Fun Facts

Animals provide kids with so many learning opportunities! Here are some fun facts about the animals – and other delights – to be found at the Cummington Fair!

 
Click on any of these links to learn more:
 

Sheep Facts
Cow Facts
Chicken and Rabbit Facts
4H Animal Facts
Maple Syrup Facts

Did You Know? – Sheep Edition!
 

1. Sheep are sheared 1 or 2 times a year and it doesn’t hurt – it is like a haircut.
2. Sheep come come in different varieties: meat, wool, and hair sheep.
3. Sheep eat grains, grass and hay.
4. A male sheep is a ram, a female is a ewe, a lamb is under 1 year of age.
5. In the show we have different age classes: a yearling is over 1 year, lambs can be divided into Junior and Senior classes based on their birthday.
6. A ewe is pregnant for about 5 months and can have 1-3 lambs at a time. Lambs are usually born from January to April but can be born at other times.
7. Fitting and Showmanship is how well the youth and their animal work together and how well the youth groomed the sheep for showing.

Did You Know? – 4H Edition!
 

1. The 4-H Slogan is “Learn By Doing.”
2. Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that live on land.
3. Horses have around 205 bones in their skeletons.
4. Depending on the breed, a duck can live 2-12 years.
5. Some ducks can fly up to 332 miles in a single day.
6. Goats are social animals, however unlike sheep they are not flock orientated.
7. The pig is the last of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. The pig seems to represent fortune, honesty, happiness and virility.

Did You Know? – Chicken & Rabbit Edition!
 

1. Rabbits have an excellent sense of smell, hearing and vision.
2. Rabbits are natural runners and can reach speeds of 30-40mph.
3. Rabbits can only sweat from tiny pads on their feet, but they mostly use their ears to regulate their body temperature.
4. Rabbits have 28 teeth.
5. On average a chicken can lay 300 eggs a year.
6. Chickens have specfific alarm calls for each type of predator.
7. Chickens can’t taste sweetness, but they can detect salt.
8. Male chickens are called ‘roosters,’ female are ‘hens’, and their babies are called ‘chicks.’

Did You Know? – Bovine Edition!

 

1. Cows came to America in 1611.
2. Dairy & Beef cattle have their first calf when they turn 2
3. A dairy cow produces about 10 gallons of milk every day.
4. Cows drink 20-40 gallons of water every day.
5. Big Bertha, the oldest cow to ever live, lived until she was 48!
6. A mature cow has 32 teeth, but no front top teeth.
7. Milk is 87% water.
8. It takes 12 pounds of milk to make 1 gallon of ice cream.
9. Beef cows also produce milk, but only for their calves, not human consumption.
10. Cows do not bite grass, they wrap their tongue around it.

Did You Know? – Maple Syrup Edition!

 

1. December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day.
2. Vermont is the largest producer in the United States, generating about 5.5 percent of the global supply
3. Sap becomes maple syrup when it reaches 7- 1/2 degrees above the boiling point of water. At that point, it is 67% sugar
4. Maple syrup is boiled even further to produce maple cream, maple sugar, and maple candy
5. Tapping does no permanent damage and only 10 percent of the sap is collected each year. Many maple trees have been tapped for 150 or more years.
6. If sap is 2% sugar it will take 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
7. Each tap will yield an average of 10 gallons of sap per season.

Cummington Fair is grateful to The Pioneer Valley Young Shepherds Club, The Hampshire County Cattle Club, and The Hilltown Misfits for supplying us with these fun facts!