Why tourists are paying to do farm chores on P.E.I.

Farm and even household chores have become a thing of the past for many children but on one Island farm, people are paying for the chance to shovel manure and feed the animals.

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Private tour operator Experience P.E.I. is partnering this year with Hope River Farm in Hope River, P.E.I., to offer a hands-on experience called Chore Time.

This is an opportunity to reconnect with a lifestyle people don't have at all anymore.— Bill Kendrick, Experience PEI 

"They get a chance to put the rubber boots and the gloves on and follow me around and help me with what I'm doing," said Nancy Sanderson, owner of Hope River Farm.

The chores aren't fake, either — the most recent tour group was put to work catching dozens of chickens and moving them to separate pens, Sanderson said.

"You bet they thought they were a big part of the farm!" she said.

Hope River Farm has chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, sheep and pigs, as well as a couple of large, friendly dogs. 

"A lot of kids don't have that grandparents' farm anymore, so to give people an experience to actually come on the farm and get more than just the petting zoo kind of experience, it's kind of a unique opportunity."

'Chicken is actually a chicken'

Many visitors have never seen a real farm except on television, said Sanderson, and she enjoys sharing her way of life and educating folks about food.

"This is an opportunity to reconnect with a lifestyle people don't have at all anymore," said Bill Kendrick, who came up with the idea of Chore Time after talking with visitors to P.E.I. who told him their children had no idea where their food came from. 

Farming is a new trend among young people with many websites and blogs devoted to it, which Sanderson said has increased interest in visiting farms like hers. 

"It's nice for kids to see chicken is actually a chicken, and it doesn't necessarily all come from factory farms," said Sanderson.

'Good review'

The experience lasts two to three hours and costs $100 for a group of four people. 

While people are helpful and do real work, Sanderson said it's not onerous and she makes sure every child has plenty of time to cuddle baby bunnies or play with chicks or lambs. 

"One of the kids started to cry the other day when it was time to leave, so I take that as a good review!"

Experience P.E.I. offers dozens of experiences including clam digging, learning to sail or pretending to own a racehorse at the local track for an evening.

"Not everything revolves around your cellphone ... real life can be far more interesting that what you get on a screen," Kendrick said. 

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