Member Article

New Arrivals for Mothers Day at Durham Farm

Mother’s Day has an extra special meaning this year at Hall Hill Farm as a newborn calf is reunited with its mother after being found in a ditch shortly after being born.

Many of the most popular animals have recently given birth, including a wallaby, a llama, sheep and guinea pig.

The most recent a highland calf, was discovered in a ditch on Sunday morning. Wet and cold it was taken to the farm office, towel dried and then fed by a tube as the heating was turned up overnight. The calf, now named Rory, recovered well enough to feed from a bottle and was eventually returned to its mother Oona the following day.

“We knew the calf was due but didn’t expect to find it in a ditch, unfortunately up to its neck in water,” said Ann Darlington, tourism manager. “We took care of the calf, but we were worried that it may be rejected by the mother. However the cow was constantly looking for her calf in the ditch while we were feeding it, and I am really pleased to say that she accepted him back immediately and now they are very happy together.”

Posh, the only female wallaby at Hall Hill Farm, near Lanchester, is the proud mother of her newly born little joey. Yet to be named, the bouncing baby wallaby can be seen peeping out of its mother’s pouch where it will remain for a few more months at the Durham farm where it lives with the other antipodean attraction - Beckham, the male wallaby.

Wallabies are herbivores, and although most are small they have been known to grow to 6 ft head to tail.

Lottie, one of the llamas has also just given birth. The cria (the name for a baby llama) is just a week old. Llamas are curious and social animals that choose to live in herds. The camel-like animals from South America can grow to be 6ft tall to the top of the head. This new arrival joins 4 llamas already living happily at Hall Hill Farm.

The farm has also had its first arrival of lambs this year with a handful of Jacob and Southdown lambs arriving at the farm. A guinea pig has also had a litter of five babies.

“Hall Hill Farm is a great day out for the whole family and our animals are one of the key attractions. As well as typical farm animals we also have the more unusual alpaca, llama and wallabies that have become very popular with our visitors,” said Ann Darlington, tourism manager, Hall Hill Farm. “The lambs and guinea pigs are always favourites at the farm, particularly with our younger visitors, and I’m sure all of the newborns this year will be a big hit.”

Mothers visiting Hall Hill Farm with their families on Mothering Sunday (March 18) will also be treated to a free cuppa and cake in the tearooms.

Hall Hill Farm, near Lanchester, first opened as an attraction in 1981 after inviting people to come and see their lambs during the lambing season.

It now employs up to 50 people, welcomes around 60,000 visitors every year attracted by the family fun on offer and the opportunities to see and touch animals at close quarters.

Named as the Visitor Attraction of the Year (small) in the North East Tourism Awards visitors can bottle feed lambs, see fluffy chicks, inquisitive goats, magnificent Highland Cattle and get close to children’s favourites such as guinea pigs and rabbits, as well as enjoy a tractor or donkey ride around the beautiful countryside.

The popular Playbarn also opened last year providing a fun indoor play area for families to enjoy as well as shelter from the rain or find shade from the sun.

The farm is open weekends 10.30am - 5pm until April when it will open daily until the autumn.

You can find Hall Hill Farm on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hall-Hill-Farm/140369639314877?sk=info“ target= “Facebook“) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/#!/HallHillFarm“ target= “Twitter“) and at [www.hallhillfarm.co.uk](http://www.hallhillfarm.co.uk/? target= “www.hallhillfarm.co.uk“)

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Debbie Sharratt .