Alfie was raised by a family in a 4-H Program, but ultimately left 4-H after deciding to keep him in their care rather than slaughter him. They tried keeping him in their backyard, but it was clear he was unhappy and needed more space with goat friends. The family reached out to Sweet Farm and we took him in as a permanent resident and our first goat! After 7 years of friendship, he recently lost his beloved Hoover. Alfie is still grieving but has been spotted playing with Ringo and Zulu more these days.

Angel lived on a black angus ranch and had given birth to stillborn babies 2 years in a row, which meant that Angel was destined for slaughter. A kind neighbor of this ranch had witnessed Angel mourning over both her stillborn calves for 7 full days each, and it broke her heart. She was able to negotiate for Angel’s life to be saved and come to Sweet Farm. Gizmo immediately loved her!

Argyle is a Jersey steer who was born on an organic dairy farm. As a male, he wasn’t useful in the production of milk and was facing an unfortunate fate. The dairy farm saw his kind soul and contacted Sweet Farm to give him a forever home, and we are so glad to have him with us, and so is his best friend Magnolia!

We have 5 cats who live in our barn - Monster, Midnight, Jolly Roger, Pomegranate, and Keuka. Being in a rural area, there are always lots and lots of cats around. Some of our barn cats were dumped on our property, and some just showed up. The five who live in our big barn are supplied with food, clean water, and litterboxes in the safe places in the barn. They have cat doors in and out of the barn and the heated/cooled office, in addition to having their own stall with cat trees, beds, and a heater!

Butterscotch was rescued from a goat dairy as a baby, since the inevitable male babies cannot grow up to make milk. He was raised in a family’s backyard., but after being attacked by a mountain lion the family knew it was not a safe home for him. Sweet Farm took him in to give him a safe, forever home. He is an absolute sweetheart and loves people, and is always front and center when people come for tours.

Callie had a rough beginning. She was originally in a live market, destined for slaughter, when she was pulled by a local property owner who was sadly an animal hoarder. The property she ended up on was unsafe, and we rescued her at just 6 months old. She’s now a naughty toddler, and we just love her!

The Sweet Farm Duck Gang is made up of 19 special ducks from a variety of different backgrounds. Like chickens, ducks are often raised in backyards by families. When those families move or lose interest, they end up at shelters or worse, released at local ponds where they cannot survive and will either starve or fall victim to predators.

Earl was found by animal control and taken into a shelter before being rescued. His feet happen to be deformed, but they get plenty of care of so he can stand as correctly as possible and be a happy member of the herd. He has been adopted by Greta as her son and Ringo’s brother.

Elliot came from a neglect case, where he was fed nothing but bread and corn for 2 years and was massively overweight when he was rescued. With proper nutrition and regular exercise, Elliot is now on his way to a healthy weight! Pigs have been bred to grow so large so fast so they can be slaughtered at just 6 months old. So keeping weight off of our large pigs is of paramount importance for their comfort and health, particularly as they age.

Elvis & Freddy are twin Black Belly Barbados sheep. Elvis is the leader of the sheep herd, and Freddy follows him everywhere. Elvis loves to play with the goats, and can often be seen headbutting with Earl or Hoover. He gets his name from his white "Elvis" sideburns. Freddy is a sweet and mellow guy. Both of them absolutely love affection from people and will even paw at you when they think you aren’t petting them enough!

A young girl raised Gizmo for the local 4-H animal program. She bonded with his playful, sweet personality and couldn’t bear to send him to auction. As one of our first rescues, Gizmo is a visitor and volunteer favorite. He can always be seen out in the pasture with his best friend Sturgis.

Jicama, Mei Lan, Hansi, Lady Crowley, and Loosey Goosey make up our gaggle of special geese, and all came to us from different circumstances. Both Jicama and Crowley have a condition called angel wing, where their wing joint developed improperly due to a nutrient deficient diet, and means they will never fly. But we are honored to be able to care for them all!

Greta is Ringo’s mom and Astrid’s best friend. She was rescued from an organic dairy farm and had to have a life-saving surgery. She’s thriving now and is an incredibly sweet girl who loves to escape from her youthful boys by napping in the sun with Astrid.

The Hen Crew is a beautiful assortment of around 40 ladies, made up of heritage, rare, and a few commercial breeds. Many of these breeds are popular for backyard coops, but the hens are sadly prone to being abandoned or culled when they stop laying eggs at just a few years old. Each of our lovely ladies has a name and a distinct personality, but they all enjoy taking dust baths and exploring their playgrounds.

Khalil was born on a goat dairy farm, but was having difficulty passing urine and was suffering from its scald. This is a common issue as a result of breeding goats to be polled (hornless). The farmer made the compassionate choice to surrender Khalil to a sanctuary, who got him multiple surgeries to help with the issue, though he will likely need more in the future. 

Magnolia was rejected by her mom as a baby. Discovered by a local cattle rancher, malnourished and with a broken hoof, she was brought to Sweet Farm. After months of bottle feeding, and plenty of love, Magnolia is happy, healthy, and best friends with Argyle.

Martin came to us from a wool farm as a “bummer” lamb, meaning he was rejected by his mother and couldn’t nurse. He was rescued by a teenager who fostered him for us. Martin LOVES people, receiving scratches, and will follow you around like a puppy…and wags his (intact) tail like one!

Mike and Sully came from a potbelly breeding farm which had deteriorated into a hoarding situation. When the farm was shut down, these two, and many other animals, were left behind without food or water. A local rescuer stepped in and helped them find Sweet Farm.

Paco came to Sweet Farm after years of living at a horse farm that was closing. He was already alone when a rain storm destroyed his shelter, leaving him exposed to the elements and predators. Llamas are incredibly social animals, so Paco needed a new herd to call his own. Now he spends his days in the sun with his best friend Sturgis the horse.

Peewee was adopted by a young couple, but their property wasn’t big enough for a fully grown sheep. Now Peewee has as much room as she could ever want to roam and prance with her friends. She’s very sweet and affectionate and would love to meet you!

A young man started a mangalitsa breeding farm hoping to sell the pigs for slaughter. He and his family fell in love with the piglets after they realized how smart and loving these animals are. They decided to relocate them once they realized they were in over their heads. These sisters have been at Sweet Farm enjoying belly rubs ever since.

Ringo is quite the character - he’s very sweet and LOVES people. He can be a little naughty, but he gets away with it because he’s cute! He is Greta’s son, born before their rescue from a dairy.

The Roosters are typically the first ones up and the last ones to bed, making sure everyone is safely tucked in every night. Usually found strutting their stuff around the yards, they scan the area for danger, look for tasty bugs, and hang out with all their hen and rooster friends. Roosters are banned in most cities because they like to talk a bit, but our crew is free to crow! All 17 of them!

Brothers Scooter and Rooter came to us with their mom, Libby, on July 4th! They were living in horrific conditions on a property with little food and no access to fresh water. Despite their trauma, they're warming up to people and are learning the joys of belly rubs and snacks! We have affectionately named them The Wiggles because they are always wiggling and running around!

Sally was rescued during a wild fire from a backyard butcher property. Another sanctuary negotiated for her release, and now she’s safe at Sweet Farm. She loves her herd.

Sheika and Dolly have been together since they were a year old. They were being kept in a small suburban backyard, where they were made to give rides to children and where Dolly lost her sight due to malnutrition. Not long after getting to Sweet Farm where she received a proper diet, her sight returned! The two ladies have gone from being very shy to actively seeking out friends and affection.

S’mores was on a local llama farm but suffering from excruciating and deadly jaw abscesses, for which her owner did not want to pay for treatment. Sweet Farm stepped in to raise the money for the lifesaving surgery and now S’mores will live out her life with her new llama friends, Paco, Sheika, and Dolly.

Spuds escaped from a factory farm as a little baby piglet, and managed to survive in the Santa Cruz Mountains for 3 weeks before being saved and brought to a shelter. After both experiencing the heartbreak of losing friends, Spuds and Ziggy have now bonded and can be found snuggled up together napping on any giving day.

Stella was a petting zoo attraction, where she was maltreated and forced to interact, and developed a fear of people. No longer a profitable part of the zoo, her owner had no use for her. Luckily, Sweet Farm spotted her when we went to buy an old farm truck from her owner. She’s now safe to and happy to wander and interact or not, as she wishes!

Sturgis came to Sweet Farm after we received a call that he could no longer be cared for, stuck in a muddy pasture, and had numerous medical issues. He made an incredible recovery and this 39-year-old guy has been living happily with his cattle friends at Sweet Farm ever since!

Our turkey team consists of nine rescued turkeys. Callum was raised for an FFA program and then abandoned at the school. Saved by a teacher who discovered turkeys’ curious, caring personalities, these he was later joined by Brenda and Bella who were rescued from factory farms. Five ladies came from another sanctuary that sadly had to close its doors. Sam Peckett was brought to us by a local man who was caring for him when Sam lost his companion, and the kindly man thought he deserved a flock.

Vesta became very sick shortly after birth, but since she was a commodity on a wool farm, the plan was simply to leave her in a field to die rather than provide her with medical care - a sadly common theme on production farms.

Vesta came to Sweet Farm in summer 2024 with Zulu and Khalil after the sanctuary who had accepted her had to downsize drastically and rehome most of their animals. She and Martin quickly bonded and it has been a joy to witness.

Ziggy was our first NY farm rescue. He was born on a production pig farm, but due to his charming personality became a favorite of the pig farmer. The farmer was elderly, and selling his farm. Most of the pigs on the property were sent to slaughter, but Ziggy (and his friend Fozzy, who sadly has passed away) were saved from that fate because he’d become so attached to them.

Zulu came to us in 2024 from a sanctuary that was sadly forced to downsize drastically and rehome most of their rescued animals. This handsome La Mancha was rescued from slaughter at only six months old when a farmer's granddaughter begged her grandfather to spare Zulu's life because she had developed a bond with the sweet and friendly goat. Zulu was being raised to be food, but the farmer did allow his granddaughter to find him a forever home. Sadly, his forever home did not turn out to be "forever"...but Sweet Farm will be! And we are SO grateful for it!