Goat Highlight: Meet Kimchi!
On March 11th, we welcomed a new friend to our goat herd. As we do with all new animals, our first step was to jump into a long and thorough process of choosing a name. We spent some time getting to know her and, after much deliberation, we settled on the name Kimchi! There has been lots of kimchi made and consumed from the fermentation workshops we have been hosting, so it’s a staff favorite. Also, ruminants (goats, sheep, cows, etc.) use fermentation to help break down food in their rumen, the first of four specialized stomachs. The name just seemed too perfect!
Over the past few weeks we have gotten to know Kimchi’s calm and loving nature. She often hangs out by herself in the barn, but whenever I head in, I can sense her following me around. Unlike some of our other goat friends, she doesn’t seem to just be looking for head and chin scratches, I think she just genuine likes to keep me company.
While we learned about her sweet personality, we also learned about some of her quirks. As much as she loves to follow me around the barn, she does not like company or distraction while out at pasture. She will walk herself to the other side of the pasture so she can focus on the meal of green grass in front of her.
Kimchi came to us from Redwood Hill farm in Sebastapol where she had kids at the end of February. Upon her arrival, she joined the exclusive club of milking goats here at the Ranch. She is still getting used to being milked by school field trip programs everyday, but her patience with the children has been admirable. When she is feeling done with milking, she will take a few steps away from the children. This lets our outdoor instructors know it’s time to finish milking and get her back into the barn where she can have some quiet time. She has become close to our little lamb, Peter (aka Peewee). You can often find them together, or mostly you can see Kimchi walking around the barn and Peewee prancing behind her wherever she goes.
Come on by the Ranch to meet the sweet Kimchi. She is so excited to say hello to you!
P.S Join us for Spring Fling on May 3rd! Tickets are selling fast! Sign up for our Natural Dyes workshop on May 17th! Give your children the gift of Summer camp at Slide Ranch. Our Summer camp now includes extended camp hours!
