Baby Animals on the Shaker Farm

Baby love on the farm at Hancock Shaker Village
Newborn barnyard animals greet visitors as the historic Village re-opens. Farm tours showcase the agricultural legacy of the Shakers and offer lessons in sustainability.


Hancock Shaker Village re-opens for the season on Saturday, April 15, with
Baby Animals on the Shaker Farm, running daily, 10 am to 4 pm, through Sunday, May 7.

At the heart of this annual celebration of farm life is a lively gathering of newborn lambs, piglets, calves, goats, chicks and ducklings in the Round Stone Barn and adjacent farm buildings. A rare and inspiring example of American architecture, the Round Stone Barn, built in 1826 (and later restored) originally stabled 52 milk cows. Over the decades, millions of visitors have been attracted to the barn for its architectural significance. During the three-week run of Baby Animals, the barn becomes the hub of activity in the historic Village.

Visitors can meet and greet the newborn livestock, participate in farm chores at the barns, and explore the historic Village, too. The Village's 20 historic buildings also open for the season on April 15, and will be staffed with interpreters who demonstrate crafts and share Shaker history. HSV farm interpreters showcase the historic Village as an actual working farm, with heirloom gardens beds, composting stations, beehives and greenhouses taking center stage. Baby Animals features heritage-breed animals raised at Hancock Shaker Village, as well as "guest" livestock from local farms and 4H clubs.

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