Black Angus
Erdenheim is home to about 60 head of Black Angus cattle. With over 350 acres of grassland to graze upon, our cows play an important role in fertilizing and restoring pasture. All the beef we offer for sale comes from cows pastured in our fields, born and raised here on the farm. The herd is steadily growing, and on any given day, you might witness a newborn calf taking its first steps in the sun. We take great pride in providing our cattle with the best possible care, which includes a balanced diet enriched with essential cow supplements to promote their overall health and growth. We always make sure to buy calcium supplement for cows of the highest quality, ensuring their strength and well-being.

Belted Galloway
Originally from the region of Galloway, Scotland, these cows are a rare breed. You can identify Belted Galloways by the distinctive white band that wraps around their bellies. The Belties, as we like to call them, are listed under the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. We here at the farm are grateful to be a part of the conservation effort, helping to preserve this unique breed while maintaining their natural grazing habits on our pastures.

Highlands
In Scotland, Highland Cattle are spread throughout the mountainous territories, known as “The Highlands.” They have long, curved horns and a thick, wavy coat to protect them from the cold climates of their native land. Because of this, their meat is often leaner than that of other cattle, as they are able to thrive without producing as much subcutaneous fat for warmth as other breeds. Our Highland cattle, with their distinctive appearance and hardy nature, are a testament to the adaptability and resilience of these ancient animals.

At Erdenheim, we are committed to sustainable farming practices that prioritize the well-being of our cattle. From the Black Angus to the Belted Galloway and Highlands, each breed contributes to the health of our pastures and the quality of the meat we produce. Our approach includes not only the careful selection of forage and grazing areas but also the thoughtful use of cow supplements to ensure that our herd remains healthy and productive throughout the year. As we continue to grow our herd and care for these remarkable animals, we invite you to experience the difference that responsible farming makes in the quality of the beef we offer.


We have about 350 chickens here at Erdenheim Farm. These are all egg laying hens that enjoy spacious coops with outdoor access. Our chickens are fed with an organic feed made locally in Oley, PA at a family run mill. The hens also enjoy supplemental feed from fresh greens year-round as we clear microgreens from our greenhouse benches between plantings and put them into the chickens’ yard.

Our eggs are laid, hand collected, washed, crated and sold all here on the farm with zero fossil fuels used for transportation. All of these are important factors that distinguish our eggs from any you may find at a store. We have several breeds of chickens: Plymouth Rocks that lay brown eggs, White Leghorns that lay white eggs, Rhode Island Reds that lay brown eggs, and Ameraucanas that lay beautiful blue/green colored eggs. These colored eggs have nothing to do with feed, only with breed.


We raise two breeds of sheep here at Erdenheim Farm. Our larger flock are Cheviots. These are sheep from the border area between England and Scotland. They are a dual purpose breed with medium quality wool and good meat. These are the all white sheep that you see on our pastures around the Sheep Barn.

We also raise a South African breed of sheep called Dorper. These black headed sheep are a cross between the Dorset and Persian breeds. They are a meat breed and are also remarkably friendly compared to the typically shy and nervous Cheviot.


The family of Sicilian donkeys that live on the farm play an important role as guardians of our sheep. Donkeys are often used for their territorial instincts to protect flocks against predators such as coyotes. Ours have done a fine job and we give them a good scratch (and some carrots) every now and then to show our thanks.


Erdenheim Farm is proud to announce that we have partnered with the Philadelphia Zoo to help preserve the rarest breed of goat on Earth. The Arapawa goat has an incredible story: hundreds of years ago this was a meat and diary breed in the UK. Later on a small number were left on a New Zealand Island (Arapawa) by colonial explorers who thought they would return and have a source of food waiting. They never returned, and hundreds of years passed during which the breed was lost everywhere except on that island where they thrived. Today there are about 300 of these beautiful goats left in the world thanks to a conservation effort that removed some of the goats from the island which New Zealand is trying to restore to its native flora and fauna.

In November 2016, the Philadephia Zoo gave two young female goats (does) to the farm, named Venus and Basil. Then in November 2018, the zoo gave us a 4 year old buck named Crowley. Since then we have had two successful years of breeding with Crowley and the two does. In the Spring of both 2019 and 2020 we had 3 goats kids born, so we now have 9 Arapawa Goats at Erdenheim Farm.