Serious Cuteness: Farmyard Baby Animals at Biltmore Estate

It’s cuteness overload when floppy-eared Nubian dairy goat kids come out to play. Baby goats frolic and gambol in the farmyard at Antler Hill Farm, eager for petting and playful head-butting. If you happen to visit Biltmore during the spring birthing season, you can interact with many of the new animals at the farm. The goat pen is always a family favorite.

You know it’s spring when baby chicks appear. This adorable chick is a heritage breed, a Black Australorp. The breed hails from Australia, where it was first imported between 1890 and 1900. Australorps gained worldwide popularity in the 1920s after breaking numerous records for the number of eggs laid, with competitive hens laying up to 364 eggs per year. Historically, chickens played a key role at the Biltmore Estate, contributing to mealtime menus in a variety of ways, from fresh eggs to fricassee. In 1896, the Biltmore house ordered up to 30 dozen eggs per week.

The animals that guests experience in the farmyard at Antler Hill Farm represent the types of livestock that lived on the estate during the Vanderbilt era. Many of the chickens are heritage breeds, including this Mille Fleur d’Uccle (left) and Silkie (right). Mille Fleur d’Uccle chickens date to 1914 and are known for having eye-catching coloring, big personalities and laying small white eggs. Silkie chickens have a longer history, noted by Marco Polo on his 13th century journeys to Asia. This breed has black skin, flesh and bones — all covered by wonderfully poofy feathers.

Adorable baby goats steal the show in Antler Hill Farmyard, playing together on boxes and straw bales. During the Vanderbilt era at the turn of the century, Angora goats were the breed of choice, prized for their abundant mohair coats. Today the livestock team uses the goats to help nibble invasive plants like autumn olive and porcelain berry. Rotating the goats through different paddocks helps maintain soil health and the natural beauty of the grounds. Goat-powered weed control is especially effective on steep slopes and helps reduce use of diesel-fueled equipment.