Where to see baby animals in London this spring

When it comes to baby animals to cuddle up to in spring, tiny lambs are obviously the GOAT. Thankfully, Surrey Docks Farm, a sweet little site right next to the Thames with its own blacksmithery, puts on lamb-feeding sessions almost every day. You’ll have to book your slot a week in advance in case the little guys need a rest (they’re pretty tiny after all). The farm also runs a ‘Meet the Small Animals’ experience, where you can get up close and personal with all kinds of cute critters, including rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets. 

Stepney City Farm has cheeping chicks in abundance. Head along to the 40-year-old farmyard,  set up by residents in the East End on a derelict site,  to take a peek at some super small fluffballs. Don’t forget to admire the adults too, some of which are ex-battery hens who lay plenty of eggs for the farm shop. There are also donkeys, goats and rabbits to ogle, a greenhouse made from plastic bottles to explore, plus an on-site plant shop, meaning you won’t be leaving disappointed (or empty-handed).

Nestled in the National Trust’s Morden Hall Park, Deen City Farm is the proud owners of two adorable kids born just last month - that’s baby goats, rather than pint-sized humans. As well as the bleating bucks, they’ve got an alpaca called Kimby, prize-winning cows with new calves to visit, a café and farm shop, and an on-site riding school (you can only ride the horses, not the alpacas, sorry). Plus, if you’re looking for maximum cuteness, the farm’s lambs are coming late. They’re due to be born any day now, so they should be extra small and adorable for your visit.

You can take your pig, sorry, pick of the bunch at Forty Hall Farm in Enfield, which has Tamworth and Berkshire piglets. The farm also runs a regular farmers’ market with fresh cheese, artisan cakes and craft beer, plus a veg bag scheme to help locals get their five-a-day. If you’re still feeling as greedy as a pot-bellied porker, head on to Hounslow Urban Farm where you can join a regular meet-and-greet with the resident pigs and micro pigs.

A birdwatcher’s paradise, Walthamstow Wetlands boasts 520 acres of unspoilt wetland, ten separate reservoirs, and more than 50 different avian species. It’s no surprise, then, that a wealth of baby birds call the leafy spot home. In April, go for the goslings. In the meantime, check out some of the more leftfield little fellows who hang about there: young crested grebe chicks hitching a ride on their mums’ backs, and squealing baby herons beg for food from one of many on-site nests.

The Woodlands Farm Trust in Welling had two female English longhorn calves last year. They’re super cute, and they share the 98-acre site with normal calves (also v cute) and an adorable Shetland pony. 

Did you know that the overarching term for peacocks and peahens is ‘peafowl’, and the word for a baby peafowl is a ‘peachick’? Well, now you do, and now you also know that there are three tiny chicks roaming free-range at 20-year old Brooks Farm in Leyton. The little chicks don’t have their big kaleidoscopic tails yet, but they make up for it in sheer cuteness. The farm also has sheep, donkeys, ponies, goats and a little train which trundles you around the premises. All aboard, and all that.