Newborn lambs bring February Frolics to Willows

One of the most eventful times of the year is set to hit Willows Farm Village with the arrival of hundreds of newborn lambs. Visitors to the tourist attraction, which features a mix of farmyard animals, events, shows and adventure activities, near St. Alban’s in Hertfordshire, will have the opportunity to join in the February Frolics event – seeing newborn lambs, even watching lambs being born, every day from 9th – 17th February.

Andrew Wolfe, the farmer at Willows, says: “Now we are open all year, this is the first time visitors to Willows will get the opportunity to witness this spectacular event, and for many children it will be a completely new experience.”

“Lambing can be hard work – baby lambs can arrive at any time of the night or day so you don’t get much chance to rest! Once the lambs are born there is still plenty of work to be done. We have to make sure the sheep bonds with its baby – while lambs may all look quite similar to us, every mother sheep learns to tell its own lamb by the way it smells.”

“The farmer also needs to check that the lamb is feeding properly. Ewes are very protective of their milk supply and will push away any lambs which aren’t their own to preserve the milk for their baby.”

Farms change every day and each visit to Willows will bring new surprises. Lambs develop quickly and within just a few hours are up and running around.

Andrew adds: “Lambing is a great chance for children to begin learning about animals and life-cycles, as they can watch the lamb develop from birth through to adulthood. We also have other baby animals in our animal nursery throughout the year so there’s always something new to see.”

Willows Farm Village features more than 500 acres of outdoor activities. During February Frolics children can also enjoy a ride on Tristan the Runaway Tractor, Fun Fair rides, adventure play and many other farmyard animals. There is also the newly-opened indoor attraction Woolly Jumpers – featuring active play, ball pools and three exciting slides.

For more information and opening times log on to Willowsfarmvillage.com.