BioMed Cohort Visits Erdenheim Farm, Learns About Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Care

By Biomed@SCHProgram Coordinator Lisa Queeno

Erdenheim farm manager and SCH parent Dan Lurie P'26 graciously hosted the Biomedical Science Focus Track cohort on a sunny but blustery winter day in February. The students were excited to learn about animal husbandry on the farm, especially BioMed sophomores Soleil Bynum and Nolan Gibson and senior Randee Summers – all of whom are interested in pursuing careers in veterinary medicine. Genetics, selective breeding, animal husbandry, and veterinary care were the hot topics of the day.

“I liked how this trip was focused on animal medical care because we often learn about human healthcare," said Bynum.

When someone hears the term “biomed,” they often think of human medicine. However, biomedical science encompasses many disciplines: veterinary medicine, biomedical engineering, research, laboratory work, clinical trials, microbiology, toxicology, molecular biology, genetics, and science writing. The BioMed@SCH program aims to expose our bright young minds to the full range of applications of biomedical science.

Our tour began in the historic barn where expectant sheep are kept (what I am fondly calling the “pregnancy suite”). Two breeds of sheep comingle in the suite while they gestate at Erdenheim Farm. The larger white sheep are Cheviots, hailing from England and Scotland. Black-headed sheep are Dorpers; they got their name from their Dorset (English) and Persian DNA. 

“I really appreciated learning about where they kept their animals throughout the year and how they moved them around to different spaces to fit their needs in different seasons. I also really liked seeing all the different types of animals and hearing about how they played different roles in the farm's success. The dogs and the lamb were also really cute," said Gauvin.

We were lucky: the first lambs of the season arrived only hours earlier! The new mama Chevy was separated from the flock in a cozy pen lined thickly with straw. She licked her two fresh lambs as they basked under a heat lamp. Students asked a lot of questions about lamb mortality in the cold (low, but a sad truth of early spring births), aftercare (pregnant sheep and new mamas are given extra-rich food to supply their bodies’ intense caloric needs), and afterbirth (which was still hanging out of mama; that’s how fresh the babies were!). 

In a different section of the barn, much rarer but equally cute residents make their home: Arapawa goats (the rarest breed in the world). Erdenheim has partnered with the Philadelphia Zoo to bring back the historic breed. Once raised for meat and dairy in the UK, the Arapawa was brought to New Zealand by colonists, where it decimated the native flora. As the population grew in NZ, it dwindled back “home” in Europe. Rather than culling the entire invasive population in NZ, some were saved and brought here for conservation purposes. Enter Erdenheim Farm: The Philadelphia Zoo gave the farm a few starter goats, and since then, the farm has successfully bred 36 goats.

Before setting out to see a different group of goats and the farm’s 24/7 livestock guardian dogs, Dan did a quick nail trim on a young male goat named Cabot. We ended with an evaluation of an abscess on a sheep’s jaw. I knew I was in good company with the biomedical science kids because they were absolutely thrilled to witness a potential abscess draining.

“It was very cool seeing my peers, who are interested in veterinary medicine, interact with the people at Erdenheim. I learned more about what the day-to-day looks like for people in those professions, how animal care intersects with common medicinal practices, and met rare, specialized animals," said David.

When I asked the group what their favorite part of the trip was, the overwhelming response was: “LAMBS!”