Wing Fai & Wendy: Fair Oaks Farms

We have been wanting to visit Fair Oak Farms for ages and finally went on Sat! Fair Oak Farms is one of the largest dairies in USA, and it is owned by a group of dairy farming families.

First, we went to get our tickets that includes a tour of the farm, a 4D movie, visit to the birthing barn, and you also get to see their educational exhibits.

First, we went for the tour as there was a bus just about to leave. The first place we went was where the cows lived. We were not allowed to get down the bus as they did not want us transferring diseases to the cows. Instead the bus drove through the building so we could have a good look. The little white "houses" are for the young calves.

A short video showing the cows as we drove through the building.

Then, we went to the building where the cows are milked. It is an automatic process where the cows get on this moving ring and workers will clean and then attach pumps to the cows. When it is completed, the pumps will get ejected automatically too.

A short video showing the moving platform. I find the cows really smart knowing when to get off the moving platform automatically and will also get on it on its own. It's really cool!

We also saw the tanks where the milk are stored and heated.

Then, we headed back to the main building, and we went to the birthing barn as there was a baby cow going to be born soon. There are indicator lights outside the barn to let you know if there's any action in it. Green - birth happening right now; Amber - birth going to happen soon; Red - nothing's happening. The amber light was on when we were there.

When we entered the barn, there were 2 cows there. The one on the right had just given birth and the one on the left is going to give birth. We could see a little of the calf's legs popping out.

So, we sat and waited for mother cow to give birth to baby cow. In the end, a helper came in and assisted the mother cow with the birth. Once the calf is born, the mother cow will start to clean it. It was exciting witnessing the birth of a calf! About 80 calves are born everyday here, so it's a high chance you will get to witness one.

Me inside the birthing barn.

While on the other side, the calf have managed to stand, and the helper moved in to feed it with a big bottle. It was rather cute! =)

The 2 pairs of mother cow-calf.

Then, we left the barn and went outside to explore Mooville, the outdoor play area.

There's this big jumping pillow and I was really interested to try it out.

Me jumping away on the pillow. Later on, YH joined in for a little jumping too.

There's also a milk bottle shaped climbing wall for kids to play.

This is the MooChoo train for kids to ride.

Another attraction is the String Cheese Maze. With the many fun activities, they really make it a fun place for kids!

Then, we went indoors again to take a look at the exhibits. This one allowed you to try milking a cow and to see how fast you can get it done.

This is a carousel that feature cows. Basically the kids ride on them and the parents will push to turn the carousel.

Then, it was time for our 4D movie.

After the movie, we looked at more exhibits.

Then, we went to the building that housed the Cheese Factory, Gift Shop, and Cafe.

Inside the building.

This is the Cheese Factory and you can view the process while eating in the cafe. However, it was Saturday so it was not in operation.

The different cheese that they sell, and you are able to sample too. We loved what we tasted and bought a couple home. Also bought their milk home to try too.

They also sell ice-cream and we bought 2 scoops to share. It tasted really good! =)

After ice-cream, we went back to the birthing barn to see that the 2 calves that we saw earlier on. The one that was already born when we went in is a girl.