‘Very peaceful’: This Nova Scotia mini farm connects visitors with nature

The Little Blue Coop in Gaetz Brook, Nova Scotia helps visitors unwind and get back to nature.

A new therapeutic mini farm in Gaetz Brook, N.S., is helping visitors unwind and get back to nature.

The Little Blue Coop features smaller animals like pigs, Babydoll sheep, chickens, and rabbits, and allows visitors to pet, feed, and play with the animals.

“We open up our farm to anyone who wants to come visit and spend as long as they want with the animals,” said owner Ellen Boucher. “A lot of people find that just hanging out with the animals and interacting with them can be very peaceful for them and bring them a sense of wellbeing and some mindfulness to their day.”

Boucher said she came up with the idea a few years ago.

“I had just left a really stressful job in social work as a social worker, and I found that spending time with chickens and sitting with them while they are free ranging around the yard was really therapeutic for me and brought me a lot of joy and a sense of being connected with nature.” Boucher said right now she has two Kunekune pigs, which originate from New Zealand.

“We have one adult, and her name is Cookie, and we just got a new baby last week and they are probably the friendliest animals I have been around. We also have two Babydoll sheep. They are known for having smiling faces, so they are always a hit with the kids.”

Boucher said it’s important that the experience is mutually beneficial to the visitors and the animals.

“We want the animals to have as much of a sanctuary kind of experience as possible, as well as the people who visit us. We want it to be mutually beneficial and want to make sure the animals are ok with the interactions as well,” she said.

“Human-animal connection has brought me a lot of peace when I was going through a lot of hard mental stuff in my life. So, I thought we would open the farm to other visitors and share that with the community.”

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