Kids page

Why is it called Slide Ranch?

• Slide Ranch slides into the ocean approximately one inch every year! Most of the exposed rocks are Franciscan sediments which were laid down on the floor of the Pacific Ocean about 100 million years ago.

What is a ruminant?

• An animal that has four stomachs, the largest being called the rumen. As wild animals they have little time to chew their food. Instead, they quickly chew and swallow the food into the rumen, which acts as a storage bin. Later, they can cough up and chew the cud. Goats, sheep, cows and deer are ruminants.

Why does Slide Ranch have goats instead of cows?

• We prefer goats at Slide Ranch because they are browsers, not grazers. “Browsers” reach up on plants for food, on vegetation such as brush and low branches. Goats can consume many plants that are generally inedible by other animals. Having the toughest mouth of any ruminant, goats can consume, without harm, nettles, thistles, briars and brambles, turning “waste” vegetation into milk and meat. Their hardiness combined with the amounts of milk they can produce in extreme climates make them the preferred animal in many regions of the world. They are often considered the “poor man’s cow.”

How much milk does a goat give?

• A goat normally produces between two to three quarts per day. The goats at Slide Ranch are milked twice a day, once at 10 a.m. with school groups and families and once at 10 p.m. by the people that live on the ranch. Foam in the bucket when the goat is being milked means that it is good to drink.

Can you tell if this is a boy or a girl duck?

• Ducks – Mature drakes (males) have several curled feathers in the center of their tails. Mature hens with yellow or orange bills can develop dark spots or streaks on their bills when they begin to lay eggs. In some breeds, the male and female resemble each other and share parental duties. Ducks are champion swimmers and can fly thousands of miles and up to 65 miles per hour.

Why are the eggs at Slide Ranch different colors?

• Eggs at Slide Ranch are white, brown, green and even blue! Different types of chickens lay different types of eggs.

Do roosters lay eggs?

• No, roosters are male chickens. They usually have dramatic tail plumes and spurs on the back of their legs, just above claws.

Did you know that Sea Stars are carnivorous?

•  Most of the sea stars (sometimes known as star fish but these critters are definitely not fish!) you see at Split Rock are Pisastar orchraceous. They eat mostly slow moving organisms like snails, limpets, chitons, mussels, clams and barnacles. Their mouth is at the center of their arms and the underside of their body. When a sea star eats a snail it uses its tube feet to pull the snail off its substrate, then it engulfs the snail whole, digests it and spits the shell out when it’s done.

What can I grow at home that grows at Slide Ranch?

When school groups visit we send them home with pea seeds (pisum sativum). They are easy to grow! Here are the directions:

Sowing indoors:
Use a flower pot or other container with holes in the bottom to allow the water to drain. Fill with soil. Plant seeds ½ to 1 inch deep and cover with soil. Gently water every day until they sprout (about 10 days), then every other day.

Sowing outdoors:
Peas prefer cool, mild weather. Plant seeds about 1 to 1 ½ inches apart and ½ inch deep. Water and watch grow!

Pea plants like to climb, so once they start to grow tall (about 3 or 4 inches), support them with sticks, a trellis or wire fencing.

Harvesting:
Once the pea pods are swollen, gently pick them. They can be eaten raw, boiled, stir-fried or steamed. Enjoy!