Ford Farms

This is the cutest local farm. It has a small entrance fee and $5 fees to feed the animals and go gem mining. I saw old photos and the gem mining has been revamped, it's on a trailer and is super nice, new and clean. All the animals were cared for and the farm was clean and didn't smell at all. The longhorn cow got so happy to see the owner, that's how you know the animals are cared for and loved (imo). It was our first time and we'll definitely be back to support this farm

I went to Ford Farms during one of their Farm Days -- these are days where Ford Farms opens to the public during the weekend for visitors to experience their animal petting area and other things on the grounds. As far as I understand it, this is not a regular access event -- it's only on certain weekends when they do not have other scheduled events. These Farm Days are posted on Facebook a few days in advance of when they happen. So, that event is what I am reviewing, not the farm as a special event venue. Anyway, I believe we paid a small entrance fee to get in (but not sure about that since SO went to the ticket window), then chose to buy greens to feed the animals and bags of sand with "gems" in them to do the mining experience. We also paid to do the pony ride. My toddlers enjoyed feeding the animals, mining, and walking around the farm. We were there for about an hour and a half or so. My kids enjoyed it and it was a nice day to explore a farm.

My wife found this place online and conveniently only 10 minutes away from her mom's house. Our daughter who is 14 months has an infatuation with animals. So when we found out that this place was so close to the in-laws, we said why not?It is a very small petting zoo and it definitely has that farm vibe to it. The buildings and decor all look original and there were lots of pretty flowers everywhere.When we went, the price of admission was as advertised, $5 per person and feeding baskets were also $5 per basket, and the mining gem basket was another $5. It can quickly add up if you have a relatively large family/party that is coming, so just a heads up!There were several species of animals that you could feed and pet, there were also a few that they didn't allow you to pet (might bite). For the most part we saw pigs, chickens, ponies, alpaca, zebra, goats, ducks, bull, roasters, bunnies, and several other bird species (I'm no animal expert, so I couldn't tell you what they were even if my life depend it on it). The reason I'm giving this a 4 star and not a 5 star is because of the condition of the animals. You could see the very dirty water they were drinking from, there were a lot of flies on the ponies, and the chickens were pecking on each other. A couple of them had bare spots where they were being pecked at. Normally other places we've gone, we usually see attendants cleaning and up keeping with the animals, but here there were only 2 employees. One at the register and the other giving the pony rides.The gem mining was a nice added feature. Pretty relaxing, searching for gems in the water/sand thing. Not sure what it's called, but I've uploaded pictures with this review.For the most part, I had fun and most importantly my daughter had fun. She fed a horse and the alpaca and had a blast doing it. We were finished with everything in about 2 hours. That should give you an idea of how small and how quick this trip will be if you decide to come here. Hope this helps!

Location is perfect for families I completely safe during these crazy Covid times.Staff is very friendly and animals as well...lol

Ford Farms was a WONDERFUL addition to my friend's wedding--to think of a petting zoo at a wedding seemed so unconventional but BOY was it worth it! (It was an outdoors afternoon wedding, no biggie!)The animals were adorable. The more and more they kept putting out, the more surprised I was because there were so many! I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid and the feeling these animals brought back was AMAZING. The animals are well-behaved and well taken care of and the family itself was so professional, friendly and accommodating. They were willing to travel 3.5 hours away to a wedding in the East Bay Area and were so generous with their time.I'd definitely recommend their service to accompany your next party--kids, children's, birthday, wedding or themed. What more could you ask for?And, their son was adorable as he was riding on top of one of the horses, brushing their backs and even told us their names. Great people!

I work with animals so we were so excited to take our baby to his first petting zoo. Unfortunately, we left with a lump in our stomachs from witnessing the neglect of several animals. The chickens have clearly been feather pecking each other to their hearts content from the stress. The ducks sit in 2 small kiddie pools of disgusting water. As we rounded a corner, we nearly ran into a table saw sitting in an open walkway. We witnessed an unattended child bang full force on a snakes cage while the snake was moving up that wall which knocked the snake halfway across his cage. We saw only 1 adult worker there meaning all animals are unattended so children could treat the animals however their parents allowed. The real kicker was the ponies. They were coated in flies. They were not wearing eye guards or anything to keep the flies out of their eyes. A couple of them had streams running from their eyes from tearing. Flies can cause aggressive eye infections in horses and the irritation can cause eye ulcers and those are just the more common ailments. I felt the need to help them and this was all I knew to do. We aren't familiar with the town or their practices but we wanted to make sure no tourists go to this place thinking it has good enough reviews. We were heartbroken for the animals at this "zoo".On a side note, for those that want to know, there was also not a mask in sight. They are optional.

This was very disappointing. You get there and it's $10 per person not the $5 they advertise. They ran out of food to feed the animals. The animals are all caged in and you can't pet them if you have no food, they don't come to you. So petting zoo it is not. There were no pony rides. There was no gem mining. It was dark, run down, and very much a rip off. Very misleading, I don't know who wrote the reviews, but we didn't see what they did. You didn't get a ticket or wrist band, so really you can just walk in and not pay. The lines for the grinch and Santa were way too long, but Santa wasn't there when we were anyway. But the line was. We need a refund.

Stoped her on our way home from Sequoia with a big group of kids and they had a blast! This is a sweet homegrown family farm experience. The kids were entertained petting and feeding the animals and really enjoyed the snow cones that were available on this hot summer day! Loved this spot definitely worth the short detour.

What a great place to take your family the entertainment is outstanding and amazing ! Holly and her husband employees and their children work very hard to make sure everybody has a great time. The animals are well taken care of and while you're there you can feed them. I definitely recommend this place for all your entertainment needs and just to see the animals on the farm. It's a very safe place they take precautions with the Covid .

I have attended several events at Ford Farms including weddings, birthday parties, memorials, and holiday themed events. Ford Farms never disappoints! Holly and her husband Sean keep the place in tip top shape and you can always expect to have a great time whether that's taking your kids to their petting zoo on the weekend or checking out their haunted house and hay ride during October.My niece especially loves to feed their animals. They even have a zebra and a camel right here in our Central Valley, how cool is that? Looking forward to their Xmas events coming up next month. Their grinch impersonator is hilarious. Do yourself a favor and check them out!