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The animals
kept on the Farm are heritage breeds and represent animals that
were present in Virginia in the late 18th century. We are helping
to preserve these heritage breeds, as many of them are rare.
It is important to
remember that people were only beginning to breed animals for particular
characteristics by the late 18th century in Virginia. Specific breeds
were usually not identified by name. We now have names for these
breeds, although they are not names that the colonists would have
used.
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American
Milking Devon Cattle
Descended from
the Red Devon cattle native to Devonshire, England, these
cattle were prized in 18th century Virginia for their usefulness
and were considered a "dual-purpose" breed; they were used
for food (milk and meat) and work.
In the 18th
century, Devons produce about one quart of milk per day. Their
milk has a high butterfat content and is excellent for making
butter and cheese. Their meat is also of good quality.
They can be
trained as oxen for pulling a plow or cart but we do not have
fields large enough to justify the time it takes to train
a team of oxen.
The Farm family
keeps cows so they will have milk to make butter and cheese.
More history
of Milking Devon Cattle is available on the website of the
American Milking Devon Cattle Association at www.milkingdevons.org
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Ossabaw
Island Hogs
This breed of
hog comes from Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia where
they have been isolated since the 18th century. They are descended
from Spanish pigs brought to the New World in the 1500s.
Hogs were very
popular in 18th century Virginia because they were a cheap
source of meat. They reproduce rapidly, are easily fattened
and their meat preserves very well.
Traditionally,
hogs would have been left loose in the woods to forage food
for themselves, being penned only to fatten for slaughter.
The meat was then preserved by salting or smoking.
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Bronzeback
and Spanish Black Turkeys
Bronzebacks
are very similar to the Eastern Wild turkeys that can still
be found in Virginia woods. The Spanish Blacks are descended
from wild Mexican turkeys imported to Spain and England in
the 1500s , then brought back to this continent by English
settlers in the 18th century.
Our turkeys
are put to work! In the summer, the children take the turkeys
out into the tobacco fields each day so the turkeys can find
horn worms. Turkeys will eat the worms for food; if they did
not, these worms would eat an entire crop in just a week.
If it were not for turkeys, our farmer could not grow tobacco.
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Chickens:
Dominique, Silver Spangled Hamburg, Silver Gray Dorking and
Red Dorking (Dung Hill fowl)
All of these
chickens are similar to what would have been in Virginia in
the 18th century. Dominiques were developed in New England
and are probably descended from Spanish chickens brought up
from the West Indies with the "triangle trade." Silver Spangled
Hamburgs were brought over from Holland. Dorkings came from
England and have been recorded as early as the time of ancient
Rome. Many of our chickens are, appropriately, mixes of two
or more of these breeds. These Dung Hill fowl are allowed
to roam freely around our farm house and provide the Farm
family with eggs and meat.
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Geese
Our geese are
Tolouse, a breed that comes from France. They are smaller
than the standard white geese in most modern farm yards, and
are closer to what geese were like in 18th century America.
The geese provide the farm family with meat and eggs, and
are very good "watch animals"-- they make a lot
of noise whenever any person or animal comes near!
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Cats
Cats are kept
around the farm house to keep mice and rats away from the
food stored in the house.
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