Farm Animals

Sustainable Practices and Happy Animals

The animals that reside on the Farm work together to serve a common purpose—to create a self-supporting system that provides fresh, high-quality ingredients for our guests to enjoy during their stay. With sustainability at the forefront of our agricultural practices, we follow many of the farming traditions passed down from our Appalachian ancestors to maintain healthy farmland and happy animals. We invite you to take a Farmstead tour during your stay to learn about the rich history of our agricultural practices and meet the animals that call Blackberry Farm home.

Sheep

The sheep that roam the Farm’s scenic pastures produce milk for the delectable cheeses that grace your plate at our restaurants and line the coolers in our shop. Our flock includes three dairy breeds: east Friesian, Lacaune and Assaf. As you peer across our pastures, you may notice our sheep meandering the land in addition to grazing. Their gentle presence is quite different from the burly sheep that once wandered the foothills of Southern Appalachia, and they leave less of a physical impact on the land. We breed our dairy sheep to thrive in the Farm’s pastures and keep them healthy and happy as they produce nutrient-dense milk perfect for cheesemaking.

Blackberry Farm Cheese

Fresh sheep’s milk from our predominately East Friesian flock is handcrafted into delectable cheeses by our artisan cheesemakers and is available in our gift shop.

Donkeys

Donkeys are born protectors, and our two resident donkeys, Sally and Daphne, take great care of the sheep on the Farm. With sharp hearing and keen vision, they pay close attention to the flock and ward off predators that dare to enter the pasture. Sally and Daphne have a close bond with the sheep, and you’ll usually find them only a short distance away as the flock roams and grazes in the fields. If you listen as we take the sheep to the Dairy Barn for milking, you’ll often hear Sally or Daphne bray to express their temporary dismay about being separated from the flock.

Chickens

We raise various heritage breeds of chickens at the Farm. These chicken breeds have been around East Tennessee for ages and have better abilities to thrive and forage in our pastures. As you walk the Farm, you’ll see our chickens free ranging the land and eating bugs, clover and anything else that looks tasty. By enjoying a diverse, healthy diet, our chickens produce nutritious eggs with rich yellow yolks to use in our kitchens and pass on to your plate.

Turkeys

While we raise large gaggles of heritage breed turkeys throughout the year, our two most revered turkeys are Mr. Tom and his mate. Mr. Tom is the Farm’s turkey ambassador, and he and his mate live next to the dairy barn where they protect chickens from common predators like hawks. Mr. Tom is very sociable and enjoys visits from our guests. Stop by and say hello as you explore the Farm. He will be happy to show you his home and is always ready to strike a pose for pictures.

Pigs

Pigs have long been a staple for farmers in the Great Smoky Mountains. As heritage breeds, the pigs on the Farm are adept at living in the region and have a natural ability to forage, which helps strengthen their neck muscles. Our pigs enjoy cooling off from the sweltering Summer heat with a cool mud bath or rooting around beneath the trees in the pasture, but their favorite time of day is mealtime. We feed our pigs a diverse diet made entirely of scraps from our kitchen, whey from the creamery and spent grain from the brewery. This process reduces food waste on the Farm and keeps the pigs happy too. Stop by when the Farmstead attendant throws the pigs their food, and you’ll see their excitement as they delight in their meal.

Lagotto Truffle Dogs

The Lagotto Romagnolo (pronounced lag-oh-toe roman-yolo) is a breed of dog from Northern Italy that traces its origin back hundreds of years. For centuries, the Lagotto helped hunt waterfowl and protected dwellings and property. Since the Lagotti have keen senses and are bred for searching things out, they are not easily distracted by the scent of wild animals or other dogs. The Lagotti’s ease of training and acute sense of smell quickly turned the breed into the ideal dog for the Romagnolo to use in their search for the much prized and valuable truffle. In 2008, Blackberry Farm began a Lagotto Romagnolo breeding program and welcomed two Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, Tom and Lussi, to the property.

When Tom and Lussi arrived from Italy, Tom began hunting for truffles right away in a truffle orchard a few hours from the Farm and was very successful. Lussi was just a puppy when she came to the Farm, but she followed Tom around on his hunts in the orchard. Shortly after Tom and Lussi’s arrival, Blackberry Farm began cultivating a truffle orchard on the property. As you stroll the Farm, keep an eye out for our famous Logotti dogs. They are medium-sized dogs with thick, curly fur and a cheerful demeanor. Their colors range from brown, roan, white, off-white and orange.