(upbeat music) - Hi kids, I'm Hannah.

- And I'm Sydney.

- And we're here at the Little Rock Zoo's Arkansas Heritage Farm.

- In addition to our exotic animals that we have here at the zoo, we also have domestic farm animals that you can actually find here in Arkansas.

Like sheep, we have donkeys, chickens, and even some really awesome goat.

So what Hannah and I do here at the Little Rock Zoo is we are zookeepers, and we actually take care of all of the farm animals by feeding them.

We also medicate them.

We give them fresh water.

We clean up after them.

We pretty much try to make their lives the best as possible.

- Today we're going to meet some of our fun farm animals and learn about the jobs they do for local farmers right here in Arkansas.

So what do you guys think?

Are you ready to meet some of our awesome animals?

Let's go!

(upbeat music) So this is Zipper.

She's actually one of our miniature donkeys here down at the farm, and she is 24-years-old.

So she's been here since she was a little baby.

Miniature donkeys are really awesome animals that you'll find on a farm.

They're very affectionate, and a lot of people have them as companions 'cause they're so docile with their nature.

Donkeys are used for all different kinds of things on farms.

Donkeys can help to pull carts around the farm, and they can do that over really rugged terrain.

And typically they can actually carry over 100 pounds on their back.

Donkeys are really strong.

Donkeys have been helping us for over thousands of years and people use them all over the world.

So this is Zipper, and you can come and meet her down at the Arkansas Heritage Farm.

- Hey guys, this is Bolt, and he's one of our Nigerian dwarf goats here at the farm.

He's seven, and he has lived here since he was a kid, which is actually the term for a young goat.

Bolt may be the smallest of our Nigerian dwarf goats, but he definitely has the biggest personality.

And as you guys can see, Bolt loves treats.

If treats are involved, he can learn just about anything.

He's actually one of our smartest goats we have here.

Our goats here are really cool.

They even know how to wave.

Goats are used for lots of jobs on the farm, and one of those is producing milk.

Goat milk can actually be used to make yogurt, cheese, and even soaps and candies.

Another thing that goats do is something called targeted grazing, which is where goats clear out unwanted brush, such as poison ivy, in areas where lawnmowers and tractors might not be able to reach.

And that's Bolt.

He would love to come meet you guys.

Next time you're at the Little Rock Zoo, come say hi.

- This is Kap.

He is one of our Katahdin sheep here at the farm, and he is seven-years-old.

Kap loves to browse, and he's actually one of our most social sheep, which is why he's out and about to meet you guys today.

So Kap is a Katahdin sheep, which Katahdin sheep are hair sheep, which means that they actually have hair instead of wool.

And that's great for living in Arkansas where it gets really hot during the summer 'cause they shed their hair.

And during the wintertime he gets a really big fluffy coat to keep him warm.

So sheep are primarily used for their wool and their hair, which we use for clothing.

And just like the goats, they're excellent grazers, and they help keep our pastures tidy.

You usually see sheep in huge flocks.

Sheep love to live in large pastures and fields.

This is Kap.

And next time you're down at the Arkansas Heritage Farm, come and meet him and some of his friends.

This is Eggbert, and he's a buff Orpington rooster.

Buff is his color, and Orpington is his breed, and he is two-years-old.

As you might notice, Eggbert's pretty big for a rooster.

He weighs in at around 10 pounds.

So Egbert is a super friendly rooster.

He doesn't mind getting picked up.

He'll actually even fall asleep in your arms.

His favorite food is insects, and one of his favorite things is hanging out with his chicken friends at the farm.

Do you guys know the difference between a rooster and a hen?

So a really easy way to tell is roosters actually have these spurs you can see on the back of their legs, and they also have these really pretty elongated tail feathers.

They're also significantly bigger than hens as well.

Chickens are omnivores by nature.

An an omnivore is an animal that can eat both vegetation as well as things like meat and insects.

Chickens enjoy chasing down plant-destroying insects like grasshoppers, grubs, beetles, and more in a very short amount of time.

And many of our organic farmers rely on their chickens as a natural insecticide for their flowers and vegetable gardens.

Chickens provide one of our favorite breakfast foods, eggs.

So this is Eggbert.

Next time you're by the coop, be sure to stop by and say hi to him and some of his friends.

Well, I hope you guys had fun learning about our farm animals here at the zoo.

- And we can't wait to meet you here.

We would love to see you guys come down to the farm and meet some of our animals where you can pet them and feed them some of the treats that we have here.

Bye for now.