See Baby Farm Animals and More at New Jersey Farms

If you'd like your kids to know that not all small yellow chicks are marshmallow Peeps, try visiting a farm with real live breathing baby animals. Your children can crack corn, collect eggs, see baby pigs, goats and sheep, and even see how cheese and bread are made. The kids will delight in the baby lambs while their foodie parents enjoy the nibbles. Here are our five favorite farms with baby animals in the state of New Jersey.

Sparta Mountain Farm (Oak Ridge)
Bunnies, pot-bellied pigs, pygmy goats and a llama hike? Sounds like farm animal heaven. Sparta Mountain is a small family farm with great Mommy and Me programs and a couple of interesting summer camp options (need a camp that is only one day a week? Sparta's got it.) You can also get a guided tour of the farm animals for $5. Call 973-409-4515 for more information.

Fosterfields Living Historical Farm (Morris, NJ)
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is a real farm functioning exactly as it did at the turn of the 20th Century. This is no petting zoo, but kids can see exactly how the animals were raised in the olden days. They can watch pigs, sheep, horses, and donkeys in the fields and pens. Kids can crack corn and feed the chickens, and even go into the henhouse and collect eggs at the end of the day. Bear in mind that the animals are just a small part of the farm and kids are expected to help out with other chores such as pumping water, doing laundry and hanging it to dry, churning butter, and much more. The farm is closed Sundays and Mondays until July 1; as of July 2, it's closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for kids, and $2 for 2-3 year olds

Valley Shepherd Creamery (Long Valley, NJ)
This is the place to see everything sheep. The farm does a yearly sheep shearing festival and has spring lambing tours throughout the summer where kids can see hundreds of baby lambs. They also have milk and cheese tours where you can learn how cheeses are made, see the milking and cheese making process, and taste the cheese. Call 908-876-3200 for more information.

Bobolink Dairy (Milford, NJ)
Bobolink Dairy has moved from their old location in Vernon to Milford, but still raises grass fed cows and produces outstanding cheeses and wood-fired breads. You can sign up for Farm Tours for $5 per person where kids can see the cows in the pasture, where the bread is made, and taste the different cheeses. For older kids and parents who want to learn the cheese and bread making process, there are also the very popular cheese and bread making classes.

Brookhollow Farms (Boonton, NJ)
Brookhollow's Barnyard is a small petting farm in Boonton, NJ. Kids can pet farm animals such as alpaca, llama, sheep, goats, ponies, donkeys, chickens, peafowl, ducks and miniature horses. Other activities include riding pedal tractors, or kids can take a “cow train” ride. Many baby animals arrive throughout the spring and early summer. Families can purchase a family membership for repeat visits or pay the $5 admission fee. Check the website for information on summer camps and birthday parties. Call 973-335-3393 for more information.