Our Farm Animals
While visiting the farmyard, please treat Harriton’s animals with kindness as you would your own pets. We recommend using hand sanitizer after feeding or petting the animals. A sanitizer station can be found at the barn where it meets the main pasture. If the dispenser is empty, please alert a staff member.
Harriton has been home to livestock from its earliest days. There is no doubt that Thomas Owen, the farmer hired by Rowland Ellis to clear the land in the 1680s, would have used oxen or draft horses to help with the difficult task. Chickens, cows, sheep, pigs, and goats would have been an important source of food and fiber over the 300 years of Harriton’s history. Sheep were a well-documented animal being raised by Charles Thomson during his retirement at Harriton. We currently have Tunis sheep which are a heritage breed descended from a flock given to Charles Thomson by George Washington. Our goats Mow, Casper, Humphrey and Jack and the chickens represent other farm animals that historically lived at Harriton.
Care for the animals is a cooperative effort between the staff and volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with the farm animals, please email volunteering@harritonhouse.org to explore opportunities.
Safe Snacks
Feeding Mow and his friends.
The Harriton Association provides a well-balanced diet for our animals but you are welcome to bring them snacks! If you see a Harriton staff member in the farmyard, ask if we have treats for the animals. The best place to feed the goats is at the gate to the upper pasture under the cherry tree.
Goats & Sheep Snacks:
Greens – romaine lettuce, beet tops, cabbage leaves
Fruits - bananas, grapes, watermelon (including the rinds), and apples
Veggies - string beans, carrots, bell peppers, beets, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash
Chicken Snacks:
Fruits - watermelon (including the rinds) cucumbers, apples (cut in half or pieces)
Vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, pumpkins, squash
SNACKS TO AVOID
No cookies, marshmallows, or candy. No tomatoes for the goats and sheep. No gourds for any of the animals.