Dudley joined us in 2020 as an unwanted sheep from a local petting farm. Dudley was bottle fed as a lamb and is very used to having people around. Sadly when cute lambs grow large with horns and hooves, they are no longer considered suitable for ‘petting’.

We are very happy to have Dudley at our sanctuary. He is extremely friendly, very inquisitive, and likes to keep an eye on everything that’s going on around. He’s very protective of his flock mates, and loves to play chase with the young lambs.

Jenny joined us when her owner sadly passed away. She is a lovely miniature Shetland with a big personality. She adores fuss and human contact, and she one of the sweetest ponies you could ever meet.

Sadly, Jenny suffers from EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome) and Cushings Disease. Since the onset of Cushings she has also become extremely prone to laminitis. Jenny needs a lot of care and daily medication. She lives here at our sanctuary with her friend Hattie.

Zoe was one of seven sheep that were rescued when a local petting farm no longer wanted them. They were off to slaughter, but a local rescue stepped in to save them and we were able to offer them a home at our sanctuary.

In February 2021 Ollie the lamb arrived as a total surprise. Born in -7 degrees on the coldest day in winter, he is turning out to be a cheeky character!

It’s lovely to think Zoe won’t lose her baby this time, and they can live happily together here.

Woody has been a resident for many years, and looks stunning for his age. Sadly, just like old people, horses get old too! He has no front teeth, and he has arthritis in his back and legs.

He requires regular anti inflammatory medication, but other than that, he enjoys living out full time with his lady friend at Maple Farm.

Woody is a gentleman, and very good to handle but he doesn’t like other males around when there are mares in the vicinity!

Spartacus aka Sparky wakes us up at 4am every morning! He’s a fairly young cockerel with a lot to say!

Sparky loves to look after his ladies, and he enjoys showing off his stunning feathers to everyone. Although our sanctuary is primarily for older animals we made an exception for Sparky as it is really hard to rehome cockerels.

Many cockerels are unwanted as they are noisy, don’t produce eggs, and they often fight (once they have matured) with other cockerels.

Hattie joined us from an equine rescue in West Sussex. She is a super-cute miniature Shetland who knows how to win your heart. She was initially very fearful of the farrier and we think this was because she was kept in hobbles in her past. We have earned her trust, and now she is happy for us to check her feet daily.

Hattie has very poor teeth resulting from years of neglect despite being a show pony! This makes hay eating impossible, so her diet is made up of food that is made up as a ‘mash’. She lives here at our sanctuary with her friend Jenny.

Gladys joined us when her owner lost her other hen which left Gladys on her own. The owner no longer wanted to keep hens so did the right thing, and tried to find her a new home.

Hens of a certain age stop producing eggs, so become less appealing to most people. Gladys has joined the brood here at Maple Farm where she enjoys a great, natural lifestyle.

Dust baths are her favourite form of relaxation, and she loves to dig and scratch around, looking for places to stay cool in warm weather. This is instinctive behaviour, and all hens should have room and opportunity to do this.

Bleep Bleep is a very unusual character! We rescued her a few years ago in 2016 when she was abandoned along the main road A281 after the outbreak of avian flu.

Bleep charges around at top speed like the cartoon character Roadrunner, and refuses to sleep in a hen house, regardless of the weather. She flies up into the open barn in winter or in the summer chooses to roost outside, on the roof of the hen house.

Strangely Bleep didn’t lay eggs when she arrived here, but started to do so just a few months ago. Unlike the other hens, Bleep randomly finds new places to lay, so it’s always a surprise to find her eggs in clusters hidden away somewhere.