Tag Archives: Middleton Place

Animals

Working for Their Supper

2 Comments

Middleton Place has a flock of sheep that roam the main grounds keeping them manicured. Weighted gates that close automatically behind the tourists allow foot traffic into the central green of the plantation and keep the sheep from escaping.

The sheep are looking scraggly as we head into winter; they will be shorn in the spring after lambs are born.

Grazing Sheep
Grazing Sheep

Belgian Horses are another heritage breed raised at Middleton Place. They provide carriage rides for visitors around the plantation grounds and are ignored by the sheep as they graze.

Grazing Sheep and a Belgian Horse
Grazing Sheep and a Belgian Horse

Middleton Place 
“A National Historic Landmark, home to the oldest landscaped gardens in America and an enduring, vibrant, and essential part of the Charleston and American experience.”

Animals

Cashmere Goat

2 Comments

Cashmere Goats are one of the heritage breeds that Middleton Place houses in its barnyard, devoted to animals that were known to be on the farm at some point during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Cashmere Goat
Cashmere Goat

Over numerous trips here this is the closest I’ve come to an “action” shot of one of the goats.

Cashmere Goat
Cashmere Goat

This is closer to what I usually see:

Cashmere Goat
Cashmere Goat

From the Middleton Place website:

In the 1850s, Williams Middleton imported and raised cashmere goats, sending their treasured hair to France where it was processed into cloth. The goats need minimal shelter due to their dual coats. Each year, starting in March, the goats’ hair can be harvested by combing out their winter coat.

https://www.middletonplace.org/

Animals

Spring is for Lambs

1 Comment

New lambs have arrived at the Middleton Place barnyard. Cute is the only word for them. Ranging from one day to one week old, these lambs were in a pen with their mothers, all trying to figure out how the world works.

Pardon me while I squeeze under you – click photo for larger view

The whole group was in constant motion and regrettably I should have taken these shots at a faster shutter speed.

Lambs at Middleton Place – click photo for larger view

In the photo below the youngest lamb, in the back, is less than 24 hours old. The three in the middle, perhaps triplets,  mostly stuck together and practiced their “bahhing” for awhile.

Lambs
Lambs – click photo for larger view

A pair of farm workers were making some repairs to the pen, probably to prevent escapes under the fence by the new tiny occupants. The little guy below was most interested in what they were up to.

Inquisitive lamb – click photo for larger view

This mother sheep had plenty to say, too.

Bleeting Sheep
Bleeting Sheep – click photo for larger view

The farm’s adult sheep are looking a little bedraggled and will be shorn this weekend.

Middleton Place Barnyard, SC, May 1, 2017.

Animals, Duck

Hey…follow me…

4 Comments

I know the way…

In late afternoon at Middleton Place’s barnyard most of the animals are rounded up and secured for the night. This is for their safety and for some, to keep them from causing mischief. I think this sheep had mischief on his mind as he pointed the way further from his pen.

531a9835

While the sheep and some Guinea Hens were being corralled these Mallards were zooming back and forth through the horse enclosure. They stayed in a straight line, flashing their orange feet and iridescent heads, anxious not to miss any feeding opportunities.

531a9843

Click on photo for larger view.

Middleton Place, Charleston, SC, 2/6/2017