Retreats & Courses

Price points for our packages start at £50 for Bronze, £70 for Silver, and £100 for Gold. Not only will your sponsorship help provide for the care and well-being of your chosen animal, but it will also help the sanctuary as a whole and allow us to keep on providing the best care possible to all the residents at their forever home.

We do not offer birthday parties at the sanctuary. We do, however, have the 'Sponsor an Animal' packages, which make great gifts for birthdays or any special occasion. With three different price points , there is an option for everyone to help support our animals. Each sponsorship comes with some goodies and information about the animal you are sponsoring. . Whether you choose to sponsor one of our gorgeous donkeys or cheeky miniature ponies , you'll be making a difference in their lives and helping to provide them with the care they need and deserve.

Unfortunately, the sanctuary is currently closed to walk-ins. However, please see our website's 'Sponsor an Animal' section for further ways to support our wonderful animals.

Private sessions can be arranged through our 'Sponsor an Animal' section on the website.

Flip Flops is a big no no! Or bright white trainers, you should wear wellies if possible or old trainers. Gloves can also be good just incase and water proofs depending on weather conditions (all in ones are fab!).

We will expect you to pay before entering and for you to look over and agree to our disclaimer.

Head towards portlet just before you turn down the hill to ouaisne you will see a bus stop on the road with a gravel drive and a white gate if you open the gate you're there! You can park onsite if you have a private booking. 😁

Ethel is one of our Miniature donkeys. She is petite and grey in colour with a very striking dorsal stripe running down her back. Fundraising efforts were made in order to pay for Ethel’s transport and travel costs. Thanks to the incredible people who donated, we were able to successfully bring Ethel home and her new life started at the sanctuary . Ethel is an incredibly sweet donkey who loves being with her donkey family here at the sanctuary where she can finally feel safe and loved. We were faced with an agonising decision back in November 2021, as Ethel developed two large growths on her nose and armpit. Her health was slowly deteriorating as they began to impact her quality of life. The sanctuary liaised with specialist’s vets in the UK, who suggested trying to remove these lumps. However, due to the size and location of the lumps, this was not going to be an easy task and they could not guarantee that Ethel would make it through surgery. Being the tough little miniature donkey Ethel is, she exceeded all expectations, despite the surgery being much more complicated than the vets originally anticipated. After a lengthy stay recuperating at Liphook Equine Hospital, Ethel was given the all clear to come home. After a couple of cancellations, Ethel and Emmett finally made it home back to Jersey soil just before Christmas. Thanks to the amazing generosity from everybody who donated to Ethel’s surgery, she is now free to live out her days here at the sanctuary. This not only impacted Ethel’s life but also Emmett, as he wouldn’t have been able to face another soul mate loss. Ethel and Emmett are truly bonded and seeing how they rely on each other for comfort and stability is very heartwarming. However, sadly the lump has grown back under Ethel’s armpit. The vets have advised us that they won’t be able to do another surgery on Ethel, as they did as much as they could for her the first time round. Please be rest assured that Ethel is not in any pain, she is still her stubborn self and happy as ever making the most of her life at the sanctuary. We are monitoring her very closely and we will make sure we do everything we can to help her. However, as much as this breaks all our hearts to say - we don’t know how long we have left with her, so every little moment counts. Luckily Ethel’s health is still going well and she is keeping strong.

Emmet is the slightly larger miniature donkey with a fluffy brown coat and was the first to arrive at the sanctuary. He came from the UK where he had been living at a small petting zoo along with another female miniature donkey, who he had a very close bond with. Emmet is such a playful donkey, you can often spot him rolling around on the grass just like a dog! He has a very loud voice and is not afraid to use it. Unfortunately after Emmet’s partner passed away, he became very depressed and wouldn’t accept any other companion. This led his previous owners to rehome him, as they knew he wasn’t happy in his current situation. After a long car journey and boat ride, Emmett arrived at Chestnut Farm Sanctuary . Initially he lived with Wilbur, our Shetland pony. Emmett tolerated Wilbur and eventually built up his confidence and trust. However, we knew that to fully allow him the best quality of life, Emmett really needed another donkey companion. We realised that due to his previous history, finding the right soul mate for him was going to be a hard battle as we knew he wouldn’t cope with another loss. Shortly afterwards, we found a plea on Facebook from Pegasus Sanctuary which is a rescue centre for donkeys and horses based in Northern France. They had saved a small group of donkeys from an Italian meat market and had brought them home to the sanctuary. However, due to the lack of space and funding, they urgently needed to find homes for the donkeys. The sanctuary knew that they were in a position to help but were not sure if Emmett would accept a new soul mate or if he would reject her as he previously had with other companions. Due to the dire circumstances the donkeys were facing in France, it was decided quite quickly that this was a risk worth taking. We soon realised however, that this was going to be an extremely costly operation. Ethel was found and now the two are inseparable.

Charlie was originally from the UK, before his previous owner rescued him and relocated him to Guernsey, Channel Islands. Where he lived with his donkey friend Elvis. Charlie is the biggest of the four donkeys with a dark chocolate coloured coat. We don’t have much history on Charlie's youth; however, we do know he worked hard in his younger days and may have been used for carrying things around. Charlie then joined the sanctuary with his buddy Elvis in October 2022 as sadly their previous owner needed to find them another home due to change in circumstances. Charlie and Elvis were never known to bray before coming to the sanctuary, their previous owners said they hadn’t ever heard them and didn’t think they could bray. However, when they arrived at the sanctuary after a couple of weeks, they found their voice and started braying - that’s a great sign of happiness! Charlie is so caring and has a fond love and protection of Ethel and will look for her if she is not right in-front of him.

Elvis was originally from the UK, before his previous owner rescued him and relocated him to Guernsey, Channel Islands. Where he lived with his donkey friend Charlie. Elvis is one of our full-sized donkeys. Elvis is easy to spot. He is the smaller of the two brown full-sized donkeys, he has some fat tissue on his neck due to being overweight when he was younger. Donkeys do not store fat in a very effective way so this was a health issue if not dealt with immediately. The sanctuary team worked tirelessly to get Elvis healthy again and put him on a special diet in order to make sure he could live his best life here on the sanctuary. Now, Elvis is in much better shape and can be seen frolicing in the field with his three best buds.

Hettie joined the sanctuary as a baby along with Tilder as unfortunately they were no longer needed from their previous home. When Hettie first joined us at the sanctuary she was kept safe in the barn with her friend Tilder where she was head collar trained and as their confidence grew so did she! Hettie quickly assumed the leader of the herd and anything Hettie does the other cows will follow suit. She’s a cheeky girl who is incredibly self confident and we wouldn't have her any other way!

Wallace joined the sanctuary just after Hettie and Tilder the female cows. They were rehomed to us as he was not needed unfortunately at his previous home, so of course we took him in with his cow brother Grommet. Wallace is incredibly loving and placid. He loves a little pet on his nose and is so gentle around people. Hettie & Tilder really brought him out of his shell and allowed him to flourish into a wonderful addition to our family.

Tilder came from a sanctuary as a baby along with Hettie as they were no longer needed, so we welcomed her with open arms. When Tilder first arrived she was very nervous and initially she was kept in the barn with Hettie, her cow friend who also came with Tilder. We head collar trained the girls and as they came out their shells their individual personalities started to shine through. As babies, Tilder loved to play with the dogs and run around the field being silly. Tilder loves a head scratch and is a very sweet girl with alot of love to give.

Grommet joined the sanctuary along with his friend Wallace to join the girl cows who were already at the sanctuary. Like Wallace, Grommet arrived very timid but with lots of love, patience and perseverance he bloomed into a kind, sweet boy who is curious and loving. Grommet loves being part of his cow family and will follow the girl cows everywhere.

One of the sanctuaries first residents was Billy, Along with lucy & Sian they were all hand reared by a local farmer when they were orphaned shortly after birth. Sadly in July 2022, we lost Lucy and had to have her put to sleep due to old age and neurological issues. Billy our Guernsey Golden Goat is aged between 8-9 years Old. Before he came to the sanctuary, the three of them grew up as part of a pack with German Shepherds dogs and would often be seen on their regular walks around Noirmont Common. As he grew up, Billy along with his sheep siblings behaved more like dogs than they did goats or sheep. This led to them struggling to cope being turned out, so the decision was then made to bring them to the sanctuary. Here they can enjoy time outside during the day to eat grass and forage, while also being able to enjoy the comforts of their stable at night with the other sheep and pygmy goats. Although Billy may look big and tough, he does not like the rain! Unlike sheep whose coats produce an oily secretion (lanolin) into the wool to repel water and keep them dry underneath, goats do not have natural waterproofing. This means that they should not be left cold and wet for long periods of time, and why you may see Billy sheltering in his field shelter away from the rain. It also means he’s usually the first at the gate alongside his friend Aggie, shouting to be let in during the bad weather. Billy has a very affectionate and friendly temperament, so much so he will rub his head against you for attention and to cuddle him. He can be quite strong and is definitely the boss of the pygmies and other sheep.

Flopsy is our white alpine goat. Flopsey lives in the top field with his best bud Ziggy. Flopsy is the first friendly face you see as you enter the sanctuary and is not shy when it comes to people. He loves seeing everyone who passes and loves a good scratch on the fence. Although he needs his beauty sleep and will often be front and centre for some attention then after a while will go off for a nap for 30 mins and then is ready again for some more attention and a good run about. Just like Ziggy, Flopsy cannot be mixed with the other goats and sheep due to his large horns. Although he would not hurt them on purpose, he does like to fight with Ziggy so for the safety of the other goats and sheep they are separate but can still see his goat friends through the fence.

Ziggy is our black Alpine goat. You will see him in the top field with his longtime best friend Flopsy. Ziggy was unfortunately rejected by his mother at birth and bottle fed by a local farmer and rehomed to us at Chestnut Farm Sanctuary . He loves napping and can often be seen asleep under his wooden play equipment or curled up in the shelter. He also play flights with Flopsy which is a totally normal occurrence for that breed of goat. Ziggy also loves to play with his rubber sea buoy and give it a good headbutt. Unfortunately, these goats can’t be mixed with our group of goats and sheep as their horns are too big and could potentially injure one of our other animals. For safety, they have their own area sectioned off at the top where they can still see and socialise through the fence with the goats and sheep, but won’t be able to be integrated with them.

Mia & Mickey are the twins of mum Aggie, they are two years old and were the first animals to be born at the sanctuary. However, there were a few obstacles the sanctuary had to face to make sure the twins survived. At first, Aggie was not herself and she didn’t produce enough milk to sustain two hungry lambs. This led to both of the twins being bottle fed for the first few months until they were fully weaned. As they got older and started going outside onto the grass, we were able to space out their feedings until they were too old for the milk bottle. For the first month, Aggie and her twins slept inside the main house to keep them warm, dry and safe from predators. After they were a little bit older, they were moved into a stable within the barn next to Billy, Sian and Lucy. They developed a bond as soon as they met each other and once the lambs were old enough to fend for themselves, they were all out running together as a herd in the field. Mia and Mickey are quiet and very shy, it’s not often they let you go near them unless you have food to feed them. Sometimes you will see them all playing together with our other sheep Sian, Billy the goat and the three Pygmy’s. We have to make sure that we feed at the same time every day, these guys are clever, and they know what time it should be feeding time - if we are late, we are in trouble! They get fed first thing in the morning and late afternoon, if they are lucky, they will get some chunks of carrot at bedtime. All of our sheep are sheared once a year, this is normally around May time. Shearing keeps sheep cool in the warmer months and reduces the risk of parasitic infestation and disease. It also reduces the risk of sheep becoming 'rigged' or stuck on their backs, which can make them vulnerable to attack by crows or other predators.

Sian was one of Chestnut Farm Sanctuaries first residents along with Billy and Lucy, another Cheviot Sheep. They were all hand reared by a local farmer when they were orphaned shortly after birth. As they grew up, they behaved more like dogs than they did goats or sheep. This led to them struggling to cope being turned out, so the decision was then made to bring them to the sanctuary. Here they can enjoy time outside during the day to eat grass and forage, while also being able to enjoy the comforts of their stable at night with the other sheep and pygmy goats. Sadly in July 2022, we lost Lucy and had to have her put to sleep due to old age and neurological issues. Sian is a very alert sheep, although she can be unsure and nervous if people approach her, she is friendly. The cheviot sheep is a long wool breed, hornless and of reasonable frame. The name of the breed comes from a range of hills in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary rescued Aggie from Noirmont common, where she was found wandering around. Initially, she was very poorly and the vets didn’t think she would pull through. However, not only did she survive but she surprised us all a few weeks later after being rescued and gave birth to two twin lambs, Mia & Mickey. After the birth Aggie was not herself and she didn’t produce enough milk to sustain two hungry lambs. This led to both of the twins being bottle fed for the first few months until they were fully weaned. However Aggie did sleep in the barn at night with her twins and was a loving mother. If you are around in the afternoons, you will hear Aggie calling from the gate to go to bed. She will stand there and not move, demanding to come in - she’s very noisy! We have to make sure that we feed at the same time every day, these guys are clever, and they know what time it should be feeding time - if we are late, we are in trouble! They get fed first thing in the morning and late afternoon, if they are lucky, they will get some chunks of carrot at bedtime. All of our sheep are sheared once a year, this is normally around May time. Shearing keeps sheep cool in the warmer months and reduces the risk of parasitic infestation and disease. It also reduces the risk of sheep becoming 'rigged' or stuck on their backs, which can make them vulnerable to attack by crows or other predators.

Yogi is a male pony which are called geldings. Yogi came over from the UK, previous history is unknown on him but his breed is a Dartmoor pony. Originally Yogi lived with our group of horses but he was an escape artist and kept escaping, so the decision was made to integrate him with the other three ponies, Blanche, Dotis and Wilbur. After a few weeks, time and patience the four ponies settled and enjoyed each other’s company, they now can’t be separated! Yogi is very cheeky, he’s the playful one who you may catch biting the fencing or trying to tip over the water buckets with his legs. His small stature did not stop him from being the boss on the sanctuary and takes his job very seriously.

Dois is a Mare just like her best friend Blanche. She is confident and will always come up to you for a pat. Just like Blanche, Doris was rescued from France and they travelled to Jersey together. Doris looks after her partially sighted best friend Blanche and the bond that these two have is truly inspiring. Doris, although she is a caregiver, also enjoys greeting people when they walk into the barn and loves her tasty hay!

Wilbur is a brown and white male Shetland pony, and was from a petting zoo in the UK. He travelled to Jersey with one of our miniature donkeys Emmett, when he was around one years old. Wilbur is quite chilled but can have his burst of energy moments. He loves to give off a big smile when you give him a scratch and he loves hanging out with all his friends. His favourite hobby is sea swimming and he is the best in the group!

Blanche is our Mare pony who was rescued from France. Blanche is blind in her right eye, sadly when she was rescued they found her in a bush with stinging nettles all over her eye. She was two years old when she arrived at Chestnut Farm Sanctuary. You may notice that Blanche has a sweet itch rug on in the hot weather, please don’t worry as this won’t make her sweat. This rug protects Blanche’s skin as suffers from a condition called sweet itch, which is a skin issue that occurs between the spring and summer time. The flies irritate her skin and that makes her rub against the fencing, which causes her skin to open up and become very sore. Blanche is very nervous and shy due to being partially sighted however she has a best friend called Doris who can be found by her side at all times. Dorris is Blanche's support system and seeing the love and care they have for each other is truly heart-warming.

Augie is our 3 year old female pig who came from our local pig farmer John Hackett. Augie arrived first with Mildred, who is another one of our pigs, when they were only a few weeks old. They were a bit poorly when they first arrived so they were kept safe and warm in the barn where they spent a lot of time with people in order to become used to human interaction, and be the lovable and fun friendly pigs they are now. There is a hierarchy of the group and that girl is Augie, the spotty pig. Augie is the firm leader and will often be seen pushing the others out of the way for the tastiest treats and first scratch.

Babe is one of our 3 year old female pigs. Babe and Wonder, who is another one of our female pigs, arrived at the sanctuary just a few weeks after Augie & Mildred the other two little piggies. As all four of the pigs were from our local pig farmer John Hackett we had them all live together in the barn when they were little. Babe has such a lovely personality, she loves attention and is very outgoing and cheeky. Her favourite is belly scratches on the fence.

Mildred is our 3 year old female pig who came from our local pig farmer John Hackett along with Augie when they were only a few weeks old. They were a bit poorly when they first arrived so they were kept safe and warm in the barn where they spent a lot of time with people in order to become used to human interaction, and be the lovable and fun friendly pigs they are now. Mildred is very laid back and loves to chill in her piggy house. She also loves a spa day and to roll around in the mud bath!

Wonder arrived at the sanctuary with her friend Babe. Wonder is now 3 years old and was rehomed to the sanctuary from local pig farmer John Hackett when they were only a few weeks old. Wonder and Babe were introduced to Mildred and Augie and the four of them became inseparable. Wonder absolutely loves bananas, they are her favourite treat and she will be the first one to munch on them! Wonder is also incredibly intelligent and excels when it comes to the pig enrichment, however she also loves to take a long nap after she has tuckered herself out.

Harold is our 13 months old turkey who was brought to us as a young poult. He has grown into an incredibly handsome turkey and absolutely loves cuddles from our sanctuary manager. He has two best friends called Hettie who is a chicken and a Showgirl Silkie chicken. The three of them have a very special unusual bond and Harold takes it upon himself to keep them protected. He also sees himself as one of the ducks and is very protective of them too. When the public comes to visit the sanctuary, Harold will often walk around showing off his beautiful feathers for all to see.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary own six guinea pigs; two girls and four boys. The girl guinea pigs are aged 2 and the boy guinea pigs are aged 1. The girls are kept separate and have their own area to play in, whereas all four boys are integrated together. Our guinea pigs have very different personalities; Dilly and Tilly are noisy and can be heard constantly squeaking and talking to one another, they also love having cuddles. The four boys are quite shy and reserved, they prefer to be left unhandled and graze on the grass together. Guinea pigs are herbivores (plant eaters). In the wild, depending on their habitat, their diet consists mainly of grasses, hay, various plants and herbs, seeds, twigs, bark and occasionally roots. They also require fresh water daily, to keep them hydrated. Guinea pigs love toys and to keep them entertained and not become bored, they require wood to chew on which also helps wear down their teeth which continually grow throughout their lives. For the ideal guinea pig environment, cleaning out their cages everyday thoroughly is extremely important. This is to make sure the guinea pigs stay healthy and where they live is hygienic and clean.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary owns a big group of frizzle chickens; they are a mixture of hens and cockerels and all different ages. Our other stand out frizzles are Jenny, Gale and Arlo as they are super friendly and always looking for cuddles and Arlo even makes a unique noise when petting him. The frizzle is a breed of chicken with characteristic curled or frizzled plumage. While the frizzle gene can be seen in many breeds, such as the Pekin and Polish, the frizzle is recognised as a distinct breed in a number of European countries and Australia. Frizzles are a docile, gentle and quiet chicken breed. Frizzle chickens have unique feathers that curl outwards instead of lying flat. Frizzles are mainly exhibition types of chickens, which are normally kept primarily for the show ring. The origin of the frizzle is unknown and the gene is thought to have originated in Asia. Frizzle chickens are all different colours ranging from buff, black-red, brown-red, blue, Columbian, cuckoo, duckwing, pyle, red, spangled and white. Our frizzles chickens graze on grass and are fed poultry pellets morning and night along with fresh water daily to keep them hydrated.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary own three rabbits; they were all rehomed at the same time from the JSCPA back in April 2022. Clover aged 2 and Ivy aged 2.5 (grey lion haired rabbits) came as a pair and George aged 3 (white rabbit), who is deaf & was on his own. We made the decision to integrate them; however we knew it would be a slow process before they would all bond and accept each other. After lots of tender loving care and patience, they are now all best of friends and live together. Our rabbits have very different personalities; Clover and Ivy are quite shy and timid, whereas George can be quite curious and can sometimes nibble people, so please be careful! Rabbits are herbivores (plant eaters) and are considered grazers, in that they eat continuously. Rabbits require fresh water daily and should have a diet of mostly hay, a smaller amount of fresh vegetables and a limited number of pellets to keep them healthy.Rabbits also need to chew to maintain the health of their continuously growing teeth - toys should always be available e.g. wood, blocks, sticks or cardboard. For the ideal rabbit environment, cleaning out their cages everyday thoroughly is extremely important. This is to make sure the rabbits stay healthy and where they live is hygienic and clean.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary have five crested ducks; we also refer to these ducks as the pom poms, as they have balls of fluff on their heads. However, these ducks have this appearance because it is a heterozygous for a genetic mutation causing a deformity of the skull. Crested ducks lay between 9-13 eggs at a time. The egg shells are white and blue in colour and the shell has a silky soft feel to it. These ducks have originated in the East Indies, with subsequent development in Holland. Their characteristics are fairly quiet birds and they are usually calm and friendly in nature. They can also be raised as pets due to their behaviour. The crested ducks are also considered to be ‘dabbling ducks’. They swim and feed from the surface of the water, rarely making dives to get at food further down. However, when food isn’t readily available at the surface, the ducks will make a shallow dive to hunt molluscs, crustaceans, infects and insect larvae. Our ducks are fed pellets morning and night to keep them healthy and happy, along with fresh clean water every day to keep them hydrated.

Chestnut Farm Sanctuary have lots of male and female Muscovy ducks; these ducks are also called the Common Duck, Forest Duck and Great Wood Duck. The Muscovy duck is a large duck native to the Americas, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. These ducks lay between 8-16 eggs and weigh in between 3-7kg. Muscovy ducks are social birds and they are often seen in pairs or small groups. They can be aggressive ducks, so please careful when you are around them. Male ducks tend to fight over food, territory and mates. The females fight with each other less often. The Muscovy duck doesn’t swim as often as other ducks due to their underdeveloped oil glands. The domesticated Muscovy is the only domestic duck not bred from mallard stock. They prey on crustaceans, small fish, amphibians, reptiles and plant material. The difference between the males and females - adult males are very large, whereas the females are much smaller and petite. We have several male ducks on the farm, but most are all females. Our ducks are fed pellets morning and night to keep them healthy and happy, along with fresh clean water every day to keep them hydrated.