
quadruplets. The hair coat of the Katahdin varies in length and texture among individuals and can be any color
or color combination. It generally consists of coarse outer hair fibers and an undercoat of fine wooly fibers that
becomes very thick and longer if cold weather sets in and day length decreases. This undercoat and some hair
naturally shed as temperature and day length increase seasonally, leaving a shorter, smooth summer coat.
The Nubian goat is a goat breed, which is actually native to Middle East and North Africa.
The Nubian breed is highly resilient, withstanding very hot climates and also temperatures down to -15 degree
Celsius. The coat is short, fine and glossy, which gives a sleek look to the body. The coat can be of any color,
spotted or parti-colored. They are much larger than the common dairy goats, and can be raised for both meat
and milk. They are often considered as one the best goats for milking purposes. Nubian goats have many
distinctive characteristics, which help them to get easily recognized. Some distinguishing characteristics include
large floppy ears and a “Roman nose” for the prominent and slightly curved bridge. The male Nubian goats are
pretty large and can weigh up to about 175 lbs, while the females usually weigh around 135 lbs. The female
Nubian goat or 'does' usually attains a height of 30 inches, while the male or the 'buck' can grow up to a height
of almost 35 inches. Apart from meat and milk, Nubian goats can also be raised as pets. In fact, they can be
considered as excellent pets, due to their good temperament. These goats are sociable, intelligent and won't
bother you much, unless they need something. They can eat grains, grasses, alfalfa and clover hay along with
lots of water, about 3 to 5 gallons of water daily.
The Pygmy Goat is hardy, alert and animated, good-natured and gregarious; a docile, responsive pet, a
cooperative provider of milk, and an ecologically effective browser. The Pygmy goat is an asset in a wide
variety of settings, and can adapt to virtually all climates. Pygmy goats are precocious breeders, bearing one to
four young every nine to twelve months after a five month gestation period. They are very sociable and are
happier in a herd atmosphere or with another goat as a friend. A pygmy goat is a small breed of domestic goat.
Although they produce a very large amount of milk for their size, and can be eaten, pygmy goats are not
typically used for milk or meat, unlike larger dairy and meat goat breeds. The pygmy goat is quite hardy, an
asset in a wide variety of settings, and can adapt to virtually all climates.
A myotonic goat, otherwise known as the fainting goat, is a domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly
10 seconds when the goat feels panic. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its
side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled,
younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when
startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle. Slightly smaller than standard
breeds of the goat, fainting goats can weigh anywhere from 60 to 170 lb. Males, or bucks, as they are often
referred to can be as heavy as 200 pounds. They have large, prominent eyes in high sockets. The eyes protrude
from the eye sockets, as opposed to recessed eyes seen in other breeds. Their hair can be short or long, with
certain individuals producing a great deal of cashmere during colder months. There appears to be
no angora strain of the fainting goat. Common coat colors are black and white; however, most possible coat