Farm Experiences at Juniper Hill Ranch

Looking for a fun way to experience Boulder County’s farm scene and spend time with friends or co-workers? Head to Juniper Hill Ranch where we can customize a ranch experience for you that includes spending time with our mini-donkeys, herd of sheep, ducks and chickens. Depending on the interests in your group, opportunities with the ranch animals can range from meeting the animals and spending time with them to preparing their food, feeding them and leading them out to or around pastures. And if you want to really get deep into ranch chores, you can muck the stalls of the donkeys and/or sheep. But that’s just optional, and we realize that’s not for everyone. We also have a robust ranch manure composting program, and you can tour that and see how we transform horse manure to garden-ready compost. At the end of the experience, everyone can choose between two colors of complimentary Juniper Hill Ranch trucker hats.

Spend Time with Juniper Hill Ranch’s Mini-Donkeys

We have two mini-donkeys, Ali and Zoe. Ali is 16 and Zoe is 14. They are a mother-daughter duo and about 35 inches high each. Opportunities with the donkeys include spending time with them, learning how to brush them, filling their hay bags with hay and straw and feeding them, giving them treats for tricks they are learning. You can also learn how to put on their harnesses and can lead them in their stall, indoor arena or outdoor pasture. You choose which of these experiences you want to do.

Herd Sheep at Juniper Hill Ranch

We have seven sheep, which include two mothers Frida and Summer. Summer has triplets- June, July and August and Frida has twins, Sammy and Pepper. Sheep are like gentle dogs who don’t bark or bite, although initially they can be a little scared of us when we walk in. Visitors can pet them and feed them. You can also get them fresh water if needed and also herd them out to pasture, which is a really fun group activity. It may be the closest feeling you ever get to running with the bulls in Spain- the main differences being our sheep are docile and while you may feel a rush of adrenaline, it’s akin to the rush you get from running through a sprinkler, not the one you get while running for your life down Spanish narrow cobblestone streets.

We can also talk about the sheep wool, how the sheep are sheared, and what we do with their wool. You can see and touch sheep wool and lanolin, which is the product made from sheep wool that ends up in women’s cosmetics and baby balms. We can also check out some of the products produced from our sheep wool like felting crafts we make during our summer camps. You choose which of these experiences you want to do.

Collect Eggs with Chickens and Ducks

We have 8 hens who are very curious. And two mini-roosters who are both friendly and simultaneously scared of people, which is the best you can hope for if you have roosters. We also have two ducks, Lucky and Ducky. Visitors can hang around the chickens, pick them up, feed them, give them fresh water and collect eggs.

Learn about Juniper Hill Ranch’s Composting 

We produce 90 tons of manure per year from the horses who live on the property. That’s a lot of manure, so instead of trucking it to a landfill, we practice regenerative agriculture turning it into garden-ready compost. We partner with farms, a vermiculture business and local gardeners every year to give away our aged compost. You can check out the compost pile and then see what the finished product looks like after our vermiculture partner Verre de Terre turns it into rich compost.

Sip Tea and Coffee

Your experience includes your choice of complimentary teas and coffee that you can enjoy in the big white barn or just outside of it where we have a table and chairs. The barn is not heated but it is a protected space. It is where we host our summer camps. You decide if you’d like to have tea and coffee at the start of your experience or at the end. We have a heated bathroom right across from our wooden barn for use at any time during the experience. 

Juniper Hill Farm Experience Cost

Private farm experiences cost $50/person per hour and we can design your experience based on your interests and time constraints. Our minimum group size is 3 people and our minimum time requirement is 1 hour. Tours can last up to 2 or 2.5 hours, depending on itinerary. Please text or email Tori for more details and to schedule your farm experience at 303.444.4041 or tpeglar@gmail.com.