Summary
Amanda Dougherty is Port Farms’ Farm Animal and Education Coordinator, so we sat down with her to talk about our animals, what happens behind the scenes, and what guests should know before visiting our furry (and feathered!) friends.
About the Caretaker
Amanda Dougherty is Port Farms’ Farm Animal and Education Coordinator, so we sat down with her to talk about our animals, what happens behind the scenes, and what guests should know before visiting our furry (and feathered!) friends.
Amanda joined Port Farms a few months ago as we began expanding our animal family. She has always had a passion for animals and graduated with a degree in zoology, making this role a perfect fit.
A typical day for Amanda includes caring for the animals’ daily needs, repairing anything in the barn the animals may have damaged, planning and organizing barn and pasture spaces for future projects, and scheduling school tours and group visits.
About the Animals
Currently, we have 41 animals on the farm:
- 23 goats of various breeds
- 15 chickens of various breeds
- 3 ducks
We’re excited to share that even more animals will be joining us later this year!
When asked about her favorite animals, Amanda said she especially loves our Lavender Orpington chickens. Among the goats, her favorites are Fawn, Sol, Cece, and Evelyn. She also shared that Thor has the biggest personality!
Behind the Scenes
Our animal caretakers go above and beyond to ensure every animal receives the best possible care.
Our goats love spending time in the pasture playing with one another, which provides important enrichment. They also enjoy munching on browse—branches, leaves, and shrubs that help mimic their natural diet. Their meals consist primarily of hay, with room for a few favorite treats. Some of their top
picks include animal crackers, honeysuckle, banana peels, and probiotic treats.
Our chickens enjoy a mix of feed and treats, with kitchen scraps and mealworms being among their favorites. Because chickens are highly social animals, simply being together as a flock is one of their best forms of enrichment. They also enjoy sand baths, and we’re currently working on adding a garden space for them to explore.
Our ducks are fed both regular feed and treats like peas. They currently enjoy swimming in their pool while we work on completing their future pond.
Animal care also changes with the seasons. During harsh winters and hot summers, our team adjusts routines to keep everyone safe and comfortable. During festival season, we pay especially close attention to how much the animals are eating, since guests often enjoy feeding them. We carefully monitor feeding to make sure our more outgoing goats don’t overeat while our quieter goats still get enough to eat.
Visiting Our Animals
To wrap up our interview, we asked Amanda what she wishes guests knew before visiting the animals.
She emphasized the importance of feeding animals only with the pre-bagged food sold at our gift shop and concessions. This helps ensure the animals are eating safe, healthy food that won’t upset their stomachs or cause harm.
We also ask guests not to bring dogs near our animal areas. Since many of our animals are prey animals, sudden movements or aggressive behavior from dogs can cause stress and alarm.
Visitors are welcome to feed our animals during special events and throughout festival season. Bags of animal feed are available for purchase at the Harvest Barn Gift Shop, Poverty Knob, and occasionally at other locations such as the Beer Hut.
We hope this gives you a fun glimpse into life behind the barn doors. The next time you visit Port Farms, be sure to stop by and say hello to all our amazing animals!