Rare Breeds Program
Farmyard Friends Learning Center is dedicated to shaping today's youth that will lead our farming industry into a brighter and more sustainable future. Part of our teaching platform is continuing to build and enhance our rare breeds program which allows children to learn rare breed history and the necessary skills to protect, maintain, and exhibit these valuable resources. FFLC provides leased animals ranging from common livestock breeds to rare and endangered breeds. We provide youth with scholarships to cover the costs of leasing and caring for their animals. We assist with the travel cost for youth to attend national livestock breed conventions to compete in competitions and develop important life skills. The Farmyard Friends Rare Breeds Program's purpose is to continue to teach and involve our community in the positive impact of promoting and restoring these breeds in Maryland and across the country.
Jumanji - American Cream Draft
Status: Critical
My name is Jumanji but sometimes I answer to Gus. I am around 15 years old and an American Cream gelding, or fixed male draft horse. Did you know there are less than 500 horses registered with the American Cream Draft Horse Association? Although I am not registered, we are awaiting my DNA test results to confirm that I am one of less than 2000 American Creams in the entire world! My diet mainly consists of grass and over 22,000 pounds of hay a year (400 small square bales). I spent living with a wonderful family in Indiana, but I am happy to be back in Maryland, where I was born.
Status: Critical
Zola & Zoey - Randall Lineback
Zola & Zoey are mom and daughter. Zoey was born in April of 2025 and now Zola is currently off-site making ice cream at Prigel Creamery!
Lineback cattle are a rare and distinctive breed known for their unique color pattern, featuring a white stripe down their back and sides with contrasting darker colors on the rest of their body. They are believed to have originated from the British Isles and were brought to North America by early settlers.
Status: Threatened
Caramel - Barbados Black Belly Sheep
My name is Caramel and I am a ewe, or female sheep. My birthday is in January. I’ll be turning one! My mom got sick when my twin brother and I were 4 weeks old, so we were raised as bottle babies. This is why I am so very curious and friendly! My breed is a Barbados Blackbelly sheep. There are only 3,000 Barbados Blackbelly sheep in the United States today, but that is a great increase from the 100 sheep recorded in 2004. My relatives are from the Carribean Island of Barbados. We are known for our black bellies (hence our name), high parasite resistance, and having hair instead of wool.
Mimi, Davy & Casper - American Chinchillas
Status: Watch
Mimi, Davy & Casper live in the big barn at The Farmyard. Davy and Casper are brothers, and their names are both shades of gray.
American Chinchilla Rabbits are known for their soft, dense fur that resembles the coat of a chinchilla, with a beautiful mix of slate blue and white colors. They are medium to large-sized rabbits, typically weighing between 9 to 12 pounds. They are known for their calm and friendly nature. They are often gentle and can be quite affectionate with their owners.
Rhody & Friends - Narragansett Turkeys
Status: Watch
Hi, I am Rhody and my three pals and I live at The Farmyard although our ancestors come from New England. We can be lots of colors
that include black, gray, tan, and white, and we are very physically
fit turkeys. That's probably because I like to eat grasshoppers,
crickets and other insects! Imagine that!
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Narragansett turkeys have traditionally been known for their calm disposition, good maternal abilities, early maturation, egg
production, and excellent meat quality. This historic variety is unique
to North America.
Silver - Silver Appleyard Ducks
Status: Watch
Hi-ho, I am Silver and I am a female duck. I live at The Farmyard with my friends. The females of my breed are some of the best layers among heavyweight ducks, averaging 220-265 white-shelled eggs per year!
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These ducks get their name from Reginald Appleyard who developed them at his farm in England in the 1940s. They made it to the US in the 1960s and became available to the public in 1984.
Georgia - Chinese Goose
Status: Watch
Hi! I am Georgie, the lone Chinese Goose at The Farmyard. I am female, and got my name after George Washington who was gifted Chinese Geese and kept them at his home in Mt. Vernon in Colonial America.
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My breed descended from the Asian Wild Swan Goose, which gave us the nickname "Swan Geese" because of our long, graceful necks. We can be brown or white, and are the best layers of all the breeds!
Sarabi & Friends - Southdown Sheep
Status: Graduated
My name is Sarabi and I am a Southdown ewe lamb. This means I am a young female sheep. I have white wool which my owners shear twice a year to keep me cool, clean, and safe from external parasites. Being sheared also helps me look my best when I compete in livestock exhibitions.
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Southdown Sheep are one of the oldest and smallest of the British breeds of sheep, originating from the South Downs of Sussex, England. They are known for their excellent meat quality. Southdowns have a distinctive appearance with a compact, muscular body, and a face and legs covered with wool, often described as "mouse-colored."