Animal Quackers — Attraction in Borough of Rossendale

After several months of waiting for sun we finally got to visit animal Quakers hoping with it being a farm there would not be that much dirt, mud or water. Entered in the details into the sat nav and it was extremely easy to find and we were lucky to not come face to face with another vehicle as the road up to the farm is only wide enough for one. There is a fair bit of parking but can see it filling up fast if many people decide to come at once. At as guess there is maybe enough space for 20 cars? When we arrived there were just over half and space. The parking is on hardcore or part grass. There was a review regarding it being muddy or dirty but I am not too sure how they managed this. The parking on grass appeared fine. There was no mud but grass. The signage once parked was a tad strange with notices wrote on white paper but there is only one main building that is not part of the farm so easy enough. The reception is the area where you eat so nice and simple. There is wheel chair access and the place is clean. The sink areas to wash yourself and toilets on the farm are surprisingly clean and looked after. My near 2 year old didn't have a panic of dirt and was changed easily.

The prices are extremely good for a farm visit and staff are very friendly and it's almost like meeting a old best pal. Very helpful and understanding. It has that family feel and they do go out of their way to help.

The farm is not that big but there is a while range of animals, reptiles to see. My daughter loved it and the farm won my wife over. I always wanted to go to this farm and my wife was kicking and screaming we didn't get to see Thomas the tank engine in Bury but when the day was over she gave me a big thumbs up.

Animal pens and area are reasonable and extremely clean for farm standards. I wore running shoes which have netting and by the end of the day they were still clean.

I didn't go right into the field as its clean you will need wellies or you will get muddy but you only miss out on feeding the horses.

We were there for about 3hours,enjoying the shows, eating drinking and wondering around. It is possible to do it in an hour but we were just enjoying it and taking our time.

Terry who takes you on the tour interacts with people and is good with kids. He is just one of the many who make the visit worthwhile. The jokes and some of the phrases he says are funny and smart.

As mentioned previously there are sinks around the place however I would recommend with it being a farm to bring hand-wash. Reptiles, feeding animals etc it can be a pain running back and fourth washing your hands at the sinks.

The sinks btw do have handwash and hand towels. There is a little stool for the kids to reach the sink which my daughter (who is tiny) used.

Cafe prices are very reasonable, the drinks and ice cream are totally fine. I ordered a bunch and for the first time in my life couldn't finish it. I think the price was 6 pound for 2 sausages, eggs, bacon, chips, beans and lots of toast. I was expecting farm quality sausages and standard beans but it was more like value items. The eggs were spot on. Jacket potatoes were around 3 pound so all reasonable. There are about 8 flavours of ice cream which out of the ones we had all taste good. If you choose one of the many cones all taste fine. I like to think that it all goes to a good cause so no issues here.

OK so after all that has been wrote onto the other side of things. The farm is old, it has character and is not super modern. It's not a zoo and you can tell is run on bare minimum with animals coming first. This does not mean the farm is in poor condition that is far from it. The farm ticks the boxes, animals well kept, staff are happy which is a excellent sign. Do not come here expecting large zoo quality conditions. It doesn't look like they are given any grants or funds and make do with the money you pay to visit and eat there.

Overall I think this is a fantastic place and would highly recommend it. All the best to the animals and staff...

This was the first time me and my family have been to animal quackers so we didn’t know what to expect. But from the many 5* reviews I assumed only good things. After getting back home, I was curious to see what the 1* reviews said, to see if they had the same thoughts as me. Everyone who gave a low rating seems to have an issue with the space the animals have and the clear lack of care they receive. The enclosures are very obviously too small for the animals on the farm. 4 donkeys cramped inside a small enclosure. The Savannah cat is in a dingy enclosure. There is no animal there that had the space they should have, except the cows, emus and horse in the fields. Most animals were housed in their small enclosures despite the field areas. One emu in particular, its head was wobbling side to side constantly and couldn’t walk properly, kept stumbling and at one point even fell over onto another emu that was laying down. Very distressing to see. The dogs are just stuck outside, in again small enclosures, they have a 9 month old Newfoundland puppy that’s just lying down. Was there the whole time we were there. Meerkats had music blaring out, maybe they like some music but having it on all the time at high volume can’t be nice. One was pacing a lot. The whole experience was just depressing.

I understand having a farm and having farm animals for people to come and see however, when you’ve barely got the space to hold farm animals, why would you then decide to house meerkats, a savannah cat and monkeys in small enclosures?

Went for food, no forks left except 2 plastic ones which needed throwing out, bent and dirty. A curly black hair was found in my daughters sandwich (me and her dad have brown hair and she has blonde so wasn’t from us) we didn’t say anything as we didn’t want the hassle Came with my partner, daughter, sister, brother in law, and mum and dad and everyone left feeling deflated and disappointed. Definitely won’t be returning mainly due to lack of care for the animals. From other reviews it seems to be a concern people have had for years and they haven’t changed anything.

Most of the low rated reviews say if you love animals don’t come here and I can 100% second that. As a strong lover of animals this really isn’t the place to go.

Another thing that was disappointing to see was how the staff have replied to other people’s reviews on here, specifically ones that don’t favour them. People should be able to give their opinions and the business should still stay professional.

I hope things improve...

We visited a few weeks ago and I have just read the response from the owner to my partner’s review. I must say the response sounds rude and fails to acknowledge customers concerns.

How do you defend your staff when you were not on the receiving end of their lack of respect and courtesy? This shows a lack of accountability and becoming defensive. We were going to approach you at the farm regarding the particular staff that were in question but decided against it as we had a feeling that it would not be taken well. (Your response now confirms that).

My partner was willing to bring down his review had we got a reasonable response in acknowledging our concerns and bringing a viable solution.

In referencing my children, they are young and innocent and actually were scared multiple times of the pigs coming in their direction. If you are going to prioritise the majority then suit yourself. In this case you might as well let all the animals come out as some of them are kept away and do not come out!

The shows do need to be done in a way that all customers attending get the benefit of seeing them rather than spread them out in the name of giving the animals a break! This does not mean to do it every 5 or 10 minutes but certainly not after hours as most customers do not stay for longer than 1.5/2hours.

Anyways, the reviews are not personal but a way for us to improve customer service (which should be at the heart of everything), more training for staff, improve facilities and experience...