Thinking Thursdays: Farmstay at Flying Cow Ranch

Kids naturally seem to love farm-related stories/books/games (Peekaboo Barn, anyone?), even though some might never get to visit an actual farm.  Since Junior J really loved animals (and farm-related nursery rhymes), we squeezed in two nights for a farmstay when we went for our Taiwan trip.  We stayed at the Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli, and had a rather pleasant stay over there.

The grounds of the ranch are really huge, with wide open areas suitable for flying kites and having picnics if the weather permits (when we were there, the wind was so strong we thought we'd leave our kite in the car).  It was nice just to explore the grounds during the 3 days we were there, walking around enjoying the fresh air and greenery around us despite the cold weather...

Of course, there were all the farm animals to see...

And you could buy pellets/veggies and feed many of the animals (like the sheep, lambs and rabbits)...

Junior J was rather frightened after trying to feed the larger animals (as they would eagerly nibble the food from your hand, and sometimes nibble your fingers too), but he loved the rabbits:

And would even spend time talking to them (which was so funny considering that he's usually extremely shy!):

Hello Rabbit!  I'm Juju *pats himself on the chest*

Of course, the farm also has various educational demonstrations/shows scheduled at different times of the day, like the duck show, and you also can try your hand at milking a cow (which turned out to be not as easy as it seemed).  Do note though, that the shows/demos get really crowded during the weekends when the farm is swarming with people (the place seems popular with locals too), and on weekdays, some of the shows can suddenly become "no-shows" (the hubby brought the boy down for the duck show when I was packing, and they came back disappointed).

They also let kids "take care" of ducklings and lambs for a short period of time (for a small fee), and we saw many happy children traipsing around carrying a basket with a wildly flapping duckling inside (we didn't think it was fun for the animals though, since the ducklings looked rather stressed at being carted around, and we also spotted a mother with her daughter trying to make the lamb they had on a leash jump for its milk bottle).

On top of these activities, the ranch provides some interesting DIY activities as well, like making various types of cookies, as well as some art and craft.  Staying at the farm entitles you to some vouchers that enable you to participate in some of these activities free (but we missed some due to Junior J's bedtime, since they were run at 8 pm), and you also get vouchers for milk fresh from the farm.  We did manage to attend one art session where we painted piggy banks in the shape of cows, which was sorta fun:

The lady who briefed us told us that we could touch up the little boy's cow using white paint,
and repaint his "mistakes" from there...

... but we decided to let him paint as he wished, and I only helped to paint in the eyes
so that at least Mr Crazy Cow could see. :)  In the end, the boy's cow turned out looking
nicer than my own! I love Mr Cow's crazy happy colours...

All in all, it was a nice visit, and I think the little boy had fun.  The rooms at the farm are clean, spacious and comfortable, and the staff really show attention to detail (the hot water pot is filled up with freshly-boiled water everyday, and you get personally shown to your room)... but you do get the feeling that the farm is like a rural Disneyland of sorts that is out to entertain, rather than a real farm.  So if you're looking to see what life is actually like on an actual farm, and would rather get down and dirty, the farmstays in New Zealand might be a better bet for you.  However, that being said, its still a nice place for families to just stay for a leisurely two days of "rural" goodness! :)