MORGANTOWN — A longstanding tradition—it’s that time of year for WVU Davis College to host Kiddie Day at the Animals Sciences farm.
Ben Walsh, Assistant Director of Farm Administration & Operations, wasn’t sure of the years Kiddie Day has been running, so he asked Gordon Adams, who has been with the farm for 42 years.
Sharing a laugh—Walsh said at least as long as Gordon has been here, more than 42 years.
Kiddie Day is all about getting the kids out and curious about what happens on the farm. Walsh listed off all the animals the kids would get to meet. It was nothing short of a long version of “Old McDonald”- cows, sheep, a horse, baby ducks and chicks too.
“It’s a good chance to get the kids out, and introduce them a little bit to the animals. They probably read about these animals in books and stuff but a lot of them don’t get the chance to see them or touch them. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a good way to kick off the Spring,” said Walsh.
Tuesday, the definition of “spring” was snow and cold, but the farm is looking forward to warmer days on Wednesday and Thursday. Walsh said on a day where the weather behaves they can easily move around 1,000 kids through a day.
“We really enjoy it. They get really excited. Kids are a lot of fun,” said Walsh.
Walsh said there is plenty going on at the farm all the time. They raise dairy cows, and have a beef cattle herd. There’s two sheep flocks and a poultry facility.
The farm is also a hands on lab for college students, an array of pre-vet, physiology, and agricultural students. They hold college classes 4 or 5 days a week and also have a lot of students on the farm who work as employees.
They also do research which most is applicable to farmers raising livestock species. Right now, they’re researching parasite control, which is a big problem in the sheep industry.
“We also do a lot of tours for 4th, 5th, 6th graders so we can get a little more in depth about the different animals- about wool, meat, and other things we do with animals,” said Walsh.
He thinks it’s a good idea to get kids thinking about the animals on the farm at a young age.
“It’s important for people to realize that farmers are out here working every day to try and have a stable food supply for the county,” he said.
For the little ones- this is simply an introduction. It’s a place to touch, feel and play and Walsh said they get real excited about that.
“It’s a good way to let them know that we’re here, and this is what we do,” he said.
Walsh said the duck slide is a really big hit with the kids. Baby ducks climb a waterslide and ride it to the bottom. He said kids can come pet the baby chicks and ducks- but they’re very fragile.
Monty the horse and Clementine the donkey are available for the kids to see. According to the student workers at Kiddie Day, Clementine is pregnant and almost ready to give birth to her little one.
Kids can collect eggs from toy chickens and even milk a wooden cow.
Walsh said Kiddie Day will continue Wednesday the 18th and Thursday the 19th from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. They will offer tours as well as hands on activities for the kiddies to enjoy. Admission is $2 per person.
